Pepperdine Prevails on Lopez’s Foul Shots

Sophomore guard Damin Lopez made two free throws with 13 seconds left to give Pepperdine a come-from-behind, 68-66 victory over Gonzaga in a West Coast Conference game Thursday night before a sellout crowd of 4,000 at the Charlotte Martin Center.

Pepperdine, 9-5 overall and 2-0 in the WCC, has won 18 consecutive conference games. The Waves have won nine in a row against Gonzaga, including four straight at Spokane.

Gonzaga (10-4, 0-1) had won eight in a row.

It was the first close victory for Pepperdine. The Waves have lost four times by six points or less, with three of those losses coming in overtime.

Trailing 66-63, Pepperdine tied the score when Lopez made a three-point shot with 22 seconds left. The Waves, applying full-court pressure, forced a turnover, with Lopez gaining possession. He was then fouled by Gonzaga’s Jarrod Davis and made the game-winning foul shots.

Christie led Pepperdine with 21 points. Lopez, from Glendale, Arizona, had a career-high 18 points. Sophomore forward Dana Jones had 11 points and nine rebounds and senior forward Geoff Lear had nine points and 10 rebounds. Davis led Gonzaga with 17 points.

“This was a tremendous win for our ballclub,” Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. “We showed a lot of guts and poise down the stretch, and did the little things in the last 1:30 that help you win close ballgames.”