By Kyle Jorrey
Sports Editor
After an emotionally driven season forever altered because of the loss of three key starters, the Pepperdine men’s basketball team’s long and difficult season came to an end this past Saturday. In a game the team expected to win, the No. 5-seeded St. Mary’s Gaels knocked off the No.4-seeded Waves, 75-71, before a stunned group of Pepperdine students at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego.
Despite doing nearly everything they had to do to win, the Waves, who lead going into the half 31-28, couldn’t make the big plays and let the game get away from them in the contest’s final minutes.
Coach Paul Westphal, who was forced to make more adjustments this season than a tailor to a cheap suit, gave credit to the Gaels.
“I think St. Mary’s is a very good team, they played extremely well against us all three times they played us this season,” Westphal said. “This last game, they made probably one more big play than us and they were able to be ahead at the end.”
Though the team was able to contain St. Mary’s in the key, the added pressure inside allowed its opponent open looks from the outside, and after a dismal shooting performance in the first half, the Gaels made the Waves pay in the second.
Stepping up huge for St. Mary’s was the most unlikely of candidates — junior forward Jonathon Sanders. Not a typical threat, Sanders scored a team-high 23 points, including a big three in crunch time that lifted the Gaels to their final lead of the ball game.
Assistant Coach Gib Arnold was the first to admit that the Waves weren’t looking to defend Sanders, who averaged just five points against Pepperdine during the regular season.
“I think there was a time there in the second half where Sanders got hot, hit a couple of shots at the end of the shot clock that he doesn’t normally hit, and that really hurt us,” Arnold said.
Things started to turn bad for the Waves with around 15 minutes left in the game. A misdirected tip from freshman Derrick Grubb gave the Gaels a free basket, and senior Boomer Brazzle let a defensive board slip from his hand. The following possession resulted in two more points for the Gaels.
When all the madness started to settle, following a technical on Westphal for arguing a foul call with the referee, a basket by junior forward Frederic Adijuwanou stretched the lead to 56-47.
“All of this started happening, Sanders shooting, us making mistakes, around the same time,” Arnold said. “That’s where it slipped away.”
With time ticking down, the Waves, carried by the fearless play of senior Jimmy Miggins, regained the lead by two. Playing in his final collegiate game, along with Brazzle, Mike Westphal and Dustin Johnson, Miggins competed in the contest like it was his last.
Lacking help from the Waves’ outside game, which finished a disappointing 3-13 from outside the arc, Miggins scored a team-high 23, chipping in eight rebounds and five assists.
“Jimmy Miggins was a player who, for two years, always brought a great desire to the court,” Coach Westphal said. “And his competiveness was one of things that helped us have great success over those two seasons.”
But his final campaign in a Waves jersey would not be enough.
Sophomore guard Terrance Johnson’s lone three-point basket with three minutes left put the Waves up one, 68-67, but it would be their last advantage.
The following play, St. Mary’s sophomore guard Adam Caporn nailed the game’s biggest shot, a three-pointer, that sealed the upset victory.
Though sharp shooter Mike Westphal was able to hit a three of his own with 25 seconds remaining that gave the Waves last second hopes, St. Mary’s hit its free throws and refused to relinquish the lead. Both Westphal and Johnson, two key offensive weapons throughout the season, struggled to find their rhythms during the defeat. They finished a combined six of 16 from the floor with just 20 points between them.
Finishing his impressive season on a decent note, this year’s WCC Freshman of the Year Alex Acker ended the game with 12 points on six-out-of-nine shooting and six rebounds. On the bad side, Acker coughed up a game-high six turnovers.
Days after the disappointing loss, Coach Westphal said he wasn’t upset with his players’ WCC tournament performance.
“I thought we played real hard,” the head coach said. “We had a lead at the end of the first half, we missed a free throw or two, missed a couple opportunities that certainly didn’t help … I’m sure we could have gone in with a bigger advantage. But overall I thought our guys played real well, they just weren’t quite good enough.”
Two days after falling to St. Mary’s, the men witnessed the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs suffer a 72-63 loss to the host University of San Diego Toreros.
Looking back on a season marked by injury (Glen McGowan with a blood clot, Devin Montgomery with a broken thumb) and the career-ending heart condition of Will Kimble, Assistant Coach Arnold said there was good to come out of the difficult situation.
“The greatest thing out of having all those injuries, is that a kid like Alex Acker gets to play a lot more minutes, and he ends up Freshman of the Year,” Arnold said. “He’s going to be coming back with a lot of confidence.”
Arnold also noted the extra playing time seen by players like Grubb, Rob Turner and David Patten as being a huge benefit.
He said if the team is able to avoid injury next year, good things should be in store.
“We think if we can get all those guys in street clothes in uniforms we’re going to be pretty darn good,” Arnold joked. “When we get back together, it’s going to be exciting. When we’re at full strength I think we can compete with anybody.”
Next season, the Waves will welcome back McGowan from a season-ending blood clot, but the future of senior Devin Montgomery is uncertain.
Montgomery must now face a strict NCAA review to see if he can qualify for a medical red shirt, allowing him one more season with the Waves.
March 13, 2003