The Gonzaga Bulldogs entered halftime of their matchup with Pepperdine Waves up by a score of 50-32, looking well on their way to a comfortable victory that would be their 48th straight win over their conference foes. However, after a dramatic second half, the Zags prevailed by just 7 points, continuing several concerning trends that have plagued them throughout the early stages of this season.
Gonzaga Continues to Struggle to Hold On to Large Second Half Leads
As Gonzaga’s offense churning its way to 50 first half points, it looked like the perfect way to rebound after a tightly contested loss to the UCLA Bruins just three days earlier. Braden Huff found his shooting stroke early in a big bounce-back game, contributing 17 first half points after only scoring 2 against UCLA. Leading by 18 at the break despite Waves guard Jaxon Olvera pouring in 14 points, Gonzaga seemed back to their old ways. Yet it all fell apart rather quickly.
Zags rollin’ 💪😤 pic.twitter.com/1kPG0VkjLu
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) December 31, 2024
The Bulldogs were blitzed out of the halftime gates, with Pepperdine stampeding to a 22-6 run, fueled by Olvera and fellow guard Moe Odum, who simply could not be stopped. Gonzaga had several turnovers and continued their poor perimeter shooting, ending the game shooting just 2-15 from three-point land. Ryan Nembhard was surely hoping for a redeeming performance following his role in the loss against UCLA, but the senior point guard was a meager 4-15 from the floor with an uncharacteristic 6 turnovers. With just over ten minutes left in the game, Gonzaga found themselves up by only two points as the Firestone Fieldhouse erupted with noise following a tough and-one from Odum.
Gonzaga eventually would right the ship by leaning on Graham Ike. The forward had a quick 10 points to restore a double-digit lead, getting to his left hand with ease on multiple occasions. Combined with some improved play from Nembhard and several big-time rebounds from Ben Gregg, Gonzaga looked like they had restored order. But Pepperdine was not done.
Managing Late Game Situations is Clearly a Big Issue for Gonzaga
Pepperdine was able to make one last push as Gonzaga began to settle for jumpers instead of continuing to attack inside. As Odum and Olvera made tough shot after tough shot, the lead was down to just 4 with a minute to play. Clutch contributions from Khalif Battle, who was unable to finish the game against UCLA due to being ejected in the first half, helped to seal the deal against Pepperdine. After missed free throws being a major factor in Los Angeles, Battle confidently buried four consecutive attempts from the charity stripe in Malibu to assure the victory. With the final score of 89-82, Gonzaga ultimately began their conference schedule with a win.
It’s worth noting that the team had a strange circumstance hanging over their head following a the team’s charter plane nearly colliding with another airplane on the runway at Los Angeles International Airport, but it certainly didn’t seem to stop the Zags from starting fast. Being able to manage the second half is clearly a recurring issue.
Head coach Mark Few will surely be concerned by his team once again allowing their opponents back into the game in the second half. They looked like they lacked confidence on both ends of the floor as Pepperdine fought back, despite Gregg speaking on the team’s faith in the process earlier last week. Few had a blunt assessment of his team’s composure in the second half.
Mark Few breaks down #Gonzaga’s 89-82 win, turnovers in the second half and defensive lapses.
“We got cooked, we absolutely got cooked. Especially out there on the perimeter. Their guards really put it on us.” pic.twitter.com/GvrrxsmNGk
— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) December 31, 2024
Michael Ajayi continued his slump, looking far from his best and playing just 11 minutes. Nolan Hickman also failed to get back to his scoring ways, contributing just 6 points. Just as was the case in the last game, sophomore Dusty Stromer was given big minutes in the late second half. Coach Few will definitely have some considerations regarding the lineup moving forward as key players continue to struggle.
It’s always important for a team to get back in the win column, but the reality is, Gonzaga is continuing to show traits of a team that should not be considered one of the nation’s best. Their inability to put teams away, consistently make the right plays down the stretch, and inconsistencies on the defensive end make them vulnerable. The Bulldogs are back in action against Portland on Thursday.
For More Great Basketball Content
Follow @HardwoodHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in the NBA and college basketball, click here!
