GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
The Pepperdine men’s basketball team has had an up-and-down season so far. Long stretches of well-played basketball have often been followed by periods of poor play and losses. The two games over the weekend were just a microcosm of the entire season.
The Waves, whose next game comes at home against West Coast Conference bully Gonzaga University, played 40 stellar minutes of basketball at University of San Francisco on Thursday night. The team then followed it up with 30 good minutes of basketball and 10 minutes in which they struggled at University of San Diego on Saturday evening.
In their 85-68 win over USF, Pepperdine did what it has done more than a few times this season in big wins. They played a close game in the first half and then came out early in the second half and took control of the game. The Waves led 38-35 at the half, but an early 19-6 run put the game out of reach as Pepperdine switched to cruise control.
Pepperdine came out with a three-guard line-up that was intended to decrease turnovers while increasing the number of fast-break opportunities. The Waves only turned the ball over 10 times while forcing 15 San Francisco turnovers.
“I think the three-guard line up has given us more ball handling and decreased turnovers and increased our point production and transition buckets,” said assistant coach Patrick Whitlock. “It makes us more of a perimeter team instead of a team that tosses it in and watches one guy stand around until he gets a shot.”
The Waves were led by senior forward Yakhouba Diawara, who put up a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. It was the fifth time this season that Diawara has led the Waves in scoring. Joining Diawara in double figures were junior guard Alex Acker, with 16; senior forward Glen McGowan, with 14; and freshman guard Kingsley Costain, who had 13 points.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Pepperdine.
The Waves shot 51.6 percent from the field, including a blistering 41.6 percent from behind the three-point arc.
Pepperdine’s second league road game of the weekend came against San Diego at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Waves were unable to hold a late second-half lead as the Toreros won the game 92-88.
The Waves got an inspired performance from Acker, who led the team in both points and rebounds, notching 31 and eight respectively. It was a season-high for Acker, who is averaging 16.7 points per game in conference play, just one-tenth of a point behind McGowan for the team lead.
Pepperdine’s offense was clicking for most of the game, especially during the first half when the Waves scored a season-high 48 points. However, the Toreros were also on fire, matching Pepperdine shot for shot in the half, tying the score at 48 apiece at halftime.
The Waves built a 79-70 lead with about 10 minutes remaining in the second half, but went ice cold in the final minutes of the game, scoring just nine points while allowing San Diego to rack up 22.
The Toreros took the lead for good when senior forward Brandon Gay knocked down a tie-breaking three-pointer with 38 seconds left on the clock. Costain was unable to answer for the Waves and a free throw by Gay sealed the victory for San Diego. It was the first time San Diego had beaten Pepperdine in its past five attempts.
Joining Acker in double figures for the Waves were Costain, with 18, and McGowan, who had 16. Sophomore point guard Marvin Lea handed out 11 assists in the loss.
The game was played mostly out on the perimeter, especially for the Toreros, as the Waves managed to outscore their opponent 14-0 in the paint.
Pepperdine fell to 3-6 in conference play and 13-11 overall. The Waves are 1-6 in their past seven games, but return to Firestone Fieldhouse this week where they are 8-2 this season.
The Waves take on No.-14 Gonzaga tonight at 8. The Bulldogs come in to Malibu tied for the WCC lead with St. Mary’s at 6-2. Pepperdine has a seven-game losing streak to Gonzaga, dating back to the 2002 regular season when the Waves knocked off the Zags 88-79 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
“I think the biggest key is to establish our transition game,” Whitlock said. “ We need to make it an up-and-down game. That gives us our best chance to neutralize their inside strength. We need to come out and fire on all cylinders.”
The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 nationwide as part of ESPN’s Rivalry Week line up. The added pressure doesn’t bother Pepperdine, though.
“Our guys like it this way,” Whitlock said. “The bigger stage, the more they want to perform.”
Saturday, the Waves will play host to University of Portland at 7 p.m. Saturday is the homecoming game for Pepperdine and will be accompanied by many festivities.
02-10-2005
