Garrett Wait
Sports Assitant
Ben Young/Photo Editor
The Pepperdine men’s basketball team played its exhibition games against two lower division college schools in a break from their tradition of playing traveling semi-pro teams. The Waves won their games against Fort Lewis College and Cal Baptist University.
Against Fort Lewis on Saturday, Pepperdine won 80-68. The Waves came out looking to dominate under the hoop, grabbing rebounds and scoring putback baskets while running their offense through the low post.
Pepperdine thoroughly dominated the contest, shooting 62.2 percent from the field. The Waves won the game despite taking 19 fewer shots than their opponents.
“It’s nice to play against somebody else besides ourselves everyday,” Head Coach Paul Westphal said. “You never know what you’re going to learn until you go out and play against another team.”
The top four scorers for the Waves were the seniors on the team. Glen McGowan finished with 21 points, Alex Acker had 20, Yakhouba Diawara pitched in 17 and Robert Turner contributed 15 coming off the bench.
The Waves were just as dominant on defense as they were on offense, holding Fort Lewis to 37.5 percent from the field. The Waves’ biggest lead of the game came early in the second half when they were up 52-37.
The Waves held the edge on the glass, out-rebounding the Skyhawks 35-32. Pepperdine also got to the free throw line more consistently, holding a 33-15 advantage in free throw attempts.
Near the end of the game, the Skyhawks tried to make a comeback, cutting Pepperdine’s lead to eight points with about seven minutes left in the game. However, the Waves were able to stave off any real threat.
“In the first game we were trying to do too much,” said Westphal. “It cost us in several areas like turnovers and boxing out. The second game we adjusted and we focused on basic things better and it showed.”
The second exhibition game marked the return of former Pepperdine standout Terrance Johnson as the Waves hosted NAIA school Cal Baptist at Firestone Fieldhouse on Tuesday. Pepperdine won the game 97-60.
Johnson, who played for Pepperdine for the past three years, was given a mixed reception when he stepped on the court at Pepperdine for the final time. He led Cal Baptist in scoring, finishing with 28 points, including a second-half dunk that reminded Waves’ fans of what he used to do while playing for Pepperdine.
Despite Johnson’s solid individual effort, The Waves dominated the game from the opening tip-off.
McGowan again paced the Waves, scoring 23 points. He and Diawara combined to score 45 points in the game. All of Diawara’s 22 points came in the first half as the senior power forward went 9-11 from the field.
Pepperdine scored off of the opening tip-off and quickly got a steal and a lay-up to set the tone for the game. Cal Baptist’s first four points came off of goaltending calls against Pepperdine’s Acker. At the half, the Waves led 53-27 and only stretched that lead in the second half.
The Waves built their biggest lead, a 50-point spread, with 4:36 remaining in the game. Because Pepperdine was so thoroughly dominant, all 11 of Westphal’s available players were able to get in the game and score.
The Waves also won the battle for the boards, snatching down 46 rebounds to Cal Baptist’s 29. Pepperdine doubled Cal Baptist’s points in the paint, winning that portion of the game 44-22.
Pepperdine begins its regular season Wednesday when it begins play at the Black Coaches’ Association Invitational in Raleigh, N.C. The Waves’ first game will come against East Carolina University at 9 a.m.
“I expect us to play hard and play together and if we do that we can be very successful,” said Westphal.
Joining Pepperdine at the BCA Invitational will be East Carolina University, Oregon State University, Siena University, Elon University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, University of New Orleans and host North Carolina State University.
Pepperdine’s next home contest will come against the nationally ranked University of Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m.
11-11-2004
