Waves Rolling from Start in 94-58 Victory at Portland

Pepperdine opened the game with a 20-2 run and were never challenged during a 94-58 West Coast Conference victory Thursday at Portland.

The Waves (18-6, 10-1 in conference play) led by as many as 28 points in the first half and 41 in the second half. The victory keeps Pepperdine within one game of first-place Gonzaga, which hosts the Waves on Saturday, with three games left in the regular season.

Brandon Armstrong made eight of 11 shots to finish with 22 points for Pepperdine, which won for the 12th time in 13 games and eighth in a row on the road. Derrick Armstrong and Kelvin Gibbs each had 18 points for the Waves.

Tim Frost had 20 points and seven rebounds for Portland (10-14, 3-8). Ryan Jones added 16 points.

After taking a 20-2 lead, Pepperdine extended it to 31-9 with 10 minutes left in the first half. Anderson capped the run with seven unanswered points. He made four three-pointers in the game.

Armstrong took over in the second half with 11 points during a seven-minute span. He made four of six three-point shots and the Waves connected on 12 of 22 in the game.

Gibbs converted a three-point play to give the Waves their biggest lead, 84-43. Gibbs finished with 18 points.

Boomer Brazzle and Craig Lewis, who both starred at Portland’s Benson High, helped the Waves. Brazzle had eight rebounds and Lewis scored 13.