Pepperdine Feels Fine Grinding Out a Win

It’s no secret that Pepperdine’s first love is running up and down the court and scoring points.

But the Waves do feel slighted by the perception that they don’t enjoy the dirty work. With their offense sputtering Sunday against San Francisco, they turned to things less glamorous in the second half to hold off the Dons, 64-57, in a West Coast Conference game at Firestone Fieldhouse.

“The common scouting report on our team is that we’re not a defense-oriented team, but this year we have been,” Pepperdine Coach Paul Westphal said. “We’ve been winning a lot of games where we haven’t been shooting the ball very well.”

Pepperdine (12-5, 2-0) got tough when it fended off repeated challenges by San Francisco. Reserve forward Keith Jarbo, who averages less than 10 minutes a game, gave the Waves the spark they needed.

After San Francisco’s John Cox made a three-point basket to cut the lead to 52-47, Jarbo responded with an acrobatic reverse layup. The junior also forced an offensive foul on Cox and scored another basket when the Dons (9-6, 0-2) cut the lead to 56-50.

“That’s my job,” said Jarbo, who had four points and five rebounds in 10 minutes. “I just get out there and hustle and play defense.”

Forward Glen McGowan said Jarbo, a walk-on, plays an important role on the team.

“He brings the same intensity in the game that he has in practice,” McGowan said. “That’s why we like him so much. He can go three games without playing and when his number is called, he’s going to give you 110%.”

McGowan had another strong game with 27 points and eight rebounds in front of several NBA scouts and executives, including Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Miami Heat President Pat Riley. He was the only Pepperdine player to score in double figures.

“It’s good to have a guy like that on our team,” forward Yakhouba Diawara said. “We’ve got to help him out.”

Pepperdine grabbed the lead on Chase Griffin’s baseline drive for a layup right before halftime. The Waves kept it for good with an 11-2 run to open the second half, fueled by McGowan’s six points and a three-point basket from Jesse Pinegar.

Cox led the Dons with a game-high 28 points.

-- Eric Stephens

San Diego 68, Loyola Marymount 65 -- A three-point shot by Wes Wardrop clanked off the back of the basket as the final buzzer sounded and dashed the Lions’ hopes in a WCC loss to the Toreros at Gersten Pavilion.

The game featured three lead changes in the final 1 minute 23 seconds, but San Diego took the lead for good when sophomore guard Avi Fogel took an inbounds pass, dribbled the length of the court and made a layup for a 66-65 Torero lead with 10.2 seconds left.

San Diego’s Floyd North then stole the ensuing inbounds pass, was fouled and made two free throws for a three-point lead with 7.2 seconds left. Wardrop, who had made a 15-foot jump shot with 16 seconds left to give the Lions a 65-64 lead, then came off a screen on a designed play, got an open look, but shot too long.

“It’s a very disappointing home loss in league play, but a typical West Coast Conference game,” Loyola Marymount Coach Steve Aggers said.

“Wes had a good look, but it just didn’t fall. We’re going to have to make up for it by winning one on the road.”

It was the seventh time in the last 12 games that a Loyola Marymount game has been decided by five points or fewer. The Lions (9-6, 1-1) have gone 5-2 in those games.

San Diego (9-6, 1-1) rebounded from a disappointing loss Friday at Pepperdine and has now won six of its last seven games.

The Toreros scorched the Lions with three-point shooting, making seven of 11 from beyond the arc.

Fogel led the Toreros with 17 points and four assists, and Brice Vounang had 15 points.

Senior guard Charles Brown had 14 points, four assists and four steals for LMU, which had a 27-23 halftime lead and led by as many as eight in the second half.

Junior forward John Haywood had 13 points and set a career high for the second consecutive game.

All of the proceeds from the game will be donated to victims of the Southern Asia Tsunami.

-- Peter Yoon