LAS VEGAS (AP) – Gonzaga struggled to get going in the first half and led Pepperdine by just two points at the break. However, once the seventh-ranked Bulldogs got going, they just ran away from the Waves.
For the second consecutive game, Gonzaga used a big second-half run to put away an opponent, beat Pepperdine 79-61 Monday night to advance to its 18th straight West Coast Conference tournament final.
Byron Wesley and Kyle Wiltjer combined to score 25 of the Bulldogs’ first 30 points in the second half as Gonzaga (31-2) took a 55-35 lead midway through the period.
“It was great to watch our guys in that second half play defense, generate turnovers, generate deflections, get the ball off the glass and run,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “That’s when we’re obviously at our best, when we can spread you out and post you with our bigs.”
Wesley scored 25 points on 10 of 13 shooting, and Wiltjer, who had just three points in the first half, finished with 17. The Zags shot 58 percent in the final period (19 of 33), but their defense also caused a series of turnovers that turned the momentum in their favor.