Men post a 2-1 record, Walberg earns first regular-season win as Pepperdine head coach at Washington’s Basketball Travelers Classic.
DAVID NAKAGAMI
Staff writer
Although it took three games, Head Coach Vance Walberg got his first Division I win under his belt.
Pepperdine’s men’s basketball team started its regular season off with a bang, taking on No. 17 Washington at Bank of America Arena in Seattle. The Huskies made a 3-pointer to start the game and never looked back. The Waves were down 15 points after the first half of play and could not recover, losing the game 99-91. Huskies forward and team captain Jon Brockman scored 25 points on 11-16 shooting, and grabbed 12 rebounds.
The Waves whittled down a 21-point second half deficit to 8, but it was too little too late. Guard Jason Walberg racked up 18 points to lead all Pepperdine scorers. Power forward Chris Oakes added 12 points of his own, as well as seven boards and three steals. The difference proved to be points in the paint, as the Huskies out-muscled the Waves for 50 points in the box.
“It was a great atmosphere to play in,” said Walberg about the estimated 10,000 fans on hand to witness the game first-hand. “We made a good effort and competed hard.”
Looking to recover from their season-opening loss, the Waves clashed with the Panthers of Northern Iowa the next evening.
This time, the Waves drew first blood, scoring the first four points of the game. However, by the 16:33 mark in the first half, Northern Iowa overtook the Waves, and did not relinquish the lead. The air-tight Panthers defense held Pepperdine to 25 first- half points, and 58 total points. Northern Iowa’s 83 points for the game proved to be more than enough to earn the victory. “We went up against a much tougher, stronger opponent,” admitted the first-year head coach.
Senior guard Marvin Lea paced the Waves offense with 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Junior guard Kingsley Costain chipped in with 12 points, going a stellar 4-5 from behind the arc.
Pepperdine entered their final contest of the Basketball Travelers Classic reeling from two straight losses and hungry to get their first win. Unfortunately for Nicholls State, the Waves turned the tables on their competition and gave their adversary a taste of their own medicine. Much like their past two opponents had done, Pepperdine started with the lead, and shut the door on Colonels, extending their lead to as much as 24 points in the second half. With a final tally of 98-83, Pepperdine chalked up their first win of the young 2006-2007 campaign and the first victory of Walberg’s coaching career at Pepperdine. As a team, the Orange and Blue went a school-record 21-43 from 3-point range. Lea matched his scoring from the previous game with 22 points, and added 8 rebs and 3 assists. Costain came off the bench to become a factor in the game yet again, pouring in 20 points, snatching seven boards, dishing out five dimes, and plucking three steals.
“Against Nicholls State, we were more athletic and wore them down,” Walberg said. “We shot 3 pointers well. Also, Kingsley and Marvin both had big games.”
When the Waves are on, this is the type of win that fans can expect. The Waves shot 48.8 percent from downtown, scored 50 points off the bench, and stole the ball 9 times, leading to 19 Pepperdine points off turnovers.
With five of their next six games on the road, the Waves will look to feed from and build upon their latest win.
“As a team, we have to work harder, and get better each day,” Walberg said.
The Waves (1-2) travel to Northridge on Saturday looking to even out their record before hosting UC Santa Barbara next Tuesday at 7 p.m. for their regular season home opener.
11-16-2006
