Waves Catching Runnin’ Rebels in Mid Stride

The Pepperdine basketball team seems to be catching Nevada Las Vegas’ Runnin’ Rebels just when the Rebels seem to be catching fire. The teams will meet at 9:30 tonight at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Nevada Las Vegas (5-2), ranked 12th nationally by the Associated Press, is coming off a 110-67 rout of Texas A&M; in the championship game of the Rebel Roundup.

Rebel sophomore Greg Anthony, averaging a team-high 15.4 points and 6 assists a game, was named the most valuable player of the tournament. Anthony, in his first year as a point guard after transferring from the University of Portland, scored 40 points, had 15 assists and shot 71.4% (15 of 21) in 2 tournament games.

Other Nevada Las Vegas newcomers doing well are 6-foot 10-inch junior center David Butler, named the nation’s 1987-88 junior college player of the year by The Sporting News at San Jacinto (Tex.) Junior College, and freshman guard Anderson Hunt from Detroit. Butler is averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds and Hunt, 12.7 points. Sophomore forward Stacey Augmon, from Pasadena Muir High School and a defensive specialist with this year’s U.S. Olympic team, is averaging 11.7 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds.

Pepperdine (7-4), which has won 7 of its last 9 games, is coming off a 76-70 road loss to Connecticut, defending National Invitation Tournament champion. The Waves are led by junior forwards Dexter Howard, averaging 20 points, and Tom Lewis, averaging 19.2. The Waves will remain in Las Vegas for a 7:30 p.m. game against Hartford on Friday.