SOUTHLAND

Pepperdine 67, Santa Clara 59--The surge came later this time, but it was no less devastating.

Pepperdine overcame a nine-point second-half deficit and stormed past Santa Clara in a West Coast Conference game before 1,872 in Malibu. It was the Waves’ eighth victory in a row and another momentum-builder heading into next week’s showdown against defending conference champion Gonzaga.

“We’ve got to take everything we have to Gonzaga,” forward Tommie Prince said. “If we bring our pressure defense, I’ll feel pretty good about it.”

The defense delivered against the Broncos (12-9, 3-3), who led, 42-33, after Pepperdine (16-5, 6-0) missed its first five shots of the second half.

Craig Lewis snapped the slump with a three-point basket that triggered a 12-point Pepperdine run. The Waves aggressively fought through picks and repeatedly forced Santa Clara into poor attempts as the shot clock wound under five seconds.

Meanwhile, Pepperdine’s shots began to drop. The Waves made only 10 of 30 before guard Tezale Archie made two twisting jumpers and Prince made a layup and a three-pointer for a 45-42 lead.

A night earlier, Pepperdine began the second half with an 18-5 run to put away San Francisco.

Archie led the Waves with 18 points on six-of-nine shooting. The senior point guard also had five assists and secured the victory by making two free throws with 36.6 seconds to play after Santa Clara had crept to within 63-59.