Lack of Depth Costly in Pepperdine Defeat

Pepperdine found itself in a difficult position for its West Coast Conference basketball opener Thursday night.

The Waves were out of town, outmanned and out of sync.

In the end, they were also out of luck as San Diego used superior depth and a big first half to score an 81-70 victory before 1,432 at the Sports Center.

Pepperdine, 7-6 overall and 0-1 in the WCC, had only eight players available. Forward Wil Weir, a key reserve, missed his second consecutive game and is out indefinitely because of chronic asthma and sinus problems.

The disparity in depth showed in the box score, as San Diego (7-5, 2-0) got 39 points from its bench compared to only six for the Waves, who were led by guard Gerald Brown with a game-high 25 points on 10-for-12 shooting.

“It’s going to be tough,” Pepperdine Coach Tony Fuller. “We just have to play hard.”

San Diego shot 63.6% (14 of 22) in the first half, when it took a 40-24 lead with the help of 11 Wave turnovers. Pepperdine got as close as seven points in the second half. San Diego made 13 of 16 free throws in the final six minutes, going without a field goal.

The Waves shot 50% for the game, but guard Marques Johnson, returning to the lineup after missing a game to attend his grandmother’s funeral, made only three of 15 shots and failed on all seven of his three-point attempts.

Forwards Ryan Williams and Nosa Obasohan each scored 12 points to lead the Toreros.