Zags keep it simple

Extra passes and simple plays can make basketball a very simple game.

Mark Few has believed and taught that theory throughout his college coaching career.

But on Saturday night, in front of another sellout crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center, it took Few a little longer than he expected – or wanted – to convince his Gonzaga Bulldogs to buy back into the idea of simplicity.

Ultimately, however, they did.

And they were rewarded once again – this time with a 59-point second half that led the sixth-ranked Zags to a 102-73 rout of West Coast Conference rival Pepperdine.

GU’s Adam Morrison, the nation’s top Division I scorer, bumped up his 28-points-per-game average by throwing in 31 points, and teammate J.P. Batista added 27 on 13-for-14 shooting from the field as the Bulldogs (13-3 overall, 3-0 the WCC) beat the once-proud Waves (5-10, 1-2) for the ninth straight time.

Still, it took a big second-half run that was fueled, on both ends of the floor, by backup senior forward Erroll Knight to put the stubborn Waves away.

Knight, who is still battling back from early season knee problems, didn’t score. But he brought some much-needed passion to GU’s defense and dished out four second-half assists to delight a crowd of 6,000.

“I just realized that we needed to get the ball to J.P. more,” Knight said. “There’s nobody who can stop him if we just take the time to get him the ball.”

“He was huge tonight,” Few said of Knight, a 6-foot-7 defensive stopper. “He changed the game for us on offense and defense. He just simplified the game and made the simple plays instead of trying to force something to happen.

“That’s what we have to do, is make the extra pass and make the simple play.”

It certainly worked on this night, as the Bulldogs put together a 26-6 run early in the second half to break open a relatively tight game.

Pepperdine coach Paul Westphal was impressed with GU’s simple second-half approach – which included 64.9 percent (24 for 37) shooting from the field – but also credited the Zags with playing harder than his Waves.

“The other team was way more aggressive than we were,” he said. “They continually beat us to the ball. They continually beat us to position. They were more aggressive – intelligently aggressive – than we were, especially in the second half.

“I thought we deferred to them in the second half. We let them just take the game.”

After staying close throughout much of the first period, Pepperdine imploded shortly after intermission. The Waves were still hanging with the Bulldogs 4 minutes into the final half, when Willie Galick hit a jumper from the left wing to cut GU’s lead to 54-47. But then Batista hit a short turnaround to ignite an impressive Zags run that put Pepperdine away.

Morrison, taking advantage of a couple of spiffy assists from Knight, scored 11 points during the run, which saw the Bulldogs make seven consecutive field goals without a miss during one ultra-productive stretch.

“We’ve actually been a pretty good defensive team,” Westphal said. “I give (the Zags) a lot of credit, but I thought our defense got a little soft there. They stepped it up, and we didn’t.”

Of Morrison, who also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, Westphal added, “He’s a legitimate scorer at any level. He’ll go to the next level and score a lot of points, too. He’s very gifted.”

GU continues WCC play at home on Monday, when it entertains Loyola Marymount in a 9 p.m. showdown that will serve as the nightcap for ESPN’s Big Monday tripleheader. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Gonzaga 102, Pepperdine 73

Percentages: FG .468, FT .563. 3-Point Goals: 6-16, .375 (Forehan-Kelly 3-4, Galick 1-2, Barlow 1-3, Gerrity 1-4, Griffin 0-3). Team Rebounds: 29. Blocked Shots: 1 (Griffin). Turnovers: 15 (Galick 4). Steals: 6 (Gerrity, Barlow 2). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .557, FT .654. 3-Point Goals: 7-10, .700 (Raivio 3-3, Gurganious 1-1, Floyd 1-1, Morrison 1-3, Pendergraft 0-1). Team Rebounds: 44. Blocked Shots: 5 (Mallon 2). Turnovers: 10 (Mallon 4). Steals: 9 (Mallon, Altidor-Cespedes, Pendergraft 2). Technical Fouls: None.

Halftime–Gonzaga 43, Pepperdine 36. A–6,000.