Waves Able to Hold Off Broncos for 72-63 Win

The presence of old enemy Santa Clara brought out the best--and the beast--in Pepperdine Wednesday night.

The Waves, playing much more aggressively and shooting a little better than they have all season, moved out to an early 17-4 lead.

But old enemies die hard.

Santa Clara made the game close in the second half, but Pepperdine finally escaped with a 72-63 victory before 1,766 fans at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

In winning their West Coast Athletic Conference opener, the Waves improved to 9-7 overall. Santa Clara fell to 11-3 and 0-1 in conference play.

Pepperdine, overplaying on defense, came up with several steals early in the first half. As a result, the Broncos weren’t getting many shots, while the Waves were making theirs.

The Waves shot 46.4% in the first half. Going into the game, Pepperdine was shooting 44.1%.

After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half, however, the Broncos came back strong.

It was Pepperdine’s turn to get rattled, and Santa Clara took advantage of Wave lapses, twice cutting the lead to 2 points.

A 3-point shot by LaCoby Phillips narrowed the margin to 52-50 at 7:12. About 5 minutes later, Phillips made 1 of 2 free throws, and Santa Clara closed within, 63-61.

But Dexter Howard, who led Pepperdine with 21 points, made a turn-around bank shot in the lane with 1:32 left, and Santa Clara was forced into fouling. The Waves made 9 of 10 free throws in the last 1 1/2 minutes.

Tom Lewis scored 17 points for the Waves. Santa Clara was led by Jeffty Connelly with 14 points; Phillips added 13 and Osei Appiah 12.

Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said there was a good reason why his team appeared to be so full of energy.

“After a poor effort against Boise State (last Thursday night),” Asbury said, “we came out and had our best practice sessions of the season on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. And it showed this evening.”

In the first half, Santa Clara came out flat, while Pepperdine was fired up.

The Waves spurted to a 17-4 lead, ignited by 3-point shots by Marty Wilson, Craig Davis and Lewis. The 3-pointer by Wilson, a fifth-year senior guard, was the first of his career.

But when Pepperdine began running out of gas, the Broncos filled their tank and took off. Jens Gordon hit 2 quick baskets to get Santa Clara started, cutting the lead to 20-12 with 8:58 remaining in the first half.

With 5:47 left in the half, freshman guard Phillips tossed in a 15-foot jumper, and Santa Clara pulled within 23-20.

Just before the basket by Phillips, Gordon picked up his third personal foul and left the game. That loosened up the Bronco defense a bit, and Davis made 2 more 3-pointers, spurring the Waves to a 36-26 lead at the intermission.

The Waves will play host to the University of San Francisco at 7:30 tonight.