Gonzaga’s Rollins Shoots Down Pepperdine

Much to Pepperdine’s dismay, Gonzaga guard Lorenzo Rollins found his shooting touch in the second half Saturday night.

As a result, the Bulldogs erased a 10-point second-half deficit and defeated the Waves, 78-66, in a West Coast Conference basketball game before 1,874 at Firestone Fieldhouse.

Rollins, who was scoreless and had missed all four of his shots in the first half, scored 21 points on seven-for-10 shooting in the second half to help Gonzaga, 14-6 overall and 5-3 in the conference, beat the Waves for the sixth consecutive time and move into a four-way tie for first place in the WCC with Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount and San Francisco.

Pepperdine (9-11, 2-6), took its biggest lead, 48-38, on a jump shot by guard Khary Hervey with 16:30 to play. But Rollins answered with two consecutive three-point baskets to ignite the Bulldogs. A jump shot by Rollins gave Gonzaga the lead for good, 54-53, with 12:31 left.

Guard Gerald Brown led Pepperdine with 21 points, only four in the second half. Forward Bryan Hill added 18 points for the Waves, who lost their fifth consecutive game at home, the team’s longest losing streak at Firestone since the facility opened before the 1973-74 season.

Behind Brown’s 17 first-half points, the Waves took a 38-34 halftime lead.

Pepperdine trailed by eight points early, but a 13-3 run turned a 23-20 deficit into a 33-26 Wave lead with 3:52 left in the half. Brown scored nine points during the stretch, including three outside jump shots.