3 takeaways from Gonzaga's win over Pepperdine: Drew Timme 'fantastic' in WCC opener

Timme was unstoppable as the Zags rolled to a 111-88 win on New Year's Eve

Author:
Henry Krueger
Updated:
Dec 31, 2022 11:17 PM EST
Original:
Dec 31, 2022

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Coming off a historic 78-point blowout, the Gonzaga men’s basketball team followed that up with another high-scoring victory in Saturday’s West Coast Conference opener.

The Zags (11-3, 1-0 WCC) defeated Pepperdine (7-8, 0-1) 111-88 at the McCarthey Athletic Center, marking their 74th-straight win at home and their fifth time reaching 100 points.

Here are three takeawauys from Gonzaga’s performance:

TIMME TIME

Gonzaga Bulldogs Pepperdine Waves65 — Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

After Drew Timme played a season-low 17 minutes in Gonzaga’s historic win over Eastern Oregon on Wednesday, head coach Mark Few kept his senior forward on the court for much longer on Saturday.

It was out of necessity, as the Waves took the lead several times in the first half and didn’t make it easy for Gonzaga to find a rhythm.

Starting out slow isn’t a rarity for the Zags, who usually look to Timme to get things going offensively. Gonzaga stuck to that game plan, with Timme scoring 10 of the team’s first 16 points.

However, it was quickly apparent the Zags couldn’t just rely on Timme’s early scoring production to stay competitive. Pepperdine had a few of its own players start off strong, most notably big man Jevon Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.

Porter scored 11 first-half points, including an and-1 layup to tie the game at 34-34 with just under seven minutes to play until halftime. Timme responded with a layup on the next play, but Porter tied it up again with a midrange jumper.

But just when it seemed like Pepperdine could hang with the defending WCC champions, the rest of Gonzaga’s offense came alive and the team scored 20 of the next 24 points to lead 56-40 at the intermission.

After finishing with 24 points before the break, Timme’s dominance continued in the second half, which began with him scoring seven of the Zags’ first 10 points.

He was also setting up teammates for buckets, assisting on a 3-pointer from guard Rasir Bolton and a midrange jumper from forward Anton Watson on consecutive possessions.

Helping the Zags preserve a comfortable lead, Timme was substituted out around the two-minute mark, with the game all but over. He finished with 35 points on 15-of-19 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists and a steal in 34 minutes.

“He was fantastic tonight,” Few said. “C’mon, I mean to go 15 out of 19 against anybody is spectacular and one of the things that jumped out to me was five assists and two turnovers.”

Timme became the fourth-highest scorer in program history, six points behind Adam Morrison at 1,860.

STRAWTHER STEPS UP

Gonzaga Bulldogs Pepperdine Waves33 — Photo by Rene Guerrero

While Timme's performance headlined the Zags' win, Julian Strawther was another player who came up big against Pepperdine.

The 6-foot-7 guard was Gonzaga’s second-highest scorer with 22 points, going 8-for-13 from the field and 4-for-8 on 3-point attempts.

Although it was Strawther’s fourth consecutive contest in double digits, he thought he was overdue for a game like this.

“Just coming in with the mentality that it’s a new season and I can come out here and make an impact,” Strawther said. “It was good for my confidence to come out here and have a good performance.”

Strawther also provided a steady presence, keeping his head up through adversity, according to Few.

“He really responded well with just the ups and downs of the game,” Few said. “He didn’t get caught up in that — whether it was a bad miss or a missed defensive assignment — he still stayed positive on the offensive end.”

MAXWELL LEWIS IS LEGIT

Gonzaga Bulldogs Pepperdine Waves67 — Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Battling foul trouble early on, Pepperdine forward Maxwell Lewis was taken out of the game with just over five minutes in the first half to keep him eligible.

Sitting on the bench, Lewis watched as his team’s four-point deficit ballooned to 16 by halftime.

He returned to action in the second half and gave Pepperdine a much-needed boost. At one point, he had a stretch in which he scored 11 of the Waves’ 15 points in a span of fewer than five minutes.

A projected first-rounder in next year’s NBA Draft, Lewis’s shot-making abilities, playmaking skills and exceptional length were on full display.

He finished with 20 points, five assists, five rebounds and a block in 23 minutes.

PHOTO GALLERY

(All photos by Rene Guerrero)