No. 3 Gonzaga edges Pepperdine despite troubles at the line

MALIBU, Calif. – For a while, it had the feel of a comfortable Gonzaga victory. Pepperdine had other ideas. The third-ranked Bulldogs were outplayed in the second half and misfired from the free-throw line most of the night, but they held on to defeat the Waves 78-76 in front of 3,250 – capacity is 3,109 – Thursday at Firestone Fieldhouse. The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes because of snarled traffic from an accident on the Pacific Coast Highway. Gonzaga arrived at the gym just before 7 p.m., roughly 35 minutes before the scheduled tip time. Junior forward Kyle Wiltjer, known for scoring points in a hurry, carried the Zags (17-1, 6-0 West Coast Conference) for long stretches of the second half. After the Waves trimmed Gonzaga’s 15-point lead to 47-46 with 14 minutes, 50 seconds left, Wiltjer scored 16 points in the next 5 minutes. “That was a good test for us,” said Wiltjer, who finished with 24 points, 19 in the second half. “We were a little down we won by so small (of a margin), but at the end of the day a lot of teams are losing. We’re just happy to come out with a win, and find the will to win. That’s key because we’re going to have a lot of these close games.” Wiltjer’s scoring spree gave the Zags a 65-57 lead, but Pepperdine (11-6, 4-2) wouldn’t go away. Jett Raines and Stacy Davis combined for eight points to narrow GU’s lead to 71-70. Wiltjer delivered again, connecting on a tough bank shot over Raines. The Bulldogs made just 14 of 33 at the free-throw line. GU, which came in at 73 percent, was 2 of 8 down the stretch – two of those misses by 88-percent free-thrower Kevin Pangos – before Pangos rebounded to hit a pair with 19 seconds left. “I was really ticked about that,” Pangos said. “I’m glad I got a second chance. I 100 percent wanted it, even more so after missing those two.” Davis’ three-point-play pulled the Waves within 77-75, but Wiltjer made 1 of 2 free throws with 6.1 seconds left. Gonzaga opted to foul with 1.9 seconds left to prevent a potential tying 3-point attempt. Jeremy Major made 1 of 2 free throws and Pangos grabbed the rebound to secure Gonzaga’s 10th consecutive victory. “We couldn’t stop them so then we had to outscore them, which doesn’t bode well for us on the road,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “But actually down the stretch we strung together three or four stops and that kept a cushion that let us withstand our woes at the line.” Pepperdine’s comeback was fueled by center Raines (career-high 22 points), Davis (20 of his 21 points in the second half) and Major (eight points, nine assists). Major missed two late 3-pointers that would have tied the score. In the first half, the Zags made their field-goal attempts (16 of 23, 70 percent) and their 3-pointers (4 of 6, 67 percent), but they couldn’t find the range from the free-throw line (4 of 13, 31 percent). The latter kept Gonzaga from opening up a sizable halftime lead. The Zags built a 15-point lead with 9 minutes left, mainly because of Domantas Sabonis and Przemek Karnowski working over Pepperdine’s interior defenders and Silas Melson contributing nine points. Gonzaga settled for a 40-31 halftime lead. The Waves’ second-half shooting percentage was close to 70 most of the way before finishing at 63. Gonzaga had few problems connecting with its offense, shooting 57 percent overall. GU solved Pepperdine’s nation-leading 3-point defense, making 6 of 12 3s. Sabonis made all nine of his field-goal attempts and finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. “We’ve had games like this in conference where we get off to a good start and we can’t keep that level of play,” Pangos said. “It’s important for us to keep that high level going and try to put teams away or get a bigger lead.”