March 5, 2005

Gonzaga - 58
Pepperdine - 40

Santa Clara, Calif. - No. 23 Gonzaga (27-2, 14-0) received a test in the play of Pepperdine (12-17, 7-7), but Bulldogs were able to fight through sluggish shooting and the loss of point guard Shannon Mathews for the 58-40 victory. Mathews, who won WCC Player of the Year, left the game early in the first half and didn't return. Katy Rindenour took care of the ball handling duties in the second half as Gonzaga won its 23rd straight game.

Senior Ashley Burke and junior Anne Bailey sparked the Bulldogs' second half. Bailey finished the game with 21 points, while Burke totaled nine. Pepperdine's Jennifer Lacy scored 19 points in her final WCC game.

Gonzaga will advance to WCC Tournament finals to face either Loyola Marymount or Santa Clara, tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

Pepperdine opened the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 23-16 lead. Gonzaga closed to within 25-22 with 14:35 remaining on buckets by Katy Ridenour and Delphine LeCoultre.

Gonzaga took a 32-27 lead with 11:18 left on consecutive baskets by Bailey. Burke tied the game at 25-25 on a 3-pointer.

A 12-3 Gonzaga run over a three-minute span gave the Bulldogs a 41-30 advantage with 9:05 remaining in the game. Bailey and Ridenour scored baskets during the spurt.

The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 49-32 with 5:56 to play. Baskets by Bailey and Raeanne Jewell fueled the run.

Gonzaga entered halftime with a 16-15 advantage as both team's suffered through cold shooting in the first 20 minutes of action. With Gonzaga holding an 8-7 lead with 6:16 left in the half, Pepperdine went on a 6-0 run go to up 13-8. Lacy scored four of the Waves' six points during the run and 10 of Pepperdine's 15 halftime points. Bailey led the Bulldogs in scoring with four points at the half. Gonzaga shot 25 percent from the floor, while Pepperdine done shot 19 percent. Lacy connected on 5-of-9 shots from the floor in the first half. Mathews saw only 10 minutes of action and collected two assists.