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Gonzaga Basketball

Difference makers: Gonzaga’s Aaron Cook, Andrew Nembhard provide major lift off the bench against Pepperdine

By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

Aaron Cook

The Zags trailed by nine points, but everything changed when Cook subbed in and made a huge impact at both ends of the court. Cook’s driving layup gave GU its first lead, 17-16, and he followed with back-to-back 3-pointers and a steal and left-handed dunk. He did a nice defensive job on Pepperdine standout point guard Colby Ross for the second time in two meetings. Cook finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Andrew Nembhard

Nembhard, like Cook, was big off the bench as Gonzaga took control in the first half. Nembhard had a steal and layup, a pull-up jumper and handed out six assists in the first half. Nembhard hit three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and eight assists.

Turning point

Gonzaga fell behind 16-7 but erased that deficit in a hurry. The Zags rattled off 16 straight points and 21 of the next 23 to take a 28-18 lead. Drew Timme scored six points, Anton Watson had four and Corey Kispert nailed a 3-pointer to fuel the burst. The Zags led comfortably the rest of the way.