Cowboys Ride Off Waves

Pepperdine Coach Jan van Breda Kolff couldn’t help himself. As his players left the interview room, their heads sagging shortly after their 75-67 loss to Oklahoma State on Sunday, he turned and applauded.

He then asked the news conference moderator if that was OK.

“No problem,” the moderator said. “They deserved that.”

Even the most neutral observers could recognize and appreciate Pepperdine’s effort.

The Waves weren’t outclassed Sunday. They weren’t outhustled. They didn’t leave the NCAA tournament in the second round because they lacked heart.

They simply ran into a team that played better defense.

Pepperdine played well on defense, but Oklahoma State was outstanding.

You can never have enough defense. That might explain the two Navy battleships docked on the Niagara River just a few yards from HSBC Arena. You know, just in case those sneaky Canadians across the river start something.

Oklahoma State made the lane look a lot like downtown Buffalo on Sunday: closed. Pepperdine’s patience on offense actually backfired. The Waves passed up many of their first looks at the basket only to find that their chances didn’t get any better the longer they held the ball.

“They came out and they played real aggressive,” Pepperdine’s Brandon Armstrong said. “They weren’t really giving us open shots. They made us work for our shots.”

Aside from the first six minutes of the second half, when center Nick Sheppard got four up-close baskets, the Waves had difficulty getting inside shots. They fired up 32 three-pointers and made only seven (22%).

The Cowboys retreated on defense so quickly that Pepperdine had precious few fastbreak opportunities. Oklahoma State’s defense was so good, it even changed the way Pepperdine played defense.

The Waves wanted to apply a full-court press in the second half, but it’s almost impossible to execute if you don’t score first. Pepperdine managed only two points during a seven-minute stretch when Oklahoma State turned a tie score into a seven-point lead.

“We felt if we could keep the press on, we could wear them down,” Van Breda Kolff said. “Unfortunately, we just couldn’t make a shot.”

Oklahoma State also found a soft spot in Pepperdine’s zone defense. The Cowboys continually sent a player along the baseline and found him open for jump shots. Desmond Mason made one from the right side, then Joe Adkins hit a three-point basket from the left side that gave the Cowboys their largest lead of the game, 12 points.

The Waves could have used some better defense at the U.S. border too. Oklahoma State took a trip to Niagara Falls on Saturday. The best view is from the Canadian side and before they departed, Fredrik Jonzen, who is Swedish, was a little concerned because he didn’t have his passport.

After the Cowboys gawked at the waterfalls and made their way back, an agent came aboard when they returned to American soil.

“He asked, ‘Is anybody here not born in the U.S.?’ ” Jonzen said. “I just kind of laid down in the back.”

So instead of spending Sunday in detention or having to call the Swedish consulate, Jonzen was in uniform, scoring 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds against the Waves.

That more than compensated for a subdued game by Mason (13 points).

The Waves felt pretty good about themselves after defeating No. 6-seeded Indiana on Friday.

Mason was certain that Pepperdine would be even more inspired by watching fellow West Coast Conference member Gonzaga, the No. 10 seed in the West Region, knock off No. 2-seeded St. John’s on Saturday night.

“But we saw that game also,” Mason said. “We didn’t want it to happen to us.”

In all likelihood the surprise days are over for WCC teams.

“I told the younger guys that they’re not going to be able to sneak up on anybody like we did this year and Gonzaga did last year,” senior point guard Tezale Archie said.

They also won’t have to spend as much time explaining who they are and where they’re from. The Afros and free-spirited attitudes of some players helped them gain attention. Their play ensured people would remember them.

Archie joked that when they arrived in Buffalo, there were only two Pepperdine fans in town: the athletic director and his wife.

“Today, three days later, half the building is chanting for us,” Archie said.

One of the loudest roars of the day came when Craig Lewis made a three-point shot that allowed Pepperdine to cling to hope, cutting Oklahoma State’s lead to five with 1:09 remaining.

“We’re happy that we’re here and we made a little noise,” Tommie Prince said.

Things just got quieter. Good defense has a way of doing that.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com