GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
The Pepperdine men’s basketball team was riding a four-game winning streak when they went on the road this week to play University of Portland and Gonzaga University. The Waves couldn’t keep their momentum though, falling in both games to their conference rivals. The team will look to redeem itself with two upcoming games in Malibu.
In an 81-71 loss to Portland, the Waves had a tough time stopping the inside game of their Oregonian opponents. The Pilots dominated Pepperdine in the paint, outscoring them 48-24.
Pepperdine senior forward Glen McGowan led all scorers with 24 points in the game on 8-14 shooting. McGowan was nearly matched by teammate Alex Acker, a junior guard, who scored 23 points. They were the only two Waves in double figures, however, and were unable to overcome the lack of production from the rest of the team.
The Waves shot 42 percent from the field in the game, but allowed Portland to make 56.6 percent of their shots. This was the fourth time Pepperdine has allowed its opponents to score 80 points or more in a game. The team has won only once when allowing their opponent to score that much.
“We haven’t been competitive on the road and that’s not a characteristic that you’d think we’d have since we have four seniors on this team,” said assistant coach Patrick Whitlock.
Five Pilots scored in double figures in the game, with Portland junior guard Pooh Jeter leading the balanced attack with 15 points. Forwards Donald Wilson and Ben Sullivan scored 14 and 13 points respectively, and guards Marcus Lewis and Darren Cooper each had 12 points.
With the win, Portland garnered its first West Coast Conference victory of the season while handing the Waves their first conference loss. It was the first time the Pilots have defeated Pepperdine since 1999.
“We understood coming into the WCC season that every road game was going to be a battle and every win would be hard to get,” said Whitlock. “We know that we have to defend our home court and try to steal a few wins on the road.”
After the loss to Portland, Pepperdine continued its tour of the Northwest with a game against the 16th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Waves needed a strong showing against Gonzaga to rebound from the Portland loss, but were unable to muster a real threat to the Bulldogs, going down 86-62.
For the second straight game, the Waves’ defense let them down on the road. And this time, their offense couldn’t make up for the struggles on the other end of the court. Pepperdine shot just 33.9 percent from the field in the game while allowing Gonzaga to shoot a blistering 60 percent.
McGowan again led Pepperdine in scoring, with 15 points, but was unable to connect on any of his five attempts from behind the three-point line. As a team, the Waves were 5-25 from three-point range.
Acker contributed 13 points and three assists but was unable to find his shot for much of the game, going just 4-13 from the field. Senior forward Yakhouba Diawara had 12 points in the game and freshman guard Kingsley Costain had 10. They were the only other Waves in double figures.
Gonzaga sophomore Adam Morrison matched his career-high in points with 26 against the Waves, hitting on four of six attempts from behind the arc. Bulldog senior forward Ronny Turiaf controlled the paint on the offensive end, finishing with 19 points on 7-9 shooting. Gonzaga controlled the boards all night, out-rebounding the Waves 37-30.
The loss dropped Pepperdine to 12-7 on the season and 2-2 in the WCC. The Waves have struggled mightily on the road this season, winning just four of the 11 games away from Firestone Fieldhouse.
Luckily for Pepperdine, they have two in-conference home games coming up in the next week when they host Saint Mary’s College and Santa Clara University on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
“The keys this weekend are just coming out and playing with fire and with something to prove,” said Whitlock. “We need turn around quickly and play together with more element of teamwork than we had this past weekend.”
The Waves have yet to lose at home this season, going 8-0 so far. This is the first time since 1998-99 that Pepperdine has won its first eight games at home. That season, the team went 15-0 in Malibu.
01-20-2005
