Pepperdine Buried by Morrison, Gonzaga

Adam Morrison got Gonzaga Coach Mark Few’s attention with his play away from the ball. The Bulldog star was pretty good with the ball too.

Morrison scored 26 points and No. 16 Gonzaga shot 60% from the field to rout Pepperdine, 86-62, on Saturday night in a West Coast Conference game.

“He moved better without the ball tonight,” Few said. “He blocked out and guarded.”

Morrison made 10 of 16 shots, including four of six from three-point range, to tie his career high in scoring.

Pepperdine, which fell to 12-7 overall and 2-2 in the conference, shot 33.9% and was five of 25 on three-pointers.

“When you give up 60% and shoot 33%, up here or anywhere, you’re going to lose the game,” Pepperdine Coach Paul Westphal said after the Waves lost their seventh consecutive game to Gonzaga dating to 2000.

Ronny Turiaf had 19 points and 10 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season and 19th of his career, for Gonzaga (13-3, 3-1). Freshman David Pendergraft had 14 points.

Few also was pleased with his team’s shot selection after Gonzaga made 30 of 50 shots, and was eight of 15 on three-pointers.

“We swung the ball and looked for other options instead of taking our first shot,” Few said. “One of our biggest problems is shooting too quick.”

Gonzaga and Pepperdine have maintained a spirited if uneven rivalry in recent years, and Few noted the Bulldog fans were loud, which helped his tired team.

“The crowd tonight was different from the one on Thursday,” Few said, referring to Gonzaga’s much closer win over Loyola Marymount. “The energy from the crowd went to our guys.”

Gonzaga won its 19th consecutive home game and is 31-0 at home when ranked.

Glen McGowan scored 15 points for Pepperdine but missed all five of his three-point attempts.