After losing to UCLA in a heartbreaking matter, Gonzaga Basketball didn’t have much time to rest, opening WCC play against Pepperdine on the road. They had won 47 straight games and looked to be clearly ahead, up by 18 points at the halftime break. However, the Bulldogs gave up the lead, up by only two at one point as the Waves got hot from the field.
In the end, Gonzaga prevailed 89-82 to win against Pepperdine again, starting out conference play at 1-0. Here are some takeaways from the latest victory.
1. Braden Huff’s domination over poor teams
When Gonzaga was up 50-32 at the break, Huff had led all players with 17 points on 8/8 FG shooting. It’s part of a pattern for the sophomore big man, scoring 20+ points against the bottom half of the WCC usually. He finished with 19 and struggled in the second half, so credit to the Waves for the adjustments.
2. Bulldogs torched on the perimeter
The reason why Pepperdine was able to come back was due to their perimeter trio of Moe Odum (24 points and eight assists), Stefan Todorovic (16 points and six assists), and Jaxon Olvera (27 points), who all had career outings against Gonzaga. Considering the success UCLA had at the three-point line last game, it’s starting to be a concern how teams are able to score on the Bulldogs.
3. Michael Ajayi starting to fall in the rotation
It wasn’t a revenge game for the former Wave Ajayi, who scored just two points in 11 minutes while turning the ball over four times. After his 14-point game against UConn, it looked as if he was trending in the right direction.
Instead, Ajayi’s production has started to fall in a way that may limit his minutes going forward. He and Ben Gregg’s minutes have been spilt before this game but there’s a chance the transfer’s role will be declining if he can’t provide more of an impact.