Pepperdine Wins 8th in a Row

Doug Christie scored 28 points in leading Pepperdine to its eighth consecutive victory, an 87-74 decision over Portland Thursday night that kept the Waves atop the West Coast Conference.

Christie, a junior guard, also had four rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Junior forward Geoff Lear scored 17 points and freshman forward Dana Jones had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

“Christie had a typical game for him,” said Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury. “His level of play has really taken a step up the last six weeks. Dana Jones did all the little things that we need him to do.”

Pepperdine, 14-8 overall and 8-1 in WCC play, leads second-place UC San Diego by one game.

David Roth scored 19 points to lead the Pilots (4-18, 2-7).

“We had some good runs during the course of the ballgame, but we also had spurts when we played out of control,” Asbury said. “Nevertheless, we picked up another road win, and hopefully we can sweep on this trip by winning at Gonzaga (Saturday night).”