Pepperdine @ Gonzaga preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 17, 2018 ) Pepperdine 67, Gonzaga 81

Second-ranked Gonzaga seeks its 17th consecutive victory when it hosts Pepperdine in West Coast Conference play on Thursday. The Bulldogs have defeated the Waves 35 consecutive times with Pepperdine's last win in the series occurring on Jan. 18, 2002.

Gonzaga owns the nation's longest winning streak and last Saturday's 79-67 road victory over San Diego gave the program its 12th straight 25-win campaign. The Bulldogs own a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place BYU with four games left in the WCC race as they seek their seventh straight regular-season crown. Gonzaga's 12-point win over the Toreros represents its lowest margin of victory in its 12 WCC contests during a season in which it has won six conference games by 30 or more points. Pepperdine has lost four of its last five contests after falling 72-65 to host Saint Mary's last Saturday and is just 2-10 on the road.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ROOT

ABOUT PEPPERDINE (12-15, 5-8 WCC): Sophomore guard Colbey Ross has excelled with averages of 18.8 points and 7.3 assists and has scored 20 or more points on 13 occasions. Ross' 197 assists are third-most on the Waves' single-season list and he already ranks seventh on the career chart with 376. Senior guard Eric Cooper Jr. is averaging 11.3 points and his 69 3-pointers ranks eighth on Pepperdine's single-season list, while the team will be without junior forward Kameron Edwards (16.9 points, team-best 7.3 rebounds) for the third straight game due to a foot injury.

ABOUT GONZAGA (25-2, 12-0): The Bulldogs won road games at Loyola Marymount (73-60) and San Diego by an average of 12.5 points after prevailing in their first 10 conference affairs by an average of 31.1 points. Junior forward Rui Hachimura scored 22 points in each contest to increase his number of 20-point performances to 16 as well as inch his team-leading scoring average up to 20.3. Sophomore shooting guard Zach Norvell Jr. scored 18 against the Toreros and has reached double digits in 11 consecutive contests.

TIP-INS

1. Gonzaga has won 20 straight home games against Pepperdine with the Waves last prevailing in Spokane on Feb. 19, 1998.

2. Bulldogs senior PG Josh Perkins needs eight assists to surpass program leader Matt Santangelo (668 from 1996-2000).

3. Ross averaged 16.5 points on 14-of-23 shooting in two contests against the Zags last season.

PREDICTION: Gonzaga 94, Pepperdine 61