What Gonzaga players said after blowout win vs. Pepperdine

Braeden Smith and Tyon Grant-Foster broke down the Zags' 40-point win over the Waves

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Tyon Grant-Foster. | Photo courtesy of Gonzaga University Athletics

Braeden Smith stuffed the stat sheet, Tyon Grant-Foster made an impact on both ends of the floor, and Gonzaga ran away from Pepperdine, 96-56, in a West Coast Conference opener from Malibu, California, Sunday night.

Making his first start since Nov. 14, Smith did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0 WCC) to help them extend their winning streak over the Waves (5-9, 0-1 WCC) to 50, a remarkable run dating back to 2002.

Smith hadn't even been born yet when the Zags' last loss to the Waves, but his presence was certainly felt throughout his team's final visit to Firestone Fieldhouse, which will be replaced by a new venue dubbed "The Mountain at Mullin Park" as the home of the Waves starting in 2026.

The 21-year-old had 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds while going 6-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-2 from deep, in 18 minutes of action, highlighted by a hot start to the second half in which he scored or assisted on 12 of Gonzaga's first 14 points coming out of the break.

Smith was one of five double-figure scorers for the Zags, with Grant-Foster leading the way with 18 on 6-of-7 shooting. The 6-foot-7 forward tied his career-high with four blocks, as the Zags held the Waves to 19-of-56 shooting (33.9%) from the field.

Here's what both Grant-Foster and Smith had to say after the game.

Grant-Foster on his four blocks

"I'm just trying to find different ways to get myself involved. I'm just trying to find ways to help the team every game, and today it was me blocking shots."

"If I can do that every game and get a couple blocks, it could improve the team so much more."

Grant-Foster on finding his role in the offense

"I feel like I'm getting a lot better when it comes to shooting certain shots; not shooting one-footed 3s or driving through people as coach likes to say — he hates that. So, I feel like I'm getting a lot better."

Smith on his confidence level

"I'm playing pretty free as of late. I put together a good couple of games — just trying to continue to play free, play confident, find my teammates and score when needed."

"[Being in] the starting lineup was cool tonight, but whatever I need to, whatever my role is, I'm going to do that."

Smith on Grant-Foster's impact

"He was great defensively tonight, and offensively, just this rim pressure and this foul pressure. Defensively, we had a couple errors against the flex, with the switching and all that, and he made up for it at the rim a couple times for us."