San Diego Turns Back Pepperdine, 78-73, Behind the Play of Thompson

The University of San Diego, tough at home, made itself right at home Friday night at Pepperdine’s Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Behind the strong play of center Scott Thompson, San Diego beat Pepperdine, 78-73, in a West Coast Athletic Conference game before 1,427.

Thompson scored 26 points and had 13 rebounds for the WCAC-leading Toreros, who improved to 8-1 in conference and 17-4 overall (including a 9-0 record at USD Sports Center). Thompson made 11 of 17 shots from the field and 4 of 5 free throws.

The Toreros jumped out to an 8-0 lead and increased it to 26-10 on a hook shot by Thompson with 8:41 left in the half.

Pepperdine, 2-6 and 7-14 overall, managed to cut the deficit to eight points (35-27) at halftime, and made a run at San Diego early in the second half.

The Waves’ Craig Davis scored on two three-pointers to make it 37-33, and Ed Allen’s 17-foot jumper cut San Diego’s lead to 43-40 with 15:34 remaining in the game.

Pepperdine could get no closer, though another three-pointer by Davis brought the Waves within six points of the Toreros at 74-68 with 1:28 left.

But San Diego’s Danny Means made six straight free throws--all in one-and-one situations in the last two minutes--to hold off Pepperdine.

Means finished with 14 points, making all 10 of his free throws. Teammate Paul Leonard had 15 points.

Davis and Mike Cumberland each scored 16 points to lead the Waves. Davis made 4 of 5 three-point shots, and Cumberland was 6 of 9 from the field. Dexter Howard had 14 points, also on 6-of-9 shooting.

But the 7-foot, 260-pound Thompson was the main force in the game.

“Every time we needed a basket in the second half, he got us a basket,” San Diego Coach Hank Egan said. “Pepperdine played us much more honest all around, which opened it up for Scott more.”

The absence of Pepperdine’s 6-7 forward Levy Middlebrooks for all but 11 minutes due to a strained Achilles’ tendon also helped open up the middle for Thompson.

Thompson was asked if he had something to prove against Pepperdine--usually a WCAC power--and he answered: “A little bit. In my four years, we haven’t won here (at Firestone), and we wanted to do it tonight and stay on top of the league. I thought we did a good job of controlling the tempo tonight. They didn’t fast break on us much at all.”