Pepperdine Starts Fast but Can’t Last

Paul Rogers scored 23 points and Jon Kinloch added 22 as Gonzaga overcame an early deficit to defeat Pepperdine, 94-80, in a West Coast Conference game Thursday night.

The Bulldogs (15-6 overall and 6-3 in the WCC) won for the 15th consecutive time at home and the seventh time in a row over the Waves (9-12, 2-7).

Marques Johnson led Pepperdine with 22 points, while Bryan Hill had 16 and Gerald Brown had 14.

Pepperdine jumped out to an 11-5 lead after 4:15 of play on Brown’s three-point play.

But Gonzaga recaptured the lead for good five minutes later when John Nemeth made two free throws to give the Bulldogs an 18-17 advantage. Gonzaga outscored Pepperdine, 25-13, in the final 10 minutes of the half to take a 43-30 lead at the break.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to 64-42 when Kinloch hit a three-point shot with 13:56 remaining. Pepperdine closed to within 11 with 4:35 to go but could get no closer.