Drew Timme, Julian Strawther dominate to lead No. 13 Gonzaga past Pepperdine: 3 takeaways

The Zags' duo combined for 62 points in the victory

Led by Drew Timme, No. 13 Gonzaga picked up its fourth straight win with a 97-88 victory over the Pepperdine Waves on Saturday.

Timme led the way with 34 points, 22 of which came in the second half, while Julian Strawther added 28 points for the Zags (23-5, 12-2 WCC) in a back-and-forth shootout that saw 17 lead changes and five ties.

Gonzaga’s duo outlasted the Waves’ (9-19, 2-12 WCC) trio of 20-point performances from Houston Mallette (22 points), Maxwell Lewis and Jevon Porter (20 apiece).

Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga’s 45th straight win over Pepperdine:

ANOTHER CLOSE CALL

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After holding the Waves without a field goal for four minutes in the second half, the Zags looked in control as they extended their lead to 74-64 following a layup from Timme with 7:09 left on the clock.

Porter and the Waves responded with a 16-6 scoring run over the ensuing three minutes, which meant Gonzaga was in for another nailbiter down the stretch.

Unlike previous campaigns, though, the Zags have had plenty of experience in tight ballgames this season. Gonzaga has had 12 games decided by single digits this season, eight of which have been WCC matchups, after not having any such close calls in each of the last two seasons.

Being the battle-tested team that they are, the Zags locked in as they closed out the final 3:50 of the ballgame.

Rasir Bolton knocked down a 3-pointer to give Gonzaga some breathing room before an and-one from the senior guard extended the lead to six points. On the next offensive possession, Bolton drained another triple to make it 90-83 with 1:13 left on the clock.

Gonzaga outscored Pepperdine 19-11 behind Bolton’s mini-scoring spurt after Mallette made it a one-point game with 3:50 left to play. It wasn’t Bolton’s first time coming through in the clutch, and it might not be his last time either.

The Zags, who have been known to dominate opponents, are winning by an average margin of 10.9 points per game this season, down from the 21.0 mark they set a year ago.

STRAWTHER, TIMME TAG-TEAM HALVES

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Like a great wrestling duo, Timme and Strawther each picked their own moment to shine on Saturday night. The duo took turns leading the charge offensively as they combined for 64 points and 25 of the Zags’ 37 made field goals.

First up in the ring was the hot-handed Strawther, who was coming off a 28-point outing against LMU on Thursday following a 26-point performance versus BYU the game prior.

The junior forward’s presence was felt on both ends of the floor from the opening tip. After chasing down a layup attempt from Mallette, Strawther came back down on the offensive end and knocked down a 3-pointer for Gonzaga’s first points of the night.

A 19-point first-half performance was capped off with a 3-pointer to put Gonzaga up 50-42 heading into the break. The triple also concluded a 10-2 scoring run for the Zags.

Coming out of the halftime break, Strawther tapped in Timme to finish the job.

Timme matched his scoring output from the first half within minutes, as the two-time All-American scored 12 straight points to make it 62-56 in favor of the Zags with 14:22 left to play.

After checking back in at the 9:32 mark, Timme went back to work on the low block. The Waves defense couldn’t defend interior, as 20 of Timme’s 22 second-half points came in the paint.

WAVES TRIO GETS BUCKETS

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While the Zags' offense clicked, slowing down the Waves’ trio of scorers on the defensive end was another problem.

Mallette missed his first three shots before knocking down five straight jumpers to bring Pepperdine within striking distance. The sophomore scored 13 of the Waves’ first 26 points before finishing the night with 22 points.

Lewis took control of the wheel midway through the first half, scoring eight consecutive points for the Waves to take a 38-37 lead with 2:50 left in the first half.

In the second, Porter knocked down a handful of contested jumpers to keep Pepperdine in the ballgame down the stretch. The reigning WCC Freshman of the Week scored all his 15 second-half points in the final 7:29.

The offense ran through the trio down the stretch, as they scored 25 of Pepperdine’s final 28 points, but it wasn’t enough to outlast the Zags’ star-studded duo.

UP NEXT:

Gonzaga is home on Thursday against San Diego at 8 p.m.