By Lauren Gustus
Sports Editor
Perhaps it’s a good thing that the men’s basketball team is hitting the road this weekend. The change of scenery may do the squad some good.
Coming off two wins at Firestone Fieldhouse that were less than stellar, the Waves travel to the Pacific Northwest this weekend to take on Gonzaga and Portland.
The Waves take on the lowly Pilots (1-9 in WCC play) tonight, and should extend their nation-leading win streak to lucky No. 13.
On Saturday Pepperdine travels to The Kennel for a rematch with the No. 8-ranked Bulldogs in what is undeniably the toughest road game of the season. If the Waves can beat Gonzaga at home and take the season series, then they are almost certain to get a bid to the NCAA tournament in March.
The Waves upset an Dan Dickau’s team in Malibu three weeks ago, and the Bulldogs are looking for payback. Zags students who belong to the Bulldogs’ Kennel Club have a reputation for bombarding the visiting team’s players with stinging insults. The Waves will have to dig deep to pull out a “W” in Washington.
The Waves should be inspired by a near-loss to Gonzaga in San Diego last weekend. Corey Violette scored 25 points and the Bulldogs hung on for a one-point win over the Toreros in Jenny Craig Pavilion, which is the site of the upcoming WCC Tournament (Feb. 28 – March 2).
Both of last weekend’s affairs left the Firestone faithful wondering where the team that beat Gonzaga and pounded LMU with in-your-face dunks had gone.
In a 68-57 win against St. Mary’s on Saturday, Pepperdine was without center Cedric Suitt for much of the game, who had a collision early on that sent him to the sidelines with a sore back that continues to hamper his playing time.
At the end of regulation, the Waves and the Gaels were tied in the rebound department, with 36 apiece. Without Suitt, the team struggles to pull down rebounds and has to rely more on Glen McGowan to pull down the boards.
But Boomer Brazzle was hot and paced the Waves to victory with 21 points. The leftie controlled the game with even shooting from the perimeter and inside. Each night the Waves seem to have a new team leader who carries the team.
Pepperdine got off to a slow start, trailing 13-7 with 11:22 left in the first half, but junior guard Gary Colbert sparked a 17-2 Pepperdine run with hustle plays and old-school moves to the basket that riled up the crowd.
“Defensively he was a big asset,” said head coach Paul Westphal of Colbert, “and offensively he was able to break down their defense by penetrating.”
At the half the Waves led 31-23.
Pepperdine was caught by surprise as skinny freshman and Gaels guard Adam Caphorn proved he wasn’t as green as he looked. He paced St. Mary’s with 14, along with teammate Chase Poole (who also had 14), and with 5:37 left in the game Pepperdine hung on to a scrappy 58-51 lead.
“It’s a hard style to coach,” Westphal said. “They slow it down and try to put you to sleep when they have the ball.”
Again on Friday it was as if someone had hit the snooze button on the unsuspecting the Waves as the 79-72 victory over the Dons began. Pepperdine came out slow and San Francisco hung with the Waves for most of the game.
“I was scared to death of this game,” Westphal said. “It was a hugely important game for them.”
The Dons matched up well, as their center Darrell Tucker stands at 7 feet and equalized Suitt. Tucker led the Dons with 20 points, 15 in the first half. The Waves didn’t lead until Suitt scored at 13:25 off a feed from Terrance Johnson, which made the score 15-14.
Wearing a back brace that was noticeable though his shirt when he was at the foul line, Suitt was replaced by sophomore Will Kimble midway through the first half. Although Kimble got a helping hand from the referee when he tumbled out of bounds going for a loose ball, he needed little help on the court as he showcased his skills.
“I felt really good,” Kimble said. “I’ve be waiting for my time.”
With eight points on the night, Kimble also pulled down five rebounds for the Waves in 22 minutes.
“We have Will Kimble, who hasn’t played that much,” Westphal said. “And without him we wouldn’t have won.”
With the score knotted at 37 at the half, fans were treated to much of the same seesaw battle in the second period.
It seemed as if the Dons were pulling away after a series of field goals by Hondre Brewer and John Cox that at 16:30 left the Waves trailing 46-41. But Johnson hit a three that pulled the Waves to 46-44.
Pepperdine’s backcourt had trouble penetrating the Dons’ defense all evening, as Devin Montgomery learned the hard way that his shot would invariably be altered by the presence of a 7’ center.
With 8:23 left to play, the Waves were up by two, 60-58, but having trouble pulling away. After a miscalculated move by one Pepperdine student that resulted in a wad of gum being affixed to the gym floor after a questionable call, Westphal got on the mike and advised students not to throw things onto the parquet.
Tough defense and sharp shooting by Craig Lewis, Jimmy Miggins and Colbert resulted in a 10-point advantage with 5:38 left to play, as the Waves led 71-61. The Dons responded by fouling, and Pepperdine almost let them sneak back into the game on 4-10 foul shooting down the stretch. Montgomery ended the game with two free throws to give the Waves a 79-72 win.
February 14, 2002