Waves All Wet After Victory : Basketball: Pepperdine beats Gonzaga, 75-63, then swims after scoring 30th conference victory in row.

Pepperdine won its 30th consecutive West Coast Conference game Saturday night.

Afterward, Wave players celebrated by throwing the coaching staff into the college pool--and diving in after them.

Pepperdine (21-6, 14-0) defeated Gonzaga, 75-63, before 2,945 at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

But it was not clear there would be cause for a postgame celebration until late in the second half.

Gonzaga (18-9, 8-6), probably the conference’s second-strongest team, made Pepperdine earn its victory.

The Waves sputtered a bit during the first half, but took a 27-14 lead with 4:42 remaining before Gonzaga closed to 34-29 at halftime.

Rick Welch made two three-point baskets during the first three minutes of the second half as Pepperdine went on a 10-2 run to take a 44-31 lead.

But Gonzaga kept coming back, cutting the Waves’ lead to four points five times and to two points three times.

Jarrod Davis made a three-point basket, cutting Pepperdine’s lead to 64-61 with 3:56 to play. But that was Gonzaga’s last gasp.

The Waves made 11 of 12 free throws after that to seal the victory. Pepperdine was 21 for 22 at the free-throw line.

Doug Christie, who made five of six free throws down the stretch, finished with a game-high 25 points. He was six for 17 from the field but 12 for 14 from the free-throw line.

Wave forward Geoff Lear, held to one field goal and two rebounds during the first half, finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. He made all eight of his free throws, all during the second half.

Jeff Brown led Gonzaga with 18 points, and Marc Armstead added 16 and seven rebounds.

“We were pressing tonight, but regardless of what happens from here on in, I am happy about this season,” a wringing-wet Wave Coach Tom Asbury said. “This is a real special bunch of kids.”

Pepperdine will go to next weekend’s WCC tournament at the University of Portland as the top-seeded team. The Waves will open tournament play at 2 p.m. Saturday.

A victory in that game would tie the University of San Francisco’s record of 31 consecutive conference victories, set from 1954-57.