Toreros Try to Stop Pepperdine From Clinching Title Outright

Pepperdine can clinch the West Coast Athletic Conference basketball title outright with a victory over the University of San Diego in a 7:30 game tonight in Firestone Fieldhouse at Malibu.

Pepperdine (9-1 in conference, 21-8 overall) already has clinched a share of the conference title. The WCAC winner earns an automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs.

Among Pepperdine’s victories is a 60-50 decision Jan. 19 over USD in the Sports Center. It should not be easier for USD at Malibu. The Waves are 11-0 at home.

Pepperdine avenged its only league loss when it beat St. Mary’s, 69-64, last week. The Waves had lost, 76-61, to St. Mary’s on Jan. 26. Also last week, the Waves beat second-place Santa Clara, 97-91. Both conference wins were at Malibu.

USD (5-5, 16-9) is also on a roll, winning four of its last five conference games. In home games last week, the Toreros beat Portland and Gonzaga. USD sophomore center Scott Thompson had 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 58-43 win over Gonzaga. Senior forward Anthony Reuss averages 12.3 points per game to lead the Torero scoring.

A pair of transfers are the key to Pepperdine. Dwayne Polee, a 6-foot 5-inch guard who began his college career at Nevada Las Vegas, leads the team in scoring with a 16.2 average per game. The former Los Angeles City 4-A Player of the Year is also making 81% of his free throws.

Former USC player Jon Korfas is the Wave point guard. He’s averaging 12.1 points and leading Pepperdine in assists with 5.3 per game.

On the front line, Pepperdine has 6-8 Eric White, 6-7 Anthony Frederick and 6-7 Levy Middlebrooks. White is the Waves’ second-leading scorer at 15.5. His 8.9 rebounds per game is a team-high. Frederick (11.8, 7.2) leads the WCAC with 75 blocked shots. Middlebrooks is averaging 10.7 points.