Pepperdine Discovers Another Way to Lose, 89-79

Give Pepperdine’s basketball team credit for versatility.

A week after blowing a 20-point second-half lead in a loss to San Francisco, the Waves nearly came back from a 21-point deficit Friday night.

But after getting within three points late in the game, the Waves fizzled as hot-shooting St. Mary’s pulled away for an 89-79 West Coast Conference victory before 1,637 at Firestone Fieldhouse.

It was the fourth consecutive loss for Pepperdine (7-8), which is all alone in last place in the conference at 0-3.

St. Mary’s (8-7, 1-2) made 12 of 21 three-point shots (57.1%), led by guard David Sivulich. The 5-foot-10 sophomore made six of 12 three-pointers and scored 28 points. His last three-pointer with 11 minutes 38 seconds to play gave the Gaels a 68-47 lead.

Things didn’t look any better for the Waves a minute later when St. Mary’s forward Mahershala Gilmore dunked for a 70-50 lead.

But the party stopped after that.

Pepperdine’s pressing defense forced St. Mary’s into a rash of turnovers--the Gaels finished with 23--as the Waves stormed back. A three-point play by guard Gerald Brown pulled Pepperdine within 76-73 with 3:18 left, capping a 23-6 run. Brown scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half.

“I thought we pushed it up better defensively in the second half,” said Wave Coach Tony Fuller, whose team trailed at halftime, 40-31. “We got some steals and kind of knocked them off balance a little. But it just wasn’t enough.”

The Waves had a chance to cut their deficit to two with less than two minutes left, but Marques Johnson missed a layup after a steal by Khary Hervey. Kamran Sufi’s two free throws put the Gaels ahead, 81-75, with 1:15 left.

St. Mary’s, which made only one field goal in the final 10 minutes, closed out the game by making eight of 10 free throws in the final 42 seconds as Pepperdine went cold from the field, getting only a three-pointer from Brown in the last minute.

The Waves made only two of eight three-pointers. Johnson, the team’s top outside threat, made only three of 13 shots, including one of five from three-point range. The Waves shot 46.6% compared to 58.7% for St. Mary’s.

“I’ve been forcing my shots,” Johnson said. “I’m in a shooter’s slump. I hope that’s all it is.”

The Waves had only eight players available for the third consecutive game because forward Will Weir is out with chronic asthma. He is expected to miss tonight’s game at 5 against visiting Santa Clara.

Johnson said Pepperdine is fatigued late in games because of the lack of reserves.

“It’s tiring,” he said. “You’ve got to dig deep inside yourself. With five minutes to go, your legs are gone. But I’m not going to make that an excuse for losing.”