Garrett Wait
Sports Editor
The Pepperdine men’s basketball team finished its up and down season with yet another rollercoaster ride at the West Coast Conference Tournament on March 3 and 4. The Waves, who were seeded fifth, got a win against eighth-seeded Loyola Marymount University in the opening round, but lost to fourth-seeded University of San Diego in the second round to conclude the season.
Pepperdine finished the regular season with a victory over LMU a week before the tournament began, and picked up where they left off in beating the Lions 91-79 in the first-round match up of the cross-town rivals.
The Waves played the Lions three times this season and trailed at halftime in all three games. Pepperdine was down by 12 at the end of the first half and looked to be ending the season on a sour note. However, the coaches wouldn’t let the team go out like that.
“Let’s just say (Head Coach Paul Westphal) was not happy at all and he showed that,” said freshman center Russell Hicks. “He didn’t swear or anything but was very assertive with the things we did wrong and we really need to improve or we’d pack our bags.”
Pepperdine came out on fire in the second half, outscoring LMU 57-33 in the half, shooting 50 percent from the field.
Hicks was an integral part of the comeback in the second half. His presence on the defensive end has been solid all season, leading the teams in blocks and generally stifling the interior offense of most teams. However, it was his offense that helped guide the Waves to a win over LMU.
Hicks had 15 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of playing time. He was perfect from the floor and from the free-throw line, going five-for-five at each spot. He also contributed a block and a steal.
“I had to play my role on the team and do my part,” Hicks said. “Good things happen when I get intense and when I get really focused on the game. We just worked together and that was the end result. We just killed them.”
Four other Waves scored in double figures. Senior forward Glen McGowan led the team with 19 points, junior Alex Acker and freshman Kingsley Costain each scored 17 and senior forward Yakhouba Diawara put in 12 points of his own before fouling out of the game.
Pepperdine’s momentum didn’t carry over against USD and the Waves’ season ended with an 86-80 loss.
The first half was highlighted by a shooting exhibition between Pepperdine’s Acker and USD guard Brandon Gay. Acker scored 21 points in the first half while attempting to match Gay shot for shot. Gay was seven-for-seven from beyond the three-point line and scored 25 of his career-high 34 points in the first half. The Toreros headed into halftime with a 51-45 lead.
All of Pepperdine’s comeback attempts in the second half were stifled by poor shooting and foul trouble.
Referees were reluctant to blow the whistle on the Pepperdine end of the court. They did, however, give Hicks the boot after just 18 minutes of play.
“It was very frustrating to foul out of that game so early, one of the most frustrating things I’ve had to go through in a basketball game,” Hicks said. “I had a feeling that guy was going to fall over and act like he did on that last foul call against me. I was disappointed with myself.”
Acker led Pepperdine with 31 points and nine rebounds, McGowan poured in 20 points and collected eight rebounds in his final game for Pepperdine, and Costain contributed 12 points in the loss.
The Waves finished 17-14 on the year and lost four seniors from this year’s team, but Hicks doesn’t seem to be too worried.
“Well it’s obvious that we’re going to have to work from the ground up next year,” he said. “Those four seniors are very strong on the team, but I think we have guys who can step in to their shoes, step into their positions and I have a good feeling that we’re going to have a strong team next year.”
Pepperdine came out on fire in the second half, outscoring LMU 57-33 in the half, shooting 50 percent from the field. The Waves’ defense also picked up the pace, holding the Lions to just 28.6 percent from the floor.
Hicks was an integral part of the comeback in the second half. His presence on the defensive end has been solid all season, leading the teams in blocks and generally stifling the interior offense of most teams. However, it was his offense that helped guide the Waves to a win over LMU.
Hicks had 15 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of playing time. He was perfect from the floor and from the free-throw line, going five-for-five at each spot. He also contributed a block and a steal.
“I had to play my role on the team and do my part,” Hicks said. “Good things happen when I get intense and when I get really focused on the game. We just worked together and that was the end result. We just killed them.”
Four other Waves scored in double figures. Senior forward Glen McGowan led the team with 19 points, junior Alex Acker and freshman Kingsley Costain each scored 17, and senior forward Yakhouba Diawara put in 12 points of his own before fouling out of the game.
Pepperdine’s aggressive play on the defensive end led to nine LMU turnovers resulting in easy baskets or fouls. The Waves tied a WCC tournament record by making 30 free-throws in the game.
This was the second time in the past two years the two teams have met in the conference tourney, with Pepperdine coming out victorious each time. The Waves have won 16 of the last 17 games against the Lions.
Any momentum Pepperdine gained in beating LMU went out the window in the second round against San Diego as the Toreros went on to their second defeat of the Waves this season, 86-80.
The first half was highlighted by a shooting exhibition between Pepperdine’s Acker and USD guard Brandon Gay. Acker scored 21 points in the first half while attempting to match Gay shot for shot. Gay was seven-for-seven from beyond the three-point line and scored 25 of his career-high 34 points in the first half. The Toreros headed into halftime with a 51-45 lead.
All of Pepperdine’s comeback attempts in the second half were stifled by poor shooting and foul trouble. In his last game as a Wave, Diawara went 0-for-18 from the field, setting an NCAA record for shooting futility in a conference tournament.
Physical play underneath the basket may have played a large role in the shooting performance, but referees were reluctant to blow the whistle on the Pepperdine end of the court. They did, however, give Hicks the boot after just 18 minutes of play.
“It was very frustrating to foul out of that game so early, one of the most frustrating things I’ve had to go through in a basketball game,” Hicks said. “I had a feeling that guy was going to fall over and act like he did on that last foul call against me.
“I was disappointed with myself because I wanted to be there on that court in the end to give Pepperdine a chance to win.”
Acker led Pepperdine with 31 points and nine rebounds, McGowan poured in 20 points and collected eight rebounds in his final game for Pepperdine, and Costain contributed 12 points in the loss.
The Waves finished 17-14 on the year and failed to make it to postseason play for the third-straight season. Pepperdine lost four seniors from this year’s team, but Hicks doesn’t seem to be too worried.
“Well it’s obvious that we’re going to have to work from the ground up next year,” he said. “Those four seniors are very strong on the team, but I think we have guys who can step in to their shoes, step into their positions and I have a good feeling that we’re going to have a strong team next year.”
03-17-2005
