Polee Leads Pepperdine to Victory Over Fordham

Jerry Hobbie, Fordham’s Cabbage Patch Kid, wasn’t much of a factor Saturday night, but Pepperdine’s Dwayne Polee was.

Athough the quick-handed Hobbie had seven assists and five steals, Pepperdine managed to kick a little dirt in his face and came away with a 76-71 win before 2,285 fans at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Anthony Frederick scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Waves, and Polee scored 16 points and dished out seven assists as Pepperdine raised its record to 9-6. Fordham dropped to 7-4.

But it was Polee’s defense on the Rams’ top scorer, Tony McIntosh, who came into the game averaging 23.1 points, that was the key to the win.

McIntosh scored 17 points, right behind teammate Steve Samuels, who finished with 18.

But, with Polee denying him the ball, McIntosh was able to score only four points in the first half, and most of his production came late in the second half after the game was out of Fordham’s reach.

Hobbie had a steal or two and a basket in the early going and Fordham got out to an 8-4 lead. But the Waves took the lead at 12-11 on a bank shot by Frederick.

With 4:32 remaining in the first half, Fordham’s Doug McCormick drove the lane and scored to make it 20-18. But Pepperdine outscored the Rams, 19-6, and led at halftime, 39-24.