Pepperdine @ Gonzaga preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 11, 2019 ) Pepperdine 74, Gonzaga 100

Top-ranked Gonzaga will attempt to defeat visiting Pepperdine for the 38th consecutive time when the West Coast Conference teams meet on Saturday. The Bulldogs will be looking for their eighth consecutive win this season after opening WCC play with an 85-72 road win over Portland on Thursday.

Senior forward Killian Tillie scored a season-high 22 points against the Pilots for his second 20-point effort of the season. Tillie missed the previous game due to an ankle injury and has played in just 10 contests this season after undergoing knee surgery in October but has been able to set a strong example for his teammates. "Tillie's leadership has been great," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after the victory. "He's really been fighting a lot of things, but his leadership has been spectacular, his toughness has been spectacular, and just his ability to calmly make plays." Pepperdine lost its WCC opener 59-56 to visiting Pacific on Thursday when it shot 26.8 percent from the field, its lowest mark since hitting just 24.5 percent in an 87-48 loss to Saint Mary's on Feb. 27, 2013.

TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT PEPPERDINE (7-8, 0-1 WCC): Junior point guard Colbey Ross averages a team-high 19.5 points but he had a porous shooting game against Pacific by going 3-of-17 from the field - including 1-of-9 from 3-point range - despite scoring a team-high 15 points. Senior forward Kameron Edwards averages 16.7 points and 6.2 rebounds while his younger brother, Kessler, a sophomore, is contributing 15.3 points and leads the Waves in rebounding (8.1) and blocked shots (24). Junior guard Skylar Chavez (10.2) has knocked down 29 3-pointers, second on the squad behind Ross (34).

ABOUT GONZAGA (15-1, 1-0): Tillie ranks third on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game but had averaged just seven over a three-game span before breaking out against Portland. Sophomore power forward Filip Petrusev leads the Zags in scoring (16.7), rebounding (eight per game) and blocked shots (21) while junior forward Corey Kispert is averaging 14.6 points and has buried a team-leading 40 3-pointers. Senior point guard Ryan Woolridge, who leads in assists (4.5), is averaging 17 points over the past three games to raise his scoring average to 11.2.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Gonzaga has won 21 straight home games against Pepperdine with the Waves last prevailing in Spokane on Feb. 19, 1998.

2. Ross, who is averaging 7.2 assists this season, is Pepperdine's career leader with 526.

3. The Bulldogs have won 31 straight home games, the longest active streak in the country.

PREDICTION: Gonzaga 92, Pepperdine 63