MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine men's basketball (5-9, 0-1 WCC) was defeated by a score of 96-56 against No. 7 Gonzaga (13-1, 1-0 WCC) from Firestone Fieldhouse on Sunday night in the West Coast Conference opener.

The Bulldogs shot over 50% percent from the field (36-67) in an efficient offensive effort as the Waves were held to a 19-for-56 clip (33.9%) from the field in the contest. Gonzaga held a 44-26 lead at halftime and maintained its advantage throughout the second half. 

Yonatan Levy led the Waves with 15 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals, his first effort of the season as the Waves' leading scorer. Javon Cooley added 13 points off the bench on 6-for-8 from the floor.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 9-0 lead behind a three-point hit and transition dunk from Steele Venters in the opening minutes, as the Waves got on the board at the 16:29 mark with an Aaron Clark mid-range jumper.

Danilo Dozic and  Yonatan Levy followed with hits from deep for the Waves, as the game saw an 11-8 advantage for Gonzaga.

The three-point shooting for the Waves kept them within striking distance early, as Dozic hit on another while Cooley knocked down his first look at the 9:59 mark which made it a 22-16 Gonzaga lead.

The Pepperdine offense was then shut out for the ensuing five-plus minutes, as the Bulldogs were able to put together an 18-0 run to jump out to a 40-16 lead behind their strong defense leading to fast break offense.

The Waves chipped away down the stretch with a 10-2 spurt in the final minutes led by two more field goals from Cooley, as Gonzaga took a 44-26 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs shot 54.5% from the field in the opening half compared to 27.6% from the Waves which proved the difference. Dozic had all eight of his points come in the opening half hour to pace the home side.

Gonzaga extended its lead early in the second with Braeden Smith knocking down a pair of early triples. Levy answered with a trey of his own and two free throws, but another 9-0 run from the Bulldogs saw them take a 63-33 lead following an Adam Miller three with 14:33 to play.

Going back-and-forth as Cooley had the next six points for the Waves, Gonzaga maintained its 30-point lead to the midway point of the half.

The Waves were unable to chip into the deficit down the stretch, as the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 40 in the closing minutes behind their efficient offensive output, going for 6-for-12 from beyond the arc in the second half while the Waves went cold at 1-for-7 from deep. 

Levy had 10 of his 15 in the second half to lead the Waves, but Gonzaga was able to see out the victory, with the final score reading 96-56.

Game Notes

• Yonatan Levy posted 15 points to go along with six rebounds and a season-high three steals.
• Levy knocked down two of three looks from downtown and has hit a three-pointer in five straight efforts.
• Javon Cooley logged 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
• Cooley has averaged 15.4 points on 63.6% shooting across Pepperdine's last five games.
• Styles Phipps contributed six points along with a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
• Phipps has recorded at least three assists in every game this season.
• Stefan Cicic added four points and six rebounds off the bench for the Waves.
• Pepperdine shot 13-for-20 from the free throw line.
• Gonzaga won the rebounding margin, 44-31.
• The Bulldogs posted 48 bench points compared to 21 from the Waves.

The Waves remain home Tuesday night to host Saint Mary's, with opening tip set for 6 p.m. from Firestone Fieldhouse.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Pepperdine men's basketball has made 13 NCAA postseason appearances while earning 12 WCC Regular-Season Championships and three WCC Tournament Championships in its history. This success has spanned multiple decades, with the Waves most recently winning the 2021 CBI Tournament. The program has also seen 19 All-Americans along with 19 NBA players, which included a streak of 34 consecutive seasons with at least one alum on an NBA roster from 1976-2011.

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