By Lauren Gustus
Sports Editor
It’s just one hour to tip-off.
Stadium workers have just sealed the NCAA logo on the floor at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento. The envelope containing the afternoon’s referees has just been distributed to each team’s assistant coaches, who are seated on the team bench soaking up the atmosphere that few teams ever see.
More than 400 media personnel are busy loading cameras and setting up laptops. Pockets of fans are beginning to find their seats. There is a buzz of anticipation brewing as the stadium is readied for Pepperdine’s first-round NCAA appearance with Wake Forest.
The No. 10-ranked Waves jog out of the bowels of the ARCO locker room area and up to the shoot-around. Craig Lewis and Dustin Johnson get into their familiar pre-game ritual — a casual one-on-one contest. Mike Westphal is perfecting a fallaway three-pointer — one of his attempts cranks off the side of the backboard. Cedric Suitt is at the foul line on the far court, where Jimmy Miggins keeps him company, firing off an accurate round of threes. It is now just a half-hour to tip-off for the Waves, who are preparing for an extraordinary game in their ordinary ways.
It’s been argued that the anticipation of an event is better than the event itself, and no one would dispute that the Waves were more excited about the game in the days and hours before the 83-74 loss than they were after.
Last Thursday the Pepperdine men’s basketball team saw a dream season unravel at the hand of the Deamon Deacons from Wake Forest. Out-played in the first five minutes of the contest, the Waves looked nervous and tentative while the Deacons were aggressive and focused.
Long faces abounded at the Waves’ post-game press conference, as Boomer Brazzle and Jimmy Miggins sat beside head coach Paul Westphal with glum looks and slumped shoulders.
Brazzle knew that the start of the game was a key component in the Waves’ loss. “We came out a little tentative for the first five minutes,” he said.
No one needed to remind this team that it far exceeded any expectations placed on it at the beginning of the year. “We had a terrific season, and I don’t think many people figured we would be in this position back in November,” Westphal said.
The same Pepperdine squad that was picked to finish in the middle of the WCC standings earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Waves had big wins over Gonzaga, UCLA and USC. Firestone Fieldhouse was the place to be on a Friday night when the Waves were in town.
Unfortunately, the season came to a close, as it does for many good ballclubs, in a tournament where if you don’t play your best game, you’ll get bounced.
Westphal, in his infinite roundball wisdom, knows that if you don’t play, you can’t stay.
“I was real proud of our season and the game today,” he said. “But that’s basketball.”
Wake Forest jumped out to a 15-2 lead early in a contest that they would go on to win 83-74.
“We did not match their level of aggressiveness to start the game,” Westphal said.
Pepperdine spent much of the first half playing catch-up, and headed to the locker room at halftime trailing by just three, 38-35. Devin Montgomery had a hot hand and helped the Waves to pull close at the intermission.
In the second half, the Waves held a two- point lead, 52-50, at 14:14, but it was short-lived.
Neck and neck for much of the half, Wake Forest went up by four or five and Lewis or Miggins would hit a key basket. But the Waves seemed to be just one step behind the more experienced Deacons.
Pepperdine was down seven, 68-61, at 7:48, after the Deacons’ center from Lithuania, Darius Songaila, made two free throws. After a missed three-pointed from Brazzle, the Deacons’ Jamaal Levy was stripped by Lewis, who dished it to Miggins for a lay-up which he missed but Brazzle eventually put in to pull the Waves within five, 68-63.
Miggins made a two and Brazzle contributed a three, and the Waves found themselves trailing by just two points, 70-68, with 2:45 left to play.
But the Deacons’ other Lithuanian, Vytas Danelius, made two key foul shots to put the Deacons up by four, 74-70. Lewis answered with two points for the Waves, but Broderick Hicks nailed a three pointer that brought the lead to five, 77-72.
Brazzle missed an open three, and Songaila made a basket as Wake Forest pulled in front by seven, 79-72, with just over a minute left to play.
The Waves never recovered from the deficit, as they missed five of their last six shots. Glen McGowan was the only Wave to connect on a tip-in during the last minute of play.
Pepperdine expended too much time and energy playing catch-up, and was unable to put together a solid run as time wore off the clock. Wake Forest pulled away at the end with solid shooting and good rebounding, for an eventual 83-74 victory.
“We just couldn’t get over the hump,” Miggins said. “We got good looks but we didn’t finish.”
CAPTION: Photo by Michael Hurlbut
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR: Senior Craig Lewis made this shot, but he couldn’t propel the Waves on to victory during first round action in Sacramento.
March 21, 2002