Pepperdine Eliminates Gonzaga, 76-73

SPOKANE, Wash. — The last time Pepperdine played Gonzaga here, the Bulldogs shot 85% in the first half and ran away with an easy victory.

Saturday night, Gonzaga, the West Coast Athletic Conference’s second-place team, shot 37% (11 of 30) in the first half and was eliminated from the WCAC tournament by seventh-place Pepperdine, 76-73, at the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre.

In the Waves’ first three halves against Gonzaga, Pepperdine’s Craig Davis hadn’t made a basket. In Saturday’s second half, Davis, a redshirt freshman guard, scored 26 of his game-high 28 points to lead the Waves (11-17 overall) into the conference semifinals. The Waves will meet this season’s regular-season conference champion, University of San Diego (24-4 overall), Friday night at the University of San Francisco. San Diego beat Pepperdine twice this season.

Davis’ 28 points included five second-half three pointers and four free throws in the last eight seconds before a howling Gonzaga crowd of 3,342 and against a team that was fouling in desperation, trying to catch up.

It’s a good thing Davis had a hot second half because so did Gonzaga. The Bulldogs, who trailed at halftime, 30-28, came back to shoot 56% in the second period (15 of 27) and finished the night shooting 45.6%.

Pepperdine’s Eric White and Mike Cumberland each scored 13 points, and Levy Middlebrooks added 12.

Cumberland also held Gonzaga’s high-scoring Jim McPhee to 7 points. McPhee was averaging 16.

Lennie Parham scored 19 points to lead Gonzaga, Doug Spradley had 15, and Dale Haaland added 13.