Pepperdine Looks Fresh in Win Over Santa Clara

The calendar might have shown otherwise, but it looked like very little time had passed since Pepperdine last played a basketball game.

Coming off nearly two weeks of inactivity because of a scheduling quirk, Pepperdine looked fine in an 87-66 victory over Santa Clara in a West Coast Conference opener Friday at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Thanks to the shooting of reserve David Lalazarian, the Waves circumvented a so-so showing by Brandon Armstrong to win with ease.

Lalazarian scored 22 points, one shy of his career high, and the Waves, 9-5 overall, looked nothing like a team that last played Dec. 30.

Lalazarian started at small forward early in the season, but was relegated back to the bench, where he has found a comfort zone.

“A lot of teams like to have a sparkplug off the bench,” said Pepperdine Coach Jan van Breda Kolff.

Van Breda Kolff admitted he was surprised by Pepperdine’s strong shooting in the first half (53.3%) despite the layoff.

The Waves’ only game-like action during the break was a full-tilt scrimmage last Saturday. It was apparently enough.

Pepperdine continued to excel in its recently unveiled three-guard, two-forward offense, while holding Santa Clara (8-8) to 40% shooting and forcing 18 turnovers.

Santa Clara trailed, 54-47, with 13:22 to play, but Lalazarian sparked an 11-0 Pepperdine run by scoring seven points in a 1:42 span.

“In our conference, a lot of teams are going to be keying on Brandon and Kelvin [Gibbs], which gives me a crack to get in there,” said Lalazarian, who made nine of 12 shots.

Armstrong scored a combined 70 points in the Waves’ last two games before Friday, but was held in check against Santa Clara.

Playing in front of a cadre of NBA scouts, Armstrong scored only two points in the first 13 minutes and finished with 13 points on five of 15 shooting.