By Lauren Gustus
Sports Editor
Things are so close now between Pepperdine and Gonzaga that it could all boil down to the flip of a coin.
The two teams are likely to finish the season with identical conference records, and the protocol in the WCC for tournament seeding is a shrewd heads-or-tails decision. Whoever wins the toss will be awarded the first seed in the WCC Tournament next weekend in San Diego, and most likely a first-round date with a last place team.
But the Waves can’t look ahead to a coin toss just yet. They still have two conference games left to play. Pepperdine battles USD at home tomorrow evening, a team that the Waves had trouble knocking off at the Jenny Craig Pavilion earlier this season. Westphal’s crew eventually pulled out a 96-91 double-overtime victory against the Toreros.
“They are extremely good,” assistant coach Jim Nielsen said. “Jason Blair and Andre Laws are a one-two punch. They stoned San Francisco last week by 30 points.”
On Saturday evening, while uncertain numbers of Pepperdine students will be sunning themselves on the white sands of Cabo San Lucas and other tropical Spring Break destinations, the Waves will be in Firestone Fieldhouse to take on a Santa Clara team that sits smack in the middle of the WCC pack. Barring an upset, the Waves should emerge from the weekend tied with Gonzaga for first place at the close of the season.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few probably didn’t need to say much to get his team ready for a rematch with the Waves last Saturday evening because, as the Zags proved in a 91-78 victory, revenge is a powerful motivator.
On Seniors Night, Gonzaga guard Dan Dickau racked up the stats in his last home-court appearance and Gonzaga’s first nationally televised game. He amassed 26 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals by the time the final buzzer sounded.
Pepperdine will have to contain Dickau better if they face the Zags in a rematch at the WCC Tournament. “Dickau is a great player,” Nielsen said. “He’s always compared to John Stockton, but I think Steve Nash out of Santa Clara is more accurate.”
Although the Waves didn’t miss their flight up to Washington, they seemed to have missed the bus on the up-tempo style the Zags brought to the court in the first half. The Bulldogs began the game with an 11-0 run, while Pepperdine missed its first four shots.
“They came out very hot and hit their first shots and we didn’t,” Nielsen said. “You could say a lot of things but they beat us to the loose balls and rebounds.” Pepperdine was outhustled in the hustle department, a theme that has rarely been played out this season.
The Waves were down 15 at the half, by a count of 50-35. Jimmy Miggins and Terrance Johnson were a combined 3 for 11 from the field in the first half. A rebounding disadvantage of 13 was a key factor in the loss because the Waves were left without crucial second-chance opportunities. Another weakness Pepperdine was its 50 percent free throw percentage.
Much of the second half was marred by an overabundance of poor officiating, which may have been a larger factor in the game if Pepperdine had not trailed by 20 midway through the period.
Westphal took particular offense to a technical awarded to the Waves for allegedly not listing the correct starting line up at the outset of the half. Westphal conveyed his feelings to the referees and as the Bulldogs coach walked over to see about the situation, and the Waves frontman did not hesitate share his thoughts with Few.
“(The scorer) felt that at halftime we didn’t come out and give the correct changes in the lineup,” Nielsen said. “So that was frustrating.”
As play resumed, players on the court and the coach were genuinely confounded as they watched Dickau sink two free throws. Players, coaches and the newsmedia are all generally hesitant to mention bad officiating as a contributing factor, but Neilsen and others felt that the glaring miscalls deserved mention.
“The refereeing was at best mediocre,” Neilsen said.
Jimmy Miggins was also called for a technical after getting caught up with Blake Stepp underneath his own basket, although Miggins was trying to shake Stepp off of his arm.
Perhaps emboldened by the perceived refereeing inequalities and their coach’s subsequent fiery oratory, the Waves started to pick up their pace in the second half and played with some confidence in a hostile environment.
Glen McGowan scored a career-high 25 points on the night, a bright spot for the Waves. Miggins had 17.
“I thought that was Glen’s best game of the entire year,” Neilsen said. “Under the circumstances, I thought he played brilliantly.”
Pepperdine outscored the Zags in the second half. With 2:15 remaining in the game, the Waves were only down by seven, 84-77, after a basket by McGowan. But a 7-1 Gonzaga run dashed the hopes of a late game run for the Waves, who now must wait until the WCC Tournament next weekend in San Diego to avenge their loss.
The tandem of Miggins and Devin Montgomery logged 20 points each in an 83-77 victory at Portland on Thursday night. It was the eighth time that the Waves have trailed at the half, 38-40, and have won at the end.
Pepperdine out-rebounded the Pilots, 44-37 and forced 17 turnovers in the win.
February 21, 2002