Gonzaga stays perfect in WCC play with 89-77 win over Pepperdine

MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine was one of just two West Coast Conference teams to come within five points at the end of a game with Gonzaga.

They proved why once again Saturday night in Malibu. The Zags were playing without Killian Tillie again, the coaching staff likely limiting his minutes as the regular season winds down and the NCAA tournament nears.

Filip Petrusev picked up any slack, scoring 16 points in the first 12 minutes. He finished with 27 points to lead Gonzaga in scoring.

The Waves were only down four at halftime, and tied things up at 43 just three minutes into the second half.

Corey Kispert answered with one of his five threes and Joel Ayayi added a lay-in. That was the start of the separation.

The Zags turned that into a 12-point lead and maintained steady control the rest of the way. Kispert was the second-leading scorer with 19 points.

Only seven players got into the game for the Bulldogs, and six of them finished in double-digit scoring.

The Waves were led by Colbey Ross with 23 points, Kameron Edwards right behind with 22.

With another win, Gonzaga improves to 12-0 in the WCC and 26-1 on the season. They return to the Kennel to host USF on Feb. 20th at 8 p.m. The Dons had the closest game with the Zags in conference play this season, losing by just four in San Francisco.

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