Pepperdine Prevails in 2 Overtimes

Pepperdine needed two overtimes Friday night to overcome a St. Mary’s basketball team that has specialized in playing close games since interim coach Dave Fehte took over.

The Waves improved to 12-8 overall and 6-1 in the West Coast Conference with a 82-78 victory over the Gaels before 2,674 at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. It gave Pepperdine a half-game lead in the conference race over the University of San Diego (6-2). St. Mary’s fell to 7-14 and 3-5.

Fehte, the former Cal State Northridge assistant, took over as coach after Paul Landreaux resigned and left the team before the beginning of conference play. Since then, six of St. Mary’s eight WCC games have been decided by no more than five points.

There were 13 lead changes and eight ties in this one.

It didn’t look as if it would be a close game early on. St. Mary’s dominated in the first 11 minutes, leading by as many as seven.

St. Mary’s center Eric Bamberger scored 11 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, and the Gaels led at halftime, 34-30.

Bamberger, 6 feet 10, even contributed three baskets from three-point range. But he missed a three-point attempt in the second extra period, shooting an air ball that dropped into the hands of Pepperdine’s Doug Christie.

With one second on the clock, Christie, who finished with 21 points, made two free throws for the game’s final margin.

With 58 seconds left in regulation, the Waves led, 68-65, but Thurman Watson made a three-point play to tie it. Pepperdine then wasted a couple of chances to score, and Bamberger missed an outside shot as time ran out.

In the second overtime, a three-point basket by Rick Welch gave the Waves a 79-78 lead with 1:26 to play. Geoff Lear, who scored 15 points, later made the first of two free throws, and then Christie finished the scoring.