Drew Timme scored 34 points on 15-of-20 shooting and No. 13 Gonzaga defeated Pepperdine for the 45th consecutive time, prevailing 97-88 on Saturday in West Coast Conference play at Malibu, Calif.
Julian Strawther scored 28 points for the second straight game for the Bulldogs (23-5, 12-2 WCC), who won their 20th consecutive game at Pepperdine.
Rasir Bolton scored 10 of his 12 points in the final 3:23 to help Gonzaga avoid the upset.
Houston Mallette scored 22 points for the Waves (9-19, 2-12), who have dropped 13 of their past 15 games. Maxwell Lewis and Jevon Porter added 20 points apiece for Pepperdine.
Timme’s latest big effort allowed him to pass San Francisco legend Bill Cartwright (2,116 points from 1975-79) and move into eighth place on the WCC’s all-time scoring list. Timme has 2,117 points.
Strawther is averaging 27.3 points over the past three games, also scoring 28 against Loyola Marymount on Thursday after posting 26 against BYU on Feb. 11.
Gonzaga shot 56.9 percent from the field, including 7 of 18 from 3-point range.
The Waves connected on 51.6 percent of their shots and were 7 of 23 from behind the arc.
Pepperdine battled back from a double-digit deficit to trail by one with 3:50 left. Mallette scored five points during a 7-0 run, including a 3-pointer to trim Gonzaga’s lead to 78-77.
Bolton answered with a 3-pointer to start his late-game heroics and give the Bulldogs a four-point lead with 3:23 to go.
Bolton converted a three-point play with 2:03 left to give Gonzaga an 87-81 lead. Just 50 seconds later, he buried another trey to make it 90-83.
The Zags pushed the lead up to 10 while closing it out.
Timme’s fastbreak layup gave Gonzaga a 12-point lead early in the second before the Waves scored the next eight. Lewis had the final five as Pepperdine crept within 58-54 with 15:46 remaining.
The Bulldogs gained some separation when Timme scored back-to-back baskets for a 72-61 advantage with 8:35 left.
Strawther scored 19 points as Gonzaga held a 50-42 lead at the break. Mallette had 13 in the half for the Waves.
Five straight points by Mallette gave the Waves a 26-21 edge with 8:44 left in the first half. The Bulldogs scored the next six points to move ahead.
Pepperdine led 38-37 after a 3-pointer by Lewis with 2:50 remaining before Gonzaga closed with a 13-4 push. Strawther capped his strong half with a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left.
–Field Level Media
