Khalif Battle scored 21 points as No. 19 Gonzaga held off a furious second-half rally to win its 29th consecutive West Coast Conference opener, defeating Pepperdine 89-82 on Monday in

Khalif Battle scored 21 points, Braden Huff added 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting and No. 19 Gonzaga beat Pepperdine 89-82 on Monday night in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams. Huff converted a three-point play that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good 7:10 into the first half,

Gonzaga wasn’t exactly lighting it up at 34.3% from the field in the opening half, but it hardly mattered because of Portland’s penchant for dry spells and turnovers. It added up to GU holding an 18-point halftime lead and the only question was whether the Zags would be able to maintain or build on it – three days after an 18-point lead against Pepperdine melted to three in the closing half in Malibu.