Waves Rise Up, Roll Over Delta Devils, 87-77

Sometimes basketball teams play to the level of their competition, and Saturday night was one of those times for Pepperdine.

The Waves were down in the valley with Mississippi Valley State, at least for the first 27 minutes. But they rose up to defeat the Delta Devils, 87-77, at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Pepperdine raised its record to 5-3. Mississippi Valley dropped to 4-4.

It was a close game in the early going, mainly because neither team was playing well.

The Delta Devils shot 32% in the first half (12-38) but kept the score close with 3 3-point baskets by Timothy Pollard.

The Waves led, 25-24, with 4:44 left in the half, but a 3-point play by Tom Lewis, followed by a 3-point basket by Craig Davis seemed to get the team going. Pepperdine led at halftime, 37-28.

The Waves increased their lead to 41-30 early in the second half on a free throw by Dexter Howard.

But Pollard, the one visitor who rose to the heights, made 2 more 3-pointers and 2 free throws, and Mississippi Valley closed within 4 points at 47-43. He finished with a game-high 34 points and equaled a career high with 9 3-pointers on 9-of-18 shooting from far outside.

But even Pollard couldn’t keep his team in the game when Pepperdine went to a full-court zone press with about 13 minutes left in the game.

The press rattled the visitors, forcing them into turnovers, which the Waves converted into a lot of easy baskets.

A 12-foot turnaround shot by freshman Geoff Lear gave Pepperdine a 74-47 lead at 7:14. A minute later, Shann Ferch hit a 3-pointer, and it was 79-52.

With a 27-point lead, Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury began substituting liberally. Pollard procceeded to make a breakaway dunk, for variety’s sake, and 3 more 3-point shots, the last at the buzzer.

Tom Lewis had 19 points in leading 5 Pepperdine players who scored in double figures. Dexter Howard had 15, Davis 13, Lear 12 and Ferch 10.

Asbury said he thought Pepperdine’s uneven play probably resulted from “our guys feeling a little bit sorry for themselves” after losing to UC Santa Barbara, 73-70, Thursday night.

He said he was pleased, however, that “our press in the second half took them out of the game completely.”

Pepperdine will play host to Northeastern (3-3) at 4 p.m. today.