Poor Start Finishes the Waves
The end came swiftly and decisively for Pepperdine, which equaled its worst defeat of the season Friday night in losing to St. Mary’s, 87-61, in a West Coast Conference basketball game.
The Waves (5-16, 3-6 in the WCC) fell behind, 30-12, midway through the first half and were never a factor in losing for the fifth time in six games.
St. Mary’s (15-7, 5-4) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Marques Johnson scored 16 points and Bryan Hill added 15 for Pepperdine, which dropped to 1-10 in road games. The 26-point margin matched the Waves’ 80-54 loss at Weber State in their season opener.
Eric Schraeder, getting a rare start, made five of St. Mary’s first six baskets in the second half and finished with a season-high 23 points on 10-for-13 shooting.
Schraeder replaced A.J. Rollins, the Gaels’ second-leading scorer, who did not play because of a sore back.
David Sivulich added 16 points for St. Mary’s and center Brad Millard, a 7-foot-3, 345-pound sophomore, had a school-record six blocks and 10 rebounds.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
