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It wasn’t the best of efforts, but the standard the Gonzaga Bulldogs have set for themselves this season is such that a 95-70 win over the Pepperdine Waves felt like a poor outing for the No.1 team in the country.
Gonzaga’s Big Four produced 80 of the team’s 95 points. Corey Kispert led all scorers with 23 points and 8 rebounds, while Drew Timme (20 points, 7 rebounds), Joel Ayayi (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) and Jalen Suggs (18 points) each took over. at different times in the evening to help the Zags clean up this game.
Gonzaga didn’t look like the best attacking in the country in the opening minutes of the game. Based on the ground action, it looked like Gonzaga, not Pepperdine, was the team playing their first game in 23 days.
The beautiful, flowing basketball that we’ve seen throughout this season took a little while to come out of the gates. Luckily for Gonzaga, the Waves failed to capitalize on their host’s slow start as they mustered just three goals scored in the game’s opening seven minutes.
Whether it was Pepperdine’s defense (it wasn’t) or the Zags just fighting with a rude basketball (it was), there wasn’t much to like during the opening period. . Both teams crushed a lot of disjointed offensive possessions that hurt my eyes. It’s not unusual for the Waves, who suffered back-to-back losses before their COVID hiatus, but it’s shocking to see it from Gonzaga simply because of how rare it is.
Even with Pepperdine’s Colbey Ross (9 points on 2-10 FG, 7 assists and 6 turnovers) on the bench for several minutes to close the first half thanks to bad difficulties, Gonzaga couldn’t muster a run. to gain meaningful separation. . Apart from Ayayi (14 points, 4 interceptions), it was a first half to forget from Gonzaga as they took a 43-39 lead in the half with the margin reduced thanks to a buzzer beating three of Pepperdine’s Darryl Polk Jr. who was inexplicably cleared to run freely across the floor in the dying seconds to get a free kick.
The start of the second half featured promising possessions from the Zags as they showed the expected execution and finish of the nation’s top team. Even so, Gonzaga couldn’t quite open the game and he soon returned to the confusing game that marked the first half – nice plays here and there studded with stray passes and low percentage shots to kill the momentum.
Despite what seemed inevitable, the Waves resisted caving for much longer than expected and continued to put pressure on the Zags to keep the game tight.
Part of Pepperdine’s success in keeping up with Gonzaga’s pace has been his success in bottling Timme for the first 25 minutes. The second-year center was in the middle of his worst game of the season before converting back-to-back and 1 roundabout in the second half, this jump started his game and his team.
Kispert was a monster in the second half as well, showcasing archery prowess that elevated him to elite college basketball and NBA Draft lottery consideration.
The final score will make it feel like it was another routine win for the Zags, but the Waves fought valiantly. Although the mother who is Gonzaga’s offense ended up crashing into them, they looked like the team from the start of the season who could be the third best team in the conference.
For the Zags, the coaching staff will have plenty of films about this effort to highlight in practices over the next several weeks to keep them sharp as they prepare for tournament play.
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