Waves Break Over Silute, 88-66

Highly-touted transfers Jelani Gardner and omm’a Givens played up to expectations Wednesday in their debut for the Pepperdine men’s basketball team.

Gardner had 18 points and six assists in 35 minutes, while Givens had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals while playing 29 minutes for the Waves in an 88-66 exhibition victory over Silute of Lithuania at Firestone Fieldhouse.

Givens is a 6-foot-10 junior center who played for Pepperdine Coach Lorenzo Romar when Romar was an assistant under Jim Harrick at UCLA during the Bruins’ 1994-95 NCAA championship season.

Gardner, a 6-6 junior point guard, left California’s troubled program.

Gardner made four of seven three-point shots and had four rebounds.

Senior guard Gerald Brown, who sat out last season while rehabilitating his right knee following surgery, played 32 minutes for Pepperdine, scoring 14 points with five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Reserve Kelvin Gibbs had 12 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes.

Seven-foot center Raimondas Leikus had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Silute.

The Waves forced 29 turnovers while committing 12.