COL BKB: Gonzaga 93, Pepperdine 73

SPOKANE, Wash., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Ronny Turiaf scored 24 points Thursday night and Blake Stepp added 18 in leading eighth-ranked Gonzaga past Pepperdine, 93-73.

The Bulldogs (18-2) have improved to 8-0 in the West Coast Conference for the fifth time in six years. Gonzaga's only losses this season have come against the two unbeaten teams left in Division I -- Stanford and St. Joseph's.

Gonzaga hit 58 percent of its shots from the field and made 23 of 25 from the line, but had to fight off a late Pepperdine comeback that saw the Waves (9-14, 4-4) climb within eight.

Pepperdine was paced by 25 points from Frenchman Yakhouba Diawara.