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Desperately needing a win, Gonzaga turned it on in the second half to get past San Francisco behind a Michael Ajayi masterclass

The balls usually haven’t bounced Gonzaga’s way in close games this season, but the Zags found success last night against San Francisco both offensively and defensively to turn away San Francisco for the 36th straight time in Spokane. It’s treated as a mystery by many as to why Gonzaga hasn’t been able to win close games this season, but it seems as simple as that the Zags can’t get stops defensively.

Last night at The Kennel, that changed, as the Zags outscored San Francisco 20-8 to start the second half en route to an 88-77 victory. The visiting Dons had a couple of sparks late on in the game but couldn’t overcome the lead Gonzaga had built up over the course of the first eight minutes of the second half.

Gonzaga, top ten nationally in FT%, hit just 16 of 23 free throw attempts on the night, but Khalif Battle (93.6% FT) hit all seven of his attempts, with four coming in the final minute to ice the game away. Gonzaga has struggled to get stops late on in games, which is why they have struggled in close contests, but you do feel as if it will even out with the outstanding point guard play of Ryan Nembhard and the elite team free throw shooting.

Nembhard looked very sharp last night, hitting a mid-range jumper to virtually ice the game with two minutes to go, and finishing with 18 points and 12 assists while shooting 8-of-15 from the field. With Gonzaga’s struggles he may be a bit underrated in the eye of the public, but it’s hard to watch him play and not view him as one of the five best point guards in the sport.

The guy I thought made the biggest difference last night though was Michael Ajayi. Transferring in from Pepperdine, Ajayi had familiarity with the WCC and Mark Few had high hopes that the transfer could be a valuable piece on both sides of the ball for Gonzaga after the graduation of Anton Watson. Ajayi simply hasn’t had the start of life at Gonzaga that he would’ve hoped, averaging just 6.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg this season.

Against San Francisco, we saw what he adds to this team if he can show up at a consistent level. First, he’s an elite athlete, and has the ability to get to the rim and create his own shot unlike any other Zag. Second, his athleticism is of extreme need defensively, where the Zags have struggled all season. Ajayi played nearly the entire second half last night, as Few saw what he could add with a bit of confidence, scoring the final four points of the first half.

Tremendous on both sides of the ball and on the glass last night, Ajayi finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, with six coming on the offensive glass, and defensively shutting down the Dons’ guards and wings for much of the second half. The Zags need this night in and night out from Ajayi, especially on the defensive end, if they want to start to flip the script about their close game struggles.

When Ajayi is on, outside of Nembhard I believe he is the most important piece for this team, and I think it’s fair to call him the key to success as Gonzaga looks to fight from a low seed to reach its tenth straight Sweet 16. There isn’t another guy like Ajayi on the roster for Gonzaga, and with his shot creation, rebounding, and athleticism defensively, the Zags need Ajayi to be at 100% with a firm sense of confidence and a bit of aggressiveness as the calendar trickles towards March.

Other Things to Note:

• Dain Dainja’s 20 points leads #14 Memphis past South Florida 80-65
• 24-point double-double from Derik Queen pushes #25 Maryland to 83-75 win at Nebraska
• UNCW moves to 11-2 in CAA play, dominates Charleston 86-66 to complete season sweep
• UCLA visits Indiana at Assembly Hall in important game for both teams (8:00 ET, FOX)
• Nevada looks to get back to .500 in Mountain West play on the road against San Jose State (10:00 ET, FS1)