No. 7 Gonzaga beats Pepperdine for 50th straight time
Tyon Grant-Foster registered 18 points and four blocked shots and No. 7 Gonzaga defeated host Pepperdine for the 50th consecutive time with a 96-56 triumph on Sunday night at Malibu, Calif.
Braeden Smith had 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds as the Bulldogs (13-1) cruised in the West Coast Conference opener for both squads. Gonzaga has won six straight games.
Davis Fogle also scored 15 points, Graham Ike had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Braden Huff had 10 points for the Zags, who won by 40 or more for the fourth time this season.
The Bulldogs' last loss in the series came on Jan. 18, 2002, when the Waves recorded an 88-79 home win. Gonzaga coach Mark Few is 54-2 against Pepperdine.
The Bulldogs also won their 30th consecutive WCC opener, the last 27 under Few.
Yonatan Levy recorded 15 points and three steals and Javon Cooley added 13 points for Pepperdine (5-9).
Gonzaga shot 53.7% from the field, including 10 of 22 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs held a 44-31 rebounding edge and also claimed advantages of 50-18 in points in the paint and 19-0 in fast-break points.
Gonzaga has recorded eight victories by more than 25 points this season.
The Waves made just 33.9% of their attempts and were 5 of 19 from behind the arc.
Pepperdine was down 22-16 after a 3-pointer by Cooley midway through the first half.
Gonzaga then erupted with 18 consecutive points. Ike capped it with a layup to make it 40-16 with 5:00 left in the half.
The Bulldogs led 44-26 at halftime behind 54.5% shooting. The Waves made just 27.6% (8 of 29) of their first-half attempts.
Smith started the second half strong by scoring all the Gonzaga points during an 8-2 run that increased the lead to 24.
Adam Miller drilled a 3-pointer to push the lead to 30 for the first time with 14:33 left.
Grant-Foster's alley-oop dunk made it 84-47 with 5:47 remaining and the Zags cruised to the finish.