Lewis’ Return Sparks Pepperdine

Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury had said earlier this week that Tom Lewis could give the team a lift if he came back from a suspension and played well at both ends of the floor.

Lewis did just that in the first half Thursday night against Gonzaga.

He made all three three-point shots he attempted en route to 13 first-half points, spurring Pepperdine to a 74-69 victory before 2,987 at the Martin Centre.

The Waves, who won their second consecutive game from Gonzaga, improved to 9-9 overall and 3-2 in the West Coast Conference. The Bulldogs fell to 6-12, 1-4.

Lewis, who lost his starting forward spot when he was suspended for three games after missing curfew following a road game at the University of San Diego, was jeered by the Gonzaga student section before the game. The students hooted, “We want Lewis.”

They got their wish about six minutes into the game.

In the next six minutes, Lewis scored his three three-pointers and was four of five from the field, boosting the Waves to a 41-30 halftime advantage.

Gonzaga pulled within five points of the Waves several times in the second half, largely on Kendall Simmons’ outside shooting.

But Geoff Lear made three tough baskets off offensive rebounds late in the game, and Craig Davis made a three-point shot with 1:24 to play to give the Waves a 71-61 lead.

Asbury said that Lewis, who scored 15 points and had six assists, had played very well on offense and “pretty well” on defense until he tired in the second half.

Lear, who scored 11 of Pepperdine’s last 20 points, led his team with 16 points and eight rebounds. Asbury praised him for making “some big-time plays.”

Asbury said that winning two consecutive close games from Gonzaga should help the Waves the rest of the way in conference play. Last Saturday, the Waves trailed the Bulldogs by 15 points midway through the second half, but came back to win, 68-67, in Malibu.

Simmons scored a team-high 18 points for Gonzaga, and Brian Frederickson and Bret Holmdahl each added 15.