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Box Score

SPOKANE, Washington -- The short-handed Pepperdine men's basketball team put together a spirited first-half effort on the road against the nation's seventh-ranked team, but Gonzaga showed its strength in the second half en route to a 92-62 victory in the schools' West Coast Conference opener on Thursday night.

The Waves (4-9, 0-1) led early and were tied with the Bulldogs (13-0, 1-0) more than midway through the first half. It was just a seven-point game (44-37) at halftime before the Zags pulled away after the break. Gonzaga is one of the nation's five remaining unbeaten teams.

Turnovers continued to vex the Waves, as Gonzaga forced 20 of them and had a 33-8 edge in points off turnovers. The bigger Bulldogs also had a 45-27 advantage on the boards and a 20-3 lead in second-chance points.

Four Waves scored in double-figures, though only six players got on the scoreboard. Senior guard Lamond Murray Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS) led all scorers with 19 points. Senior guard Jeremy Major (Pasadena, Calif./Maranatha HS) scored 15 and senior forward Chris Reyes (La Verne, Calif./Damien HS/Utah) and freshman forward Nolan Taylor (Keller, Texas/Keller HS) both had 10.

"I thought in the first half we competed," Pepperdine Coach Marty Wilson said. "We talked about showing our pride and effort and we did that. In the first half we were very aggressive and very unselfish. We did a great job knocking down some shots to take the pressure off. But some of our turnovers, mainly in the second half, gave them some run-outs. They capitalized on our inexperience and these are things we have to learn and grow from. If we can compete like we did, we'll be competitive in this league, even with our injuries."

The Waves led for a significant portion of the first eight minutes. Freshman guard Knox Hellums (Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran HS) sank a three-pointer, followed by two baskets by Major, giving the Waves a 9-5 lead. Back-to-back baskets by Taylor put Pepperdine ahead 16-12 with 12 1/2 minutes left, but Gonzaga followed with a 9-2 run.

Murray would tie the game at 23 on a three-pointer with 9 1/2 minutes left. Later, a quick 6-0 run put Gonzaga ahead 34-27, and was still a seven-point game at 44-37 at halftime.

The Waves outshot the Zags 51.6% to 47.2% in the first half. Though both teams had seven turnovers, the Bulldogs had a 12-4 edge in points off turnovers.

Gonzaga clamped down defensively in the second half, holding the Waves to 37.5% shooting while forcing 13 more turnovers. The Bulldogs outscored the Waves 48-25 after the break and second-half points off turnovers were 21-4. Pepperdine's final single-digit deficit came after a Major basket with 14:18 to play, making it 54-45. Gonzaga would then go on a 12-2 run.

For the game, the Waves were outshot 47.1% to 45.5%. Gonzaga made 10 of 27 three-pointers, to 6 of 14 by Pepperdine. The Bulldogs also got to the free throw line more, going 16-for-24 compared to a 6-for-7 effort by the Waves.

Gonzaga had five players score in double-figures, led by Nigel Williams-Goss and Przemek Karnowski with 16 points apiece.

Pepperdine was again without two expected starters. The Waves have yet to win since losing senior point guard Amadi Udenyi (Oakland, Calif./De La Salle HS) for the season to a torn Achilles tendon on November 27. Sophomore forward Kameron Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) has also not returned since suffering a fractured jaw in the preseason.

Pepperdine concludes this stretch of six consecutive road games at Portland on Saturday (New Year's Eve, December 31) at 5 p.m. Fans can listen in via WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com with Al Epstein on the call, or watch on TheW.tv.