Pepperdine Slips Into Last Place

The plunge continued Saturday night for Pepperdine’s struggling basketball team.

The Waves stayed with the University of San Diego for 27 minutes, but lost their sixth consecutive game when senior guard Doug Harris went on a 15-point tear and led the Toreros to a 78-67 West Coast Conference victory before 1,811 at the USD Sports Center.

Pepperdine, 7-17 and 3-9 in the WCC, had won nine consecutive games against San Diego (10-13, 5-7). The Waves fell to 1-13 on the road and took sole possession of last place in the WCC.

Harris, who finished with 24 points, took over after Pepperdine had cut the deficit to 44-42 with 13 minutes to play. He sank two three-point shots and penetrated the Waves’ zone defense for three layups.

“Our big problem is that we have only one consistent player, Gerald Brown, and he was cold tonight,” said Wave Coach Tony Fuller.

Brown led the Waves with 15 points, but made only seven of 21 shots. Harris made 10 of 16 shots.

Said Harris: “I missed a couple of shots early, so I concentrated on defense, and that ignited my offense.”