Gonzaga 86, Pepperdine 61: Live updates recap, highlights from WCC men's basketball game

Bulldogs pick up 47th-straight win against the Waves

The Gonzaga Bulldogs picked up a much-needed and historic victory over Pepperdine on Thursday, as Mark Few reached 700 wins in his career in the 86-61 triumph in Malibu, California.

Graham Ike led the Zags (12-5, 3-1 WCC) with 24 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the floor. Nolan Hickman added 19 points, while Anton Watson chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds. Gonzaga outscored Pepperdine 46-21 in the second half and shot 70.4% from the floor.

The Waves (9-11, 2-3 WCC) remained competitive with a hot start from beyond the arc in the first half. Pepperdine was 6-for-12 from behind the arc and weathered the initial storm from Gonzaga to take a slight lead late in the first half. Things cooled off in the second half, though, as the home team shot 7-for-24 (29.2%) over the last 20 minutes.

Gonzaga has won 47-straight over Pepperdine, including both head-to-head matchups this season. Few became the second-fastest head coach to reach 700 career wins behind Kentucky's Adolph Rupp.

• HOW TO WATCH GONZAGA VS. PEPPERDINE

Here is the live updates recap:

SECOND HALF:

Gonzaga 77, Pepperdine 52 (3:56): Watson got his seventh field goal of the night on a euro-step move past his defender on the way to the rim. 

Gonzaga 68, Pepperdine 48 (7:20): Stromer knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner for his first field goal of the night, followed by a reverse layup from Gregg on the baseline courtesy of a pass from Nembhard. Bulldogs assisted on seven of their first 11 makes in the second half.

Gonzaga 58, Pepperdine 43 (11:34): An 18-3 scoring run to start the second half put the Bulldogs in the driver seat. Watson flashed his two-way skillset after forcing Ajayi to come up short on a midrange jumper, followed by an and-one on the other end. Nembhard drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to extend Gonzaga's largest lead.

Gonzaga 51, Pepperdine 42 (13:50): A missed 3-pointer from Mallette turned into instant offense for the Bulldogs, as Gregg cleaned up the miss and fired an outlet pass to Nembhard, who zipped a dime over to Ike for a one-handed dunk on the other end.

Gonzaga 46, Pepperdine 42 (16:59): Watson got Gonzaga going with two quick field goals out of the break to gain some momentum. After a floater in the lane, the 6-foot-8 forward stepped beyond the 3-point to nail the Bulldogs' fourth triple of the night.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 40, Pepperdine 40: Bulldogs got off to a strong start behind Ike, who finished the half with 11 points, before the Waves countered from beyond the arc. Pepperdine made nine of its last 11 field goal attempts, including 4-for-4 on 3-point attempts, over the last seven minutes. Porter led all scorers with 13 points. Hickman paced the Bulldogs with 12 points.

Hickman with the steal 😱 All tied up at halftime!@ZagMBB | #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/5ghbQuY1P4

— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) January 19, 2024

FIRST HALF:

Pepperdine 32, Gonzaga 31 (3:56): Waves rattled off an 8-1 scoring spurt to take their first lead since the opening minute. Mallette drilled a corner 3-pointer, followed by an acrobatic layup from Ajayi a few possessions later. Porter Jr. made the Waves' fourth 3-pointer, prompting a timeout from Few.

Gonzaga 25, Pepperdine 17 (7:55): Huff scored seven straight points off the bench upon checking in off the bench at the 12:42 mark. The redshirt freshman knocked down a 3-pointer at the top of the arc before getting a tough turnaround hookshot to go two possessions later.

Anton 💪 pic.twitter.com/1jDVv0sAiI

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) January 19, 2024

Gonzaga 20, Pepperdine 13 (11:26): Stromer found Gregg on a cut toward the rim for a 3-point play after Moore fouled Gregg on the layup attempt. After Mallette missed on the other end, Gregg delivered a high-low pass to Huff for another score near the rim. Fourteen of Gonzaga's first 20 points came in the paint.

Gonzaga 9, Pepperdine 6 (15:48): Bulldogs came out energetic with Gregg in the starting lineup. Ike got the offense going with a few post-ups.