Pepperdine Comes Back and Beats Gonzaga, 68-67

With Gonzaga holding a 56-41 lead over Pepperdine with 8:34 to play, it looked as if it was going to be an easy victory for the Bulldogs Saturday night.

But the Waves picked themselves up and somehow beat Gonzaga, 68-67, before 2,317 at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Shann Ferch’s layup with 11 seconds remaining provided the decisive points for Pepperdine, which improved to 8-9 overall and 2-2 in the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga fell to 6-11 and 1-3.

“After the year we’ve had, I figured we had to have a win like this,” Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. “We’ve had to many (go) in the other direction.”

“We’ve been letting people come in and play, and we have to get our backs to the wall,” Asbury said. “We’ve done that so many times this year and quit. Tonight we didn’t.”

Dexter Howard made one of two free throws to signal the start of a 13-0 run, and Pepperdine was on track, pulling within 56-54 with 5:08 to play.

There were two consecutive three-point baskets, one by Rick Welch and the other by Doug Christie.

Then Christie stole the ball near the Gonzaga basket and drove for a dunk. Not to be outdone, Welch also made a backcourt steal and scored on a layup.

But Pepperdine, which trailed at halftime, 40-31, didn’t take a second-half lead until there was 1:31 remaining. That’s when Craig Davis hit a three-pointer that made it 63-61.

A three-point play by Geoff Lear, who made some key rebounds down the stretch, extended the lead.

Jim McPhee, who scored a game-high 23 points, followed with a three-pointer, but Ferch made it 68-64 for Pepperdine with his layup with 11 seconds remaining.

Gonzaga’s Darryl May made a three-pointer as time ran out.

Christie scored 19 points on eight-of-14 shooting, Lear had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Ferch, who made three of three three-point shots, had 11 points.