Pepperdine Falls Into 3-Way Tie for WCAC Lead

A Gael force blew Pepperdine out of sole possession of first place in the West Coast Athletic Conference Friday night.

St. Mary’s 77-49 victory over Pepperdine, coupled with Loyola Marymount’s 104-88 win at San Diego, created a three-way tie for first in the WCAC at 7-2.

Loyola plays St. Mary’s here tonight while Pepperdine is at San Diego.

Before a boisterous sellout crowd of 3,500, the Gaels played emotionally and efficiently, dominating nearly every aspect of the game against the Waves, who beat St. Mary’s, 65-60, in Malibu last Saturday.

“St. Mary’s didn’t do that much different,” Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. “Last week we did a lot better job defensively and on the boards. Both times we’ve beaten the contenders (Loyola and St. Mary’s), we’ve had to go on the road and play them again within four to six days. They get the chance to turn right around, with more emotion, and come back at you.”

St. Mary’s, 19-3 overall, came back with a vengeance. The Gaels shot 56% from the field, outrebounded the Waves, 42-30, and held Pepperdine’s scoring leaders, forwards Tom Lewis and Dexter Howard, to a total of seven points.

Lewis shot 1 for 10 from the field for two points. Howard scored all five of his points in the first half. The Waves hit only 17 of 55 shots (31%) as St. Mary’s built leads that eventually reached 34 at 72-38.

“They’re a very fine defensive team, and we really helped contribute (with poor shooting),” Asbury said. “I don’t think they could play much better. And we weren’t able to keep the crowd out very well. I don’t know if that hurt us, but it helps them.”

St. Mary’s Coach Lynn Nance: “It would have been a sorry situation if we hadn’t been intense playing for first. Before the game you worry about being tight. It could have been a fiasco if both teams were nervous.”

Pepperdine (15-9) had a horrendous first half. The Waves shot 21% (5 for 24) and trailed, 35-16, at halftime.

St. Mary’s got off to a 7-0 lead, and Pepperdine didn’t score until Craig Davis hit a 3-pointer 3 1/2 minutes into the game. Midway through the half, the Waves went scoreless for four minutes, while St. Mary’s ran off 9 points to pull away at 25-7.

Pepperdine also had trouble shooting free throws, hitting only 5 of 14 in the first half.

St. Mary’s, scoring most of its points on layups, built its halftime lead on 60% shooting (15 of 25).

Pepperdine never got closer than 17 points in the second half.

St. Mary’s finished with 22 baskets on layups, and had more assists (18) than Pepperdine did field goals (17).

Davis was the only Pepperdine player to score in double figures with 10 points. Guards Al Lewis and reserve Terry Burns led a balanced St. Mary’s attack with 13 points apiece.