Sophomore guard Styles Phipps dribbles at the top of the key looking for his next move Feb. 11 at the University Credit Union Pavilion. Phipps led the Waves with six rebounds and five assists. Photos courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics.
Pepperdine Men’s Basketball fell 88-60 on the road against the Saint Mary’s College of California Gaels on Feb. 11 at the University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.
The Waves trailed most of the game with their only lead being 11-10 with 14:56 left in the first half. Sophomore guard Aaron Clark led the Waves on offense scoring 18 points. Clark has finished with at least 17 points in the last five games and leads Pepperdine in scoring with 13.7 PPG, according to Pepperdine Athletics. Pepperdine slipped to 6-20 overall and 1-12 in West Coast Conference play.
The Waves battled early and kept pace with Gaels for the duration of the first half. Pepperdine trailed 24-20 at the under 8:00 media timeout. Coming out of the break, Saint Mary’s caught fire from three and finished the half on a 24-9 run and entered halftime leading 49-28.
Freshman guard Dillan Shaw knocked down three straight from beyond the arc to fuel the Gaels’ run. Shaw finished the game with 12 points, all coming off of three point makes. Junior forward Paulius Murauskas and sophomore guard Joshua Dent also added three jumpers a piece from downtown. As a team, the Gaels shot a blistering 52% from three despite shooting a poor 59% from the free throw line.
Saint Mary’s offensive dominance continued into the second half as their lead ballooned 31 with 8:11 left in regulation.
Sophomore guard Aaron Clark squares up for a three point attempt Feb.11 at the University Credit Union Pavilion. Clark led the Waves offense with 18 points.
Pepperdine’s offense struggled to find rhythm as the Waves finished the game shooting 34% from the field and 27% from three. Sophomore guard Styles Phipps led the team with six rebounds and five assists. Phipps is currently one of four players in the nation averaging over 13 points, six rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Despite their offensive woes, the Waves found success in the turnover battle, winning it 15-12. Pepperdine’s defense also forced nine steals, winning the steals battle 9-7. Redshirt freshman center Stefan Cicic led all players with five blocks in 23 minutes off of the bench.
Murauskas and sophomore guard Mikey Lewis led the Gaels in scoring with 18 and 13 points respectively. Dent finished with a double-double off of 12 points and 11 assists while leading Saint Mary’s in minutes with 31. Four Gael starters finished in double figures and senior center Harry Wessels grabbed 11 rebounds, the most of any player for either team.
Graduate guard Javon Cooley makes a move on the Gael defender and looks to make a pass on Feb. 11 at the University Credit Union Pavilion. Cooley led the Waves with two steals on defense.
The Gaels posted a 72-45 victory over the Waves earlier this season on Dec. 30. Saint Mary’s extends their consecutive victories over Pepperdine to 11 in a row. The Waves last victory over Saint Mary’s came back in February of 2021 when they defeated the Gaels 60-58 in Malibu, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Next, Pepperdine returns home and hosts the Loyola Marymount University Lions (13-14) on Feb. 14 at Firestone Fieldhouse for a Valentine’s Day matchup. The Waves and the Lions both sit at the bottom of the WCC standings and this matchup is the first and only time both teams meet this season. LMU is coming off a 65-59 loss on the road against the University of the Pacific.
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Contact Connor Ford by email: connor.ford@pepperdine.edu