No. 19 Gonzaga overwhelms Pepperdine 89-59

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Killian Tillie had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 19 Gonzaga past Pepperdine 89-59 on Thursday night.

Johnathan Williams scored 13 points and Rui Hachimura had 12 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (13-3, 3-0 West Coast Conference), who have not lost to Pepperdine since 2002.

Gonzaga outscored Pepperdine 48-14 in the paint and had a 36-13 edge off the bench, with Corey Kispert adding nine points and eight rebounds. Zach Norvell Jr. scored all 10 of his points in the second half.

Eric Cooper Jr. had a season-high 19 points for the Waves (3-12, 0-3), making 8 of 15 shots from the field. Colbey Ross was the only other Pepperdine player in double digits with 12.

Gonzaga led 41-23 at halftime, with Tillie scoring 12. He was 3 of 3 from the 3-point line, while the rest of the Bulldogs were 1 of 9 from deep. Hachimura had nine points, helping Gonzaga pound Pepperdine 24-6 in the paint.

Since losing 72-70 at San Diego State on Dec. 21, Gonzaga has won three in a row by a combined 112 points.

Pepperdine forward Kameron Edwards, who leads the team in points (15.9) and rebounds (6.8), missed his sixth straight game with a concussion.

BIG PICTURE

Gonzaga: Though it took a while for their offense to click, the Bulldogs’ defense clamped down to hold Pepperdine scoreless for 6:55 during a 15-0 first-half run. Gonzaga will need that kind of effort when it hosts Saint Mary’s on Jan. 18 in the first meeting of WCC powerhouses this season.

Pepperdine: And the beatdown at the hands of Gonzaga goes on. The Waves have lost 34 in a row to the Bulldogs, including 16 straight at home.

UP NEXT

Gonzaga: Visits Loyola Marymount on Saturday.

Pepperdine: Hosts San Francisco on Saturday.