Waves hope to come crashing down on 25th-ranked Bulldogs

Jan 5, 2012 - 3:55 PM Spokane, WA (Sports Network) - The Gonzaga Bulldogs captured the final spot in the most recent AP Poll, and they have no margin for error against West Coast Conference rival Pepperdine tonight.

Pepperdine has lost two of its last three games to fall to 7-6 overall, and the team fell to Saint Mary's-CA on New Year's Eve by a 74-45 final. The Waves have struggled offensively in many games this season, failing to score at least 60 points in more than half of their outings thus far.

As for the Bulldogs, they have ripped off six consecutive victories to move to 11-2 overall, including 1-0 in WCC action. They are fresh off a 72-65 decision over Xavier on the road last Saturday, and both losses this season have come in competitive games against tough Big Ten Conference opponents.

Gonzaga owns a 40-31 series advantage over Pepperdine, which includes wins in 35 of the last 40 meetings.

Taylor Darby is the top offensive performer for Pepperdine this season, as he is netting 12.1 ppg to go along with 6.3 rpg. Corbin Moore provides 10.8 ppg for the Waves, and he is tops on the boards with 8.8 rpg. Pepperdine is a rather weak offensive team as mentioned, as the club is posting a mere 60.8 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting from the floor. Fortunately, the Waves have been able to limit their opponents to 61.5 ppg on 40.3 percent shooting. In the 29- point loss to Saint Mary's-CA last time out, Jordan Baker scored 14 points off the bench to lead the way in the loss. Clearly, Pepperdine's 0-of-10 effort from three-point range played a role in the loss, as did the team's 37 percent overall efficiency from the field. The Waves were outrebounded by a 40-29 margin as well.

Gonzaga is generating 74.8 ppg this season while holding opponents to 63.3 ppg on 42.1 percent field goal efficiency. The Bulldogs are outrebounding foes by nearly seven boards per contest, key to their success thus far. Kevin Pangos is tops on the Gonzaga roster with his 14.8 ppg, and he gets some help at the offensive end from Elias Harris (13.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Robert Sacre (11.8 ppg, 6.5 ppg). In the seven-point victory over Xavier over the weekend, Sam Dower was the hero for Gonzaga for coming through with 20 points in 22 minutes of game action. Pangos added 13 points and seven assists, while Harris scored 12 points. The Zags turned the ball over 17 times in that affair, but they earned a 44-31 rebounding edge and played solid defense.