SPOKANE, Wash. — Pepperdine men's basketball (6-15, 1-7 WCC) fell by a score of 84-60 at No. 8 Gonzaga (20-1, 8-0 WCC) Wednesday night from McCarthey Athletic Center.

The Waves traded blows for the majority of the first half, with the Bulldogs holding an 18-16 lead midway through the half before going on a run to open up a double-digit lead.

Styles Phipps led the way for Pepperdine with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. Aaron Clark added 10 points as the only other Wave in double figures while Pavle Stosic logged nine points and five boards.

"We played hard and well at times, but when playing at Gonzaga, a few mistakes can ignite a big run," noted head coach Ed Schilling. "That's what happened tonight—a few breakdowns opened up the game for them. We did, however, show improvement from when we played them in our first conference game of the year."

The teams traded baskets through the opening five minutes, as a Yonatan Levy jumper made it a 6-6 contest following baskets from Danilo Dozic and Phipps.

Phipps converted a three-point play after Clark had scored five straight, making it an 18-16 Gonzaga lead just over nine minutes in. Phipps led the way in the first half with nine points for the Waves.

This was followed by an answer from the Bulldogs, who used a game-best 19-4 run over the next six minutes to pull away for the first time. Both teams struggled from deep in the early stages, with a combined 5-for-20 clip in the first half. 

The run was broken up by Stefan Cicic from the Waves, but Tyon Grant-Foster notched the next six which made it a 43-22. Dozic answered with a three for Pepperdine, as he and Phipps combined for the final seven of the half for the Waves, who eventually trailed 49-27 at halftime.

The two sides continued to struggle from deep in the second half, this time going a combined 3-for-22, as points were coming at a premium away from the rim. The opening five minutes once again saw even play, as two Phipps free throws made it 55-37 with 15:24 to play.

A 7-0 Gonzaga run followed which put the lead up to 25 for the first time, as the Bulldogs were able to play the second half with the sizable lead. Pavle Stosic led the Waves against his former team in the final 20 minutes, scoring nine points on 3-for-4 shooting, while collecting a team-high four rebounds. 

Luka Vudragovic (five points), Cicic (four points) and Vladimir Sudar (four points) each hit multiple shots down the stretch for the Waves, as the Bulldogs saw out the eventual 84-60 win.

Gonzaga earns the season series sweep over the Waves with the win, in the final regular season conference battle between the programs.

Game Notes

• Styles Phipps posted 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
• Pavle Stosic recorded nine points on 3-of-4 shooting to go with five rebounds.
• Aaron Clark added 10 points and four assists for the Waves.
• Danilo Dozic shot 3-for-5 from the field for seven points, while collecting three boards.
• Stefan Cicic registered eight points and three boards.
• Vladimir Sudar knocked down both of field goal attempts for four points off the bench.
• The Waves registered double-digit offensive rebounds for the 12th time this season.
• Pepperdine blocked four shots in the contest, its highest total since Nov. 29 at CSU Fullerton.
• The Waves shot 13-for-14 from the free throw line, with Phipps converting all seven of his attempts.
• Pepperdine allowed five three-point baskets, a new low in conference games this season. The Waves' three triples made matched a season-low.

The Waves return Saturday at Washington State (8-13, 3-5 WCC) with tip-off set for 3 p.m. in Pullman, Wash.

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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