Pepperdine Men’s Basketball gathers in a huddle to discuss game tactics against Sam Houston State University at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum on Nov. 11. The Waves fell to the Bearkats 85-77. Photos courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Pepperdine Men’s Basketball traveled down to Huntsville, Texas on Nov. 11 to face Sam Houston State University at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. Pepperdine fell 85-77 to Sam Houston.
The Waves, riding the high of two wins against La Sierra University and Bethesda University, finally met their match.
Pepperdine previously played La Sierra University, who lies in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) bracket, and Bethesda University, who competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The Waves breezed past both universities, reaching over 100 points and claiming a 40-point lead over La Sierra and a 73-point lead over Bethesda, setting a new program record, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves, under new Head Coach Griff Aldrich and 13 new players, came into the season hot. With two confident wins and a one-point loss against Cornell University at the start of their season play, the Waves are quickly making their mark and overturning a previous season full of losses, and their match against Sam Houston only proves to be a small setback.
First Half
The Waves started the first half strong with a jumper by junior forward Petar Majstorovic at the 19:44 mark. As the first to claim a point on the leaderboard, the Waves continued to battle against the Bearkats until 18:31 on the clock when junior guard Evan Haywood put up another layup, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
After Pepperdine secured their first two points by Majstorovic, luck fell in their hands as Sam Houston failed to complete a single shot in response, missing four layups and one 3-pointer until Haywood put up his shot at the 18:31 mark.
The Bearkats continued to bite, bringing back four points to mirror the Waves by the 17:50 minute mark.
The matchup continued to be a tough battle for both teams as they fought to take control of the game. During this time, Pepperdine was unable to complete three 3-pointers and one jumper, while committing three fouls. On the other side, Sam Houston was riding the same wave as they tallied two incomplete 3-pointers, two jumpers and one layup, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
At 14:30, the Bearkats finally struck back, completing a jumper by Yoda Oke, junior guard and forward, but the Waves responded quickly with a layup from sophomore guard Anto Balian.
Senior forward Anthony Robinson steps up to the free-throw line against Sam Houston State University at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum on Nov. 11. Robinson led the Waves with nine points and eight rebounds in the first half, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The game continued to be a back-and-forth battle, with a score of 23-18 – MC at the 7:27 mark. It was not until 6:29 that a shot was put up by Pepperdine’s offense, where senior forward Anthony Robinson made his impact. By taking a foul and putting up two on the free throw line, Robinson closed the match to a difference of three, at 23-20, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Majstorovic followed Robinson’s lead, also gaining a foul and putting up an additional two points to close Sam Houston’s lead even more, now at a score of 23-22.
The match continued to go hand-in-hand, with Pepperdine trying to close the lead that Sam Houston was fighting for. Although Pepperdine battled hard, the first half ended with Sam Houston launching a buzzer-beater from over 30 feet to give them a 41-35, 6-point lead at the break, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Second Half
The Bearkats continued their attack early on in the second half, putting two points on the scoreboard by junior guard Aidan McDowell.
Sam Houston continued their run, drawing a foul from Pepperdine and downing an additional two points to increase their lead by 10—now 45-35, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
As the second half progressed, the Bearkats took full control by continuing to build on their momentum, ultimately going on a 5-point run as soon as the second half kicked off.
It was not until 16:36 that Majstorovic drew another foul and made one of two shots on the free throw line to put the Waves at 49-36.
Pepperdine continued to fight hard as the match progressed and drew to a close, never letting Sam Houston gain much of a lead.
As the game entered the 5:16 mark, Evan Haywood dribbled down the court and went for a layup, leaving the Waves just three points from meeting Sam Houston on the board.
With the game now 63-60, the Waves had the opportunity to keep fighting for an overtake, but all the momentum they had built to close the deficit and secure their third win quickly vanished, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
At the 2:59 mark, Sam Houston rode the wave home, going on an 8-point run to return to a 10-point lead at 75-65.
With only a minute left, the Waves tried their best to crash the Bearkats’ lead, but ultimately the Bearkats came out on top with a final score of 85-77, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Senior guard Jahari Williamson drives down the court to face a Bearkat defender against Sam Houston State University at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum on Nov. 11. Williamson shot a season-high of 21 points, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Senior guard Jahari Williamson led the Waves with a season-high 21 points and came in second for the most minutes played in the match with 34. Leading minutes, Haywood accumulated 36, putting up 18 points to mark a career-high and aid Pepperdine’s offense, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Following Williamson and Haywood, Majstorovic put up 12 points, four rebounds and two steals in 31 minutes played. He has scored at least 15 points in each game this season, leading the Waves with 18 points per game, including this one.
Majstorovic also ranks sixth in the West Coast Conference (WCC) in scoring and is fifth in field-goal percentage at 0.700, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves continue on the road to Eugene, Ore., to face the University of Oregon on Nov. 15 at the Matthew Knight Arena.
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Contact Genevieve Cantu via email: genevieve.cantu@pepperdine.edu