COLLEGE BASKETBALL / SOUTHLAND ROUNDUP

Pepperdine 50, St. Mary’s 44--Jelani Gardner scored a game-high 21 points, including two free throws down the stretch, as the Waves held on for a West Coast Conference victory at Moraga, Calif.

The Gaels trailed, 46-44, and had a chance to tie the score with 25 seconds left, but Frank Allocco threw the ball away. Two free throws each by Gardner and Tezale Archie secured the victory for Pepperdine (13-7, 4-1).

St. Mary’s (8-12, 1-4) lost its third in a row as Eric Schraeder, the conference’s leading scorer with nearly 21 points a game, was held to eight points.

Pepperdine trailed, 33-28, early in the second half, but Gardner made a three-point basket and Kelvin Gibbs made three baskets in a row during an 11-2 run that put the Waves ahead, 44-40. Gibbs finished with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.