Howard’s 31 Points Help Waves Post 87-79 Win

Junior forward Dexter Howard had a career-high 31 points and 8 rebounds as Pepperdine pulled away in the final minutes for an 87-79 victory over Nevada Reno before 5,475 fans Saturday night.

Junior Tom Lewis, Pepperdine’s other starting forward, broke a 75-75 tie on a 3-point play with 4:08 remaining, and junior guard Shann Ferch added a basket for a 5-point surge that put the Waves (2-2) ahead to stay.

Howard made 13 of 29 shots, and Lewis added 21 points and a career-high 12 rebounds as Pepperdine had a 51-36 margin on the boards. Guard Craig Davis added 12 points, and Ferch came off the bench to score 11 for the Waves.

Darryl Owens scored a career-best 29 points for Nevada Reno (2-1), and Chris Rupp added 14, but the Wolfpack made just 42.4% of their shots, while Pepperdine hit on 47.8%.

Pepperdine had a 42-39 halftime lead and opened up an 8-point margin early in the second half before Nevada Reno rallied to tie the score on a basket by Owens with 4:29 remaining.