Pepperdine Men’s Basketball fell 88-81 to the University of Northern Colorado Bears in an overtime battle Nov. 15 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Waves moved to 2-2 on the season, falling to 11th in the West Coast Conference standings, according to ESPN.
“We got to execute much better,” Head Coach Ed Schilling said. “That’s the biggest thing.”
Pepperdine’s starting lineup included sophomore guards Styles Phipps and Aaron Clark, sophomore forward Yonathan Levy, graduate guard Javon Cooley and sophomore forward/center Danilo Dozic.
Phipps led the Waves with 22 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, followed by Clark with 20 points and leading Pepperdine with four steals.
The Bears came out hot at the start of the game, taking an early 6-1 lead before a foul and goaltend against Phipps gave the Waves some life.
Northern Colorado kept the pressure up offensively, drawing a charging foul and scoring to take a 16-7 lead with 15 minutes left in the first half. Both teams could not land a shot for their next few possessions, leading to a timeout with 11 minutes left.
“We just needed more stops when they got a shot,” Phipps said. “We just need to get a stop, and we kept trading baskets.”
Out of the timeout, Phipps hit a jump shot to try and get the Waves rolling offensively, but they failed to convert on their next two possessions to stay down 16-11 with nine minutes left.
Pepperdine drew a foul and made both free throws to close the gap, but a layup from Northern Colorado kept the Waves out of reach.
“We had to make an adjustment defensively,” Schilling said. “Switching off five ways on the ball screen made us more aggressive.”
Pepperdine drew another foul just a minute later, making both free throws again, closing the gap to three points, down 21-18. The Waves maintained even momentum with the Bears, keeping the game within one possession until the final three minutes.
The Bears went on a 10-2 run to close out the half, including a deep three with less than 15 seconds, to grow their lead to 41-31.
The second half started off cold for both teams before the Bears made a jumper two minutes in, but Dozic responded quickly with a three.
“We executed a little better in the second half,” Schilling said. “Not great, but better.”
Both teams kept trading baskets while Northern Colorado maintained their small lead before Phipps got another three-point play opportunity to put the Waves within four.
The Waves forced a turnover and drew a foul to give them an opportunity to tie the game. Cooley made both free throws to tie the game at 61 with six minutes to go.
“My teammates found space on the court, being in positions that we work on in practice,” Phipps said. “Playing the open shot, just getting to my spot, finding guys.”
Both teams battled hard defensively, totaling eight fouls in the final six minutes of the second half, but a strong layup from Cooley gave the Waves their first lead, 70-69, with one minute left in regulation.
Northern Colorado made a layup to take back the lead, but Clark drew a foul and made a free throw to tie the game at 71 with 35 seconds left. The Bears hit a three to take a 74-71 lead with 20 seconds, but Phipps responded with a clutch three of his own to tie the game at 74, forcing overtime.
The Bears controlled the momentum in overtime, taking an 82-74 lead with two minutes to go. The Waves managed to fight back and cut the lead down to three before calling a timeout cost Pepperdine a possession after an overturned review.
“We wanted to get a good shot, and they ended up taking the timeout from us,” Schilling said. “It was supposed to be our ball, they go to review, we lose the timeout that was to set up a play.”
Northern Colorado maintained their lead and closed out the game with a three to win 88-81.
Pepperdine ended the game 20 for 30 from the free-throw line and with a field goal percentage of 38.4%. The Wave also totaled 38 rebounds compared to Northern Colorado’s 47, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“We missed too many free throws, and then they out rebounded us,” Phipps said. “So just working on those two things, getting in the gym and then we’ll come back Tuesday for a win.”
The Waves next match is against the University of New Orleans on Nov. 18 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
“New Orleans is terrific,” Schilling said. “They’re an excellent team, so we got to execute much better.”
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Email Shane Stephens: shane.stephens@pepperdine.edu
