Pepperdine at Gonzaga
SPOKANE, Wash. (Interstat) — The Gonzaga Bulldogs, boasting one of the nation’s premier records, look to continue their dominant run through the West Coast Conference when they host the struggling Pepperdine Waves on Wednesday night at McCarthey Athletic Center.
Gonzaga (19-1, 6-0 WCC) has won 12 consecutive games since its only loss in late November. The Bulldogs have been particularly formidable in league play, winning their six conference games by an average margin of 24.8 points. That stretch includes a 96-56 demolition of Pepperdine in Malibu just over three weeks ago on Dec. 28.
Mario Saint-Supery has been a key contributor for the balanced Bulldogs. The guard is coming off a 20-point, four-assist performance in a 71-50 road win at Seattle last Saturday. In the first meeting against Pepperdine, Saint-Supery tallied five points and four assists in just 17 minutes.
Pepperdine (6-14, 1-5) enters with a glimmer of momentum after snapping a six-game losing streak with a 67-63 home victory over Portland last Wednesday. The Waves will need a historic upset to challenge the Bulldogs, as Gonzaga has won 45 of the last 46 meetings in the series.
The Waves’ hopes will lean heavily on guard Styles Phipps. He is averaging 15.0 points in conference play and scored 16 in the win over Portland. However, he was held to just six points on 2-of-10 shooting in the first matchup against Gonzaga’s stifling defense.
Gonzaga’s offense, which averages 86.2 points per game, operates with efficiency and depth. Five players average double-figures scoring, led by Ryan Nembhard’s 15.8 points per game. The Bulldogs lead the nation in field goal percentage at 53.8%.
The game tips off at 6 p.m. PST and will be televised on ESPN2. Following this contest, Gonzaga will host San Francisco on Saturday, while Pepperdine travels to face Washington State.