What Mark Few said after Gonzaga extended its remarkable streak vs. Pepperdine

Gonzaga's final visit to Firestone Fieldhouse played out like so many of its previous trips to Pepperdine's home gym.

The first few minutes were competitive, but it wasn't long before the Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0 West Coast Conference) overpowered the Waves (5-9, 0-1 WCC) to leave Malibu, California, with another blowout victory.

Led by five double-digit scorers, Gonzaga took care of business in a 96-56 win over Pepperdine Sunday night, extending a couple of remarkable streaks as the Zags embark on their final journey through WCC waters before heading off to the Pac-12 in 2026.

With the 40-point drubbing of Pepperdine, Gonzaga joined UCLA as the only programs to ever beat another Division I team 50 or more times consecutively (the Bruins won 52 straight over Cal from 1961-1986). It also improved the Bulldogs' win streak in WCC openers to 30, and extended their run of consecutive wins at Firestone Fieldhouse — which will be replaced by a state-of-the-art facility dubbed "The Mountain at Mullin Park" in 2026 — to 23.

Five Zags finished in double-figures for Mark Few, led by Tyon Grant-Foster's 18 points. The 6-foot-7 forward also tied a career-high with four blocks, as the Bulldogs recorded seven as a team while holding the Waves to 19-of-56 (33.9%) shooting from the field.

Braeden Smith picked up right where he left off against Oregon, finishing with 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 18 minutes as Gonzaga's starting point guard. Davis Fogle added 15, while Graham Ike tallied his eighth double-double of the season in a 13-point, 10-rebound performance from the fifth-year forward.

Yonatan Levy led the Waves with 15 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. Javon Cooley had 13 points, including Pepperdine's first points in the paint at the 2:18 mark in the first half.

That was after the Zags had ripped off an 18-0 scoring run, making it a 24-point game with 5 minutes left until the halftime buzzer. Pepperdine responded with a 10-2 run, before Fogle put down a dunk to make it 44-26 at the break.

Smith helped Gonzaga put its foot back on the gas pedal coming out of the locker room. The Colgate transfer scored or assisted 12 of his team's first 14 points in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers out of the gate, as the Zags jumped out to a 30-point lead after outscoring the Waves, 19-7, over a 5-minute span.

Here's what Mark Few had to say after the game.

On Tyon Grant-Foster's impact

"He did a really nice job making up for some of our [defensive breakdowns]. He came over and rotated over, made some really, really nice plays. I thought he did a really nice job on the offensive boards. He didn't get [credited] for it, but he must of had 10 tip-outs tonight."

On extending win streak vs. Pepperdine to 50

"That's a crazy stat, I had no idea. My first year as a head coach, they were our fiercest rival. Thank God we've had a lot of great players and a lot of great teams."

On Braeden Smith's play

"I thought he was terrific again tonight. He was terrific with his ball pressure; his [3-point shot] looks good coming off his hand. Once again, he's getting us to play with great pace when he's in there."

On G-League players being granted NCAA eligibility

"It's just wild out there right now. I mean, we really don't have any organization or any real rules right now, and so guys are just trying to do whatever they can do."

"Until there's a rule that says you can't do it, it's hard to blame anybody for doing what they're doing. So, lack of leadership is really showing. Now is probably time to get some help from congress, but they're more screwed up than the NCAA. They got to start listening to coaches."

On facing San Diego

"I saw they got a big win tonight [against Pacific]. They got another good win — UC San Diego is a very, very good team. So I'm sure they'll be riding high into our game. We'll have to get this thing turned around quickly."