No. 19 Gonzaga holds on to beat Pepperdine in WCC opener

MALIBU, Calif. — Khalif Battle scored 21 points, Braden Huff added 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting and No. 19 Gonzaga beat Pepperdine 89-82 on Monday night in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams.

Huff converted a three-point play that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good 7:10 into the first half, and Gonzaga (10-4) led 50-32 at the intermission.

Freshman Jaxon Olvera scored a season-high 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting for Pepperdine (6-9). Moe Odum added 24 points and eight assists.

After Battle made a layup to open the scoring in the second half and push Gonzaga’s lead to 20 points, the Waves scored 22 of the next 26 points — including 13 points and three assists by Odum.

Gonzaga scored six in a row after that to keep Pepperdine at bay.

Takeaways

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs were inconsistent on both ends of the floor but found another gear each time Pepperdine threatened.

Pepperdine: The Waves, who went into the game averaging 11.7 turnovers, committed 11 in the first half, helping Gonzaga build an 18-point halftime lead. Pepperdine had just four turnovers and outscored the Bulldogs 50-38 in the second half.

Key moment

After Olvera made back-to-back baskets to make it a four-point game with two minutes to play, Battle went 4 for 4 from the free-throw line and scored six points down the stretch to seal it for Gonzaga.

Key stat

Gonzaga has won 48 consecutive games against the Waves. Pepperdine’s last win against the Bulldogs was an 88-79 home victory on Jan. 18, 2002.

Up next

Gonzaga plays Portland at the Spokane Arena in the Community Cancer Fund Classic on Thursday.

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No. 19 GONZAGA 89, PEPPERDINE 82