Key matchup: Michael Ajayi, Pepperdine’s top scorer last season, could take assignment against Waves’ leading scorer Monday
MALIBU, Calif. – Michael Ajayi has likely had Monday’s game against Pepperdine circled, underlined and highlighted ever since the West Coast Conference revealed Gonzaga’s 18-game league schedule on Aug. 6.
The Pepperdine transfer may not be putting up the numbers he hoped to by a much-anticipated return to Firestone Fieldhouse, but Ajayi should still be a critical part of Gonzaga’s game-plan during Monday’s WCC opener against his former school.
The transfer wing will not only have a chance to break out of a three-game scoring skid – and an outside shooting slump that’s lasted even longer – but Ajayi may also be called upon to guard Pepperdine’s top scorer, senior forward Stefan Todorovic, when the Zags and Waves meet for the first time this season at 7 p.m. (KHQ) in Malibu.
Gonzaga probably wouldn’t have spent much time scouting Todorovic last season at San Francisco, considering the transfer forward averaged just 3.8 minutes for coach Chris Gerlufsen, but the Serbia native suffered a season-ending injury in February that made him unavailable for all three meetings between the Zags and Dons.
Todorovic entered the transfer portal in late March and resurfaced at another WCC school, signing at Pepperdine with first-year coach Ed Schilling. The move has already paid big dividends, with Todorovic leading the Waves at 19.7 points per game and shooting just under 40% from the 3-point line.
A 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward who spent the first two years of his career at SMU, Todorovic profiles as someone the 6-foot-7 Ajayi would guard in most matchups. As the second-biggest player in Gonzaga’s starting lineup, Ajayi might open Monday’s game guarding 6-foot-9 Pepperdine forward Dovydas Butka while Graham Ike handles 6-foot-10 forward Boubacar Coulibaly and one of Khalif Battle or Dusty Stromer opens on the Waves’ scoring leader.
Todorovic is doing his work from a variety of spots, averaging 5.5 3-point tries per game while getting to the free-throw line for a team-high 5.0 attempts. Todorovic has scored at least 20 points in six games and reached 30 twice, totaling 33 in a loss to San Diego before scoring 32 in a loss to Long Beach State.
Ajayi will try to get on track after scoring just four total points on 1 of 11 shooting against Nicholls State, Bucknell and UCLA. The Kent native averaged 17.2 ppg while shooting 47% from the 3-point line last season, but has seen those numbers dip substantially at Gonzaga. Ajayi is averaging 6.4 points for the Zags and shooting 15.4% from distance. The transfer has missed 11 consecutive 3’s since his last make on Nov. 27 against West Virginia.