Drew Timme scores 35 points to lead Gonzaga past Pepperdine in WCC opener

The two-time All-American finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists

After playing a season-low 17 minutes in Wednesday’s historic blowout win over Eastern Oregon, Drew Timme missed just six minutes of action in Gonzaga's conference opener against Pepperdine on Saturday. 

It was for good reason, as the senior forward finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while leading the Zags (12-3, 1-0 WCC) to a 111-88 victory over the Waves (7-8, 0-1) at the McCarthey Athletic Center. 

• 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM GONZAGA'S WIN OVER PEPPERDINE

From start to finish, Pepperdine struggled to contain Timme, who shot 15-for-19 from the field and scored most of his points on a mixture of hook shots, post-spin layups and close-range jump shots. He also became the fourth-highest scorer in program history, sitting just six points behind Adam Morrison at 1,860.

“I’m just an efficient player who makes the right play and I just do whatever it takes to win and I gotta give a lot of credit to my teammates for just finding me in the places that I like to get the ball, so it was a great team win,” Timme said. 

The Waves kept it close for much of the first half, taking the lead several times early on and remaining competitive even when the Zags pulled ahead before the intermission. 

Pepperdine forward Jevon Porter had 11 first-half points, including an and-1 layup to tie the game at 34 apiece with just under seven minutes to play until halftime. 

Gonzaga took back its lead on the next play after a layup from Timme, but Porter tied it up again with a midrange jumper. 

However, Porter’s second game-tying bucket was the last time Pepperdine came within striking distance, as the Zags scored 20 of the next 24 points to lead 56-40 at halftime. 

"Fortunately, we had that nice stretch at the end of the first half where we were able to string together multiple stops and I thought that was a difference in the game," said Gonzaga head coach Mark Few.

The second half began with a back-in-fourth scoring battle, but the Zags' sizable lead served as a safety cushion. 

After being limited by foul trouble in the first half, Pepperdine wing Maxwell Lewis came alive for the Waves and finished with a team-high 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting.  

Still, Gonzaga’s offense continued to roll, as a few of its reserves found their rhythm in the second half. The Zags’ bench accounted for 29 points, with backups Malachi Smith and Ben Gregg scoring 15 and 10 points, respectively. 

Few pulled all of his starters by the two-minute mark, with the game all but over.

The victory for the Zags extends their home winning streak to 74 games and marks their fifth time reaching 100 points.

The Zags will go on a three-game road trip, beginning with San Francisco on Thursday. Gonzaga will remain in the Bay Area to play Santa Clara next Saturday, before heading to Provo, UT, to face BYU on Jan. 12. 

PHOTO GALLERY

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Photo by Rene Guerrero

Photo by Rene Guerrero

Photo by Rene Guerrero