First-place GU women power past Waves

Senior Taelor Karr finished with game highs of 15 points and seven assists Thursday as Gonzaga held on to first place in the West Coast Conference with an 80-46 win over Pepperdine at Malibu, Calif. The Bulldogs (16-5, 6-1) ended the first half with a burst for a 36-25 lead. Senior Meghan Winters came off the bench to score a season-high eight points, including two 3-pointers, all during a 13-3 run. GU opened the second half with a 13-0 run, highlighted by Jazmine Redmon’s five consecutive points, to bury the Waves (4-13, 1-5). Haiden Palmer added 12 points and Shelby Cheslek 10 points and a team-high six rebounds for the Bulldogs, who won their fourth consecutive game. GU is battling for first place with Saint Mary’s (5-1), which defeated the Bulldogs on Jan. 10, and BYU (4-1), which lost at GU last week. GU will host Loyola Marymount (8-12, 2-5) on Thursday.