Gonzaga Bulldogs 89, Pepperdine Waves 82: Live score updates recap, highlights from WCC men's basketball game

The Bulldogs earn a hard-fought win over the Waves to open WCC play

Gonzaga Bulldogs senior guard Ryan Nembhard. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 WCC) survived a scare from the Pepperdine Waves (6-9, 0-2 WCC) to hang on for an 89-82 victory in their West Coast Conference opener from Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California.

The Zags led by as many as 20 points following a strong end to the first half, though the Waves managed to dig away at that lead behind big nights from Jaxon Olvera (27 points), Moe Odum (24 points) and Stefan Todorovic (16 points).

For the Bulldogs, Khalif Battle led the way with 21 points. The sixth-year guard knocked down key free throws down the stretch to help secure Gonzaga's 48th straight win over Pepperdine and the school's 29th consecutive victory in a WCC opener.

Here is the live updates recap:

Final: Gonzaga 89, Pepperdine 82

2ND HALF

Gonzaga 88, Pepperdine 82 (0:08): The Bulldogs are less than 10 ticks away from securing a win in Malibu, California, following quite the scare from the Waves' trio of Jaxon Olvera, Stefan Todorovic and Moe Odum, who combined to score 67 points.

Gonzaga 86, Pepperdine 80 (0:17): Khalif Battle knocks down back-to-back free throws to make it a 6-point game again. Sixth-year guard is up to 19 points.

Gonzaga 84, Pepperdine 78 (0:32): Following a defensive stand from Dusty Stromer and Graham Ike, Khalif Battle extended Gonzaga's lead with a tough layup through Boubacar Coulibaly's chest.

Gonzaga 82, Pepperdine 78 (1:38): Khalif Battle misfired on a midrange jumper after having trouble finding Graham Ike in the low post. Referees went to the monitor to review possession.

Gonzaga 82, Pepperdine 78 (2:00): Jaxon Olvera steps up for the Waves with a midrange jumper over Khalif Battle, followed by a layup in transition after Gonzaga's 12th turnover of the night. Olvera is up to a career-high 27 points.

Gonzaga 81, Pepperdine 74 (3:54): Ben Gregg is playing some inspired minutes late in the second half of a close battle with the Waves. The 6-foot-10 senior finished through contact for a 3-point play and continues to hustle on the offensive glass.

Gonzaga 78, Pepperdine 72 (4:55): Stefan Todorovic and Moe Odum refuse to let the Waves go quietly. Those two have combined for 29 of Pepperdine's 40 points this half, after Todorovic connected on a corner 3-pointer.

Gonzaga 72, Pepperdine 62 (7:22): Graham Ike connects on a towering left-handed hook shot to cap off an 8-2 scoring spurt from the Zags, extending their lead back to double-digits. A few possessions prior, Ben Gregg made a nice play defensively to alter a 3-point attempt from the Waves that led to a fastbreak score for Gregg on the other end.

Gonzaga 64, Pepperdine 60 (10:39): Stefan Todorovic finishes through contact for a 3-point play, cutting Pepperdine's deficit down to four points. Todorovic is up to 11 points. The Waves are 11-for-16 from the field to start the half.

Gonzaga 60, Pepperdine 54 (11:53): A pair of free throws from Graham Ike pushes his team's lead back to six points. So far this half, the Zags have scored on as many possessions as they've committed turnovers (five). Their response out of the 12-minute media timeout could set the tone for the rest of the half.

Gonzaga 58, Pepperdine 54 (12:49): Moe Odum continues to spark Pepperdine in the second half, this time with an and-1 over Ryan Nembhard and Braden Huff. Ben Gregg responded on the ensuing possession with a tough finish in traffic, though he was unable to convert his attempt at the foul line.

Gonzaga 54, Pepperdine 51 (14:00): All of a sudden Gonzaga's 20-point lead has evaporated. Stefan Todorovic's 3-pointer in transition makes it a 14-0 run for the Waves.

Gonzaga 54, Pepperdine 44 (15:24): Another turnover for the Zags, their 11th of the night, extends their scoring drought to nearly three minutes long. Ryan Nembhard has five of those turnovers.

Gonzaga 54, Pepperdine 44 (16:20): Bulldogs come out of the locker room looking disconnected on the offensive end of the floor. Moe Odum helps the Waves take advantage, scoring 10 of his team's first 12 points of the second half to make it a 10-point game.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 50, Pepperdine 32: Braden Huff's perfect 8-for-8 start from the field fueled the Bulldogs down the stretch of the first half. The redshirt sophomore scored 17 points off the bench, as the Zags used a 14-3 scoring run late to pull away from the Waves heading into halftime. Jaxon Olvera led Pepperdine with 16 points.

1ST HALF

Gonzaga 41, Pepperdine 28 (3:11): The Bulldogs are in position to close the first half on a high note after a 14-3 scoring run has widened the margin between the WCC foes.

Gonzaga 37, Pepperdine 25 (4:34): Nolan Hickman zipped a pass up ahead to Khalif Battle, who threw down an emphatic one-hand dunk to make it a 12-point lead for the Bulldogs.

We 👀 you 𝘽 𝙃𝙐𝙁𝙁
pic.twitter.com/RsMTgUqyLV

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) December 31, 2024

Gonzaga 33, Pepperdine 25 (5:40): Braden Huff continues his hot first half, as the 6-foot-10 post is up to 13 points after a nice head-fake, followed by a strong drive and floater over Pepperdine's defense to extend Gonzaga's lead. Jaxon Olvera has kept the Waves hanging around with his midrange jumpers.

Gonzaga 25, Pepperdine 19 (7:59): Braden Huff cleans up a miss from Michael Ajayi with a putback layup. The redshirt sophomore is up to a team-high seven points off the bench. The Waves, meanwhile, continue to hang around after a busted coverage from the Bulldogs left Boubacar Coulibaly wide open for a dunk underneath off a pick-and-roll find from Jaxon Olvera.

Gonzaga 18, Pepperdine 13 (11:21): The Bulldogs have done a good job keeping the Waves off the scoreboard, though they haven't capitalized to the fullest on the other end of the floor to extend their lead. Gonzaga has missed eight of its last 10 attempts from the field and is 1-for-7 from 3-point range.

Gonzaga 18, Pepperdine 13 (12:21): Some aggressive on-ball defense from the Zags leads to a fastbreak opportunity for Ryan Nembhard, who couldn't finish the layup but Ben Gregg was there to follow the miss. Gregg appeared to tweak something on the play.

Gonzaga 13, Pepperdine 11 (14:55): Three of the Waves' four field goals out of the gate have been from behind the arc. Moe Odum is orchestrating things early on for Pepperdine. Gonzaga couldn't add to its lead after Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike misconnected on an alley-oop.

Gonzaga 8, Pepperdine 5 (16:59): Khalif Battle snakes his way through Pepperdine's zone for his second score of the game. Waves keeping it close early on behind Stefan Todorovic.

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