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Pepperdine University Athletics

Jaxon Olvera vs. Gonzaga
Kyle Cajero
89
Winner Gonzaga Gonz 10-4,1-0 WCC
82
Pepperdine PEP 6-9,0-2 WCC
Winner
Gonzaga Gonz
10-4,1-0 WCC
89
Final
82
Pepperdine PEP
6-9,0-2 WCC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gonzaga Gonz 50 39 89
Pepperdine PEP 32 50 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | by Athletic Communications

Waves Hang Tough with #19 Zags

MALIBU – Freshman Jaxon Olvera obliterated his career high in scoring as the Pepperdine men's basketball team took the 14th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs to the wire, falling by the slimmest margin since the 2009-10 season at an 89-82 final on Monday night.
 
The Waves (6-9) started the second half in a 20-point hole but a 17-2 run within the first eight minutes propelled them to within two of the Zags (10-4).

Crowd vs Gonzaga 2024
 
BIG WAVES
  • Jaxon Olvera (Houston, Texas/Golden State Prep) scored a career high of 27 points on .571 field goal shooting. The freshman also added two rebounds and two assists.
  • Moe Odum (The Bronx, N.Y./Pacific) had a stellar second half, exploding for 24 points in the latter 20 minutes of play while pulling down three rebounds and dishing out eight assists.
  • Stefan Todorovic (Belgrade, Serbia/SMU/USF) contributed 16 points, including a massive three to get the Waves within two points of the Zags. He also tacked on six boards, four assists and two steals.
 

KEY STATS
  • Gonzaga outshot the Waves from field goal range (55%-47%) but Pepperdine kept the Zags to just 13% from beyond the arc.
  • Pepperdine shared the ball more than the Bulldogs at a rate of 20-15.
  • Waves scored more on the run, earning 23 fastbreak points to the Zags' 14.
  • The rebounding battle ended almost even as well, seeing 36 Gonzaga boards to Pepperdine's 33.
 
RECAP
The Waves stuck with Gonzaga for most of the first half as the two teams went back and forth in front of a packed Firestone Fieldhouse. Coulibaly and Todorovic strung shots together, but it was Olvera who came alive, hitting two threes and a turnaround midrange jumper to give Pepperdine its only lead of the half. In fact, the turnaround jumper infected both squads, as it seemed like the teams could only score from the midrange for a good chunk of the game. With four minutes in the first stanza, Gonzaga would enjoy a 10-0 run largely fueled by offensive boards and Pepperdine would head into the locker rooms at a 50-32 deficit.


 
Down by 20, the Waves did not allow the Zags any comfort, opening the second half on a 14-0 run led by three-straight Odum buckets, including a huge fastbreak three from the wing. Butka, Coulibaly and Todorovic also chipped in on the race, but an emphatic Odum and-one with 13 to go would bring Pepperdine within two points of the out-of-sorts Bulldogs. Offensive boards for the Zags still proved to be the difference-maker, however, as Graham Ike went on a stretch of putback bumps and extended the lead back to 10 points midway through. Ever the optimists, Pepperdine chipped but couldn't stop Khalif Battle in the last minute– that felt like 10– of play as the Zags stiff-armed the Waves for an 89-82 final.
 


UP NEXT
The Waves are back in action Thursday, taking a trip to Saint Mary's and then heading to Pacific on Saturday.
 
STAY CONNECTED
Keep up with all things Pepperdine hoops by following the team on X and Instagram and find more about Waves Athletics via @PepperdineWaves on all platforms.
 
 
 
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