Pepperdine Ends Slump

Road-weary and hungry for a victory, Pepperdine needed a breather. Along came the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, and the Waves blew them away.

Pepperdine ended a losing streak at three Monday night with an 83-38 victory before 1,386 at Malibu. Lehigh’s point total equaled the lowest at Firestone Fieldhouse, where Pepperdine has played since 1973.

“It was good to get back on track before we start conference games,” forward Kelvin Gibbs said. “Our confidence wasn’t exactly down, but we needed a game where everything clicked.”

Lehigh (3-8) was overmatched, making 12 of 52 shots and committing 33 turnovers while having only four assists.

Pepperdine guard Brandon Armstrong broke out of a shooting slump, making eight of 12 shots for 18 points. Guard Tezale Archie scored 17 points, including three consecutive layups and a free throw that extended the Waves’ lead to 83-29 with four minutes to play.

Pepperdine (9-5) led, 12-0, before Lehigh scored. The closest the Mountain Hawks got was 16-8, and Pepperdine led, 33-19, at halftime.

“We had a tough stretch on the road and it was good to see us play with life,” Coach Jan van Breda Kolff said.

“We will have played 10 of 15 [games] on the road, and if we can beat Northwestern and be 10-5 with this schedule, we should be pleased.”