Davis Drives Pepperdine Past Loyola Marymount

Shaun Davis went from Pepperdine’s doghouse to the winner’s circle Saturday night.

The freshman guard, who had sat out the previous three games because of disciplinary reasons, drove the length of the court and passed to Glen McGowan for a dunk with 2.8 seconds left to give the Waves a 67-65 victory over Loyola Marymount at Gersten Pavilion.

Coach Paul Westphal put the 5-foot-6 Davis in the game for his only appearance of the second half after the Lions’ Keith Kincade had tied the score, 65-65, on two free throws with 8.9 seconds left.

After catching the inbounds pass, Davis weaved through the defense and drove into the lane before dishing off to a wide-open McGowan.

“He’s super quick and low to the ground,” Lion Coach Steve Aggers said of Davis. “He just got by us.”

Junior guard Terrance Johnson, who led Pepperdine with 20 points, said it was good to have Davis, a former starter, available again.

“Having him back on the court was a big thing for us,” Johnson said. “No matter how long he sat on the bench, he came in ready to play.”

It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Waves (13-14, 8-4 in the West Coast Conference), who have beaten WCC rival Loyola Marymount 12 consecutive times.

A layup by Matthew Knight pulled the Lions (13-12, 4-8) to within four points with 13 seconds left and, after McGowan missed two free throws, Wes Wardrop cut the deficit to 65-63 by making two free throws with 9.6 seconds left.

Johnson was called for an inbounds violation, turning the ball over to the Lions and setting up the tying free throws by Kincade, who led all scorers with 21 points.

Pepperdine dismantled the Lions’ offense midway through the second half by using a half-court trap. The tactic ignited a 17-2 run that helped the Waves turn an eight-point deficit into a 60-53 lead with 4:40 to play.

“That was the difference,” Johnson said the Waves’ trap. “It frustrated [Loyola’s] guards.”

-- Rob Fernas

Cal State Northridge 80, UC Santa Barbara 71 -- Ian Boylan and Thomas Shewmake made steals on consecutive Gaucho possessions in the final 2:44 and the Matadors scored the last eight points to pull away in front of 1,519 at Northridge.

Northridge (11-12, 7-8 Big West) pulled to within half a game of Santa Barbara (13-10, 7-7) for fourth place in the conference after winning for the fifth time in eight games. Boylan played all 40 minutes and scored a game-high 21 points, including four free throws that clinched the victory.

“When you lose to them five straight times, you definitely want to change that,” said Boylan, who surpassed 1,000 points.

Northridge made eight of nine three-point tries and shot 71.4% overall in the second half. Several of the Matadors’ 11 three-point baskets came late in the game.

Antoine Parker’s three-pointer gave the Matadors the lead for good, 62-60.

With Northridge nursing a 72-71 lead, Boylan stole a pass from Bryan Whitehead and Eto Onyenegecha followed his own miss with a basket. Shewmake made a steal on the next possession, leading to two Boylan free throws.

-- Eric Stephens

Utah State 87, Cal State Fullerton 61 -- Cardell Butler scored 31 points to lead the Aggies (22-2, 14-1 Big West) at Logan, Utah.

Pape Sow had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Titans (9-14, 5-9).

New Mexico State 69, UC Irvine 64 -- Allen Haynes scored 22 points and tied his all-time high with seven three-pointers for the host Aggies (12-12) in a nonconference game.

Adam Parada led the Anteaters (10-14) with 23 points.

Idaho 70, UC Riverside 65 -- Tanoris Shepard made a three-pointer and had a steal in the last 1:23 to lift the Vandals (12-13, 8-7 Big West) at Moscow, Idaho.

Kevin Butler led Riverside (8-14, 5-9) with 18 points, and Vili Morton had 13 points and seven rebounds.