Pepperdine Men’s Basketball huddles during a timeout in the Waves’ 86-85 loss to Cornell University on Nov. 2 at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y. Senior forward Anthony Robinson (No. 21) stood behind graduate guard Will McClendon (No. 2) as the coaching staff talked through strategy. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Pepperdine Men’s Basketball fought back from a 15-point deficit against Cornell University on Nov. 2 at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y., but the Waves could not finish the job, ultimately dropping 86-85 to the Big Red, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Alex Constanza, freshman forward and guard, made sure no one forgot his debut.
Constanza came off the bench, playing a total of 21 minutes and led scoring with 25 points, 21 of which came in the second half. Constanza also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves and Big Red traded blows early. Cornell hit six of its first seven 3-pointers and Pepperdine kept pace to tie the game 20-20. Junior forward Petar Majstorovic and junior guard Evan Haywood each scored 10 points in the first half, but Cornell still took a 46-40 lead heading into the locker room, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The second half brought even greater challenges for the Waves. Cornell pushed its lead to 68-53 with 13 minutes remaining, and the Waves needed a spark.
Constanza, senior forward Anthony Robinson and senior guard Jahari Williamson answered with back-to-back baskets, topped by a Williamson 3-pointer to bring the score to 70-61.
The Waves leaned on Constanza to lead the way. The freshman scored 16 of Pepperdine’s final 24 points in the last 20 minutes and knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night to pull the Waves within six points at 82-76 with 4:41 left in the game. Graduate guard Will McClendon followed with a 3-pointer of his own to cut the gap deficit to three.
Constanza drove for a 3-point play, making it a 1-point game at 84-83 with 1:16 left to go. A steal from Williamson set up another Constanza layup, now leading the Waves 85-84 with 40 seconds on the clock. This was the Waves’ first lead since the middle of the first half, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
After a timeout, senior guard Jacob Beccles scored on a layup with 24 seconds left to reclaim the lead for Cornell at 86-85. Constanza attacked the rim once more, but freshman forward Quinn Gibson blocked the shot, leading Cornell to regain possession.
In the final 5.9 seconds, the Big Red missed the front end of a one-and-one for Haywood to grab and pass the rebound, only for freshman forward Oliver Kanden‘s 3-point attempt to be rimmed out at the buzzer, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Freshman forward Oliver Kanden (left) looks to pass as Cornell sophomore forward Gioacchino Panzini (right) defends during the game at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y., on Nov. 2. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Cornell’s long-range shooting made the ultimate difference. The Big Red hit 14 of 29 shot attempts from 3-point range, while Pepperdine connected on 8 of 30 shot attempts, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves found success in other areas, out-rebounding Cornell 38-32, scoring 23 second-chance points and outscoring 19-6 at the free throw line. The Waves also acquired 35 points from the bench compared to Cornell’s 25, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Five Waves reached double digit points, including Majstorovic with 15 points, Haywood dropping 14 points and a career-high four steals and Williamson scoring 13. McClendon chipped in 10 from off the bench, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves return to Malibu for their home opener against La Sierra University on Nov. 5 in Firestone Fieldhouse. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
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Contact Aliana Olmos via email: aliana.olmos@pepperdine.edu