DAVID NAKAGAMI
Staff Writer
While Pepperdine students were enjoying winter break, its student-athletes on the men’s basketball team were involved in six contests, going 3-3 over four home and two away games.
After splitting the four-game home stand, the Waves headed north to Spokane, Wash., to face another West Coast Conference rival, the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga, entering the game ranked No.-7 nationally in the AP Polls, was led by senior forward Adam Morrison, who many fans and critics alike regard as the best collegiate basketball player in the nation along with Duke’s J.J. Redick. The Bulldogs put the first points on the board and never lost the lead. Although the Waves closed the gap to three points in the middle of the first half, Gonzaga took a comfortable lead into halftime and increased their lead in the second half by as large as 31 points before winning 102-73. Forehan-Kelly tallied 19 points and five boards, but the night was about Morrison, who scored 29 points (14-17 FT) and grabbed nine rebounds.
Monday, the Waves continued on their West Coast road trip, stopping in Oregon to face the University of Portland. With nine seconds left in regulation, Portland’s Pooh Jeter hit a three-pointer to tie the score at 72 and take the game into overtime. The extra five minutes proved to be too much for Pepperdine, as Portland outscored the Waves 12-10 and won a heartbreaker with a final score of 84-82. Gerrity put in 21 points and dished out six assists in a losing cause.
According to sophomore guard Kingsley Costain, the two key ingredients missing from Pepperdine’s losses, especially against Gonzaga and Portland, were execution and communication.
“We need to execute better on the offensive and defensive end,” Costain said. “We also need to strengthen communication between the team on the court.”
The Waves allowed 30 turnovers and forced 10 steals in the last two games, a lopsided ratio that supports Costain’s assertions about bolstering communication and execution.
The first game of Pepperdine’s winter break matches was at home against Long Beach State, Dec. 17. The Waves, paced by senior forward Tashaan Forehan-Kelly (23 points, 10 rebounds) and standout freshman point guard Michael Gerrity (21 points, six assists), jumped out to a 46-32 lead at halftime and finished the game with a final score of 92-86.
Pepperdine was able to overcome an 18-point showing from 49ers guard Jibril Hodges and a 17-point contribution from backcourt teammate Kevin Houston, due in large part to winning the assist (19 to nine) and field goal (52.2 percent to 46.2 percent) categories.
After this solid victory, Pepperdine traveled east to begin a two-game road trip.
The first game, on Dec. 19, was against the host Kansas Jayhawks in front of an estimated 16,300 fans and a nationally-televised ESPN2 audience. Pepperdine got off to a slow start and never recovered, as Kansas leaped to a 33-19 lead at halftime. Led by Sasha Kaun’s 18 points, 12 boards and three blocks, the Jayhawks jumped to a lead and never looked back. Kansas’s defense held the Waves to 29.3 percent shooting from the field, translating into a Waves’ season-low game total of 43 points.
A strong showing by sophomore center Jarrad Henry (five points, 10 rebounds, five blocks) was wasted as the Waves lost the contest by a final score of 63-43.
Pepperdine then traveled to Nevada to play against the Rebels of UNLV on Dec. 22. The Waves leapt to a six-point lead at halftime and never looked back, tallying a 75-61 win. Gerrity powered the Waves offense with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Forehan-Kelly added 18 points, six boards and three assists as Pepperdine shot 54.2 percent from the field.
After splitting the two games of its road trip, the Waves returned to Malibu to defend the court for a four-game home stand.
In the first game, the Pepperdine men played host to Cal State Northridge, Dec. 28. Much like their previous match with UNLV, the Waves took the lead and never lost it, scoring 44 points in the first half and cruising to an 87-72 triumph over the visiting Matadors. Gerrity again led the charge, posting 20 points, four rebounds and dishing out five assists. Forehan-Kelly punched in a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds to go along with his 17 points.
The second of the four home games, also the first game of the New Year on Jan. 3, proved to be a much tougher test. The Cowboys of Oklahoma State lassoed the Waves’ offensive attack, limiting Pepperdine to 27.1 percent field goal percentage and a measly three assists. Henry’s five blocks and Gerrity’s 13 points were not enough, as Oklahoma State emphatically halted Pepperdine’s winning ways.
On Jan. 17, the University of San Francisco Dons became the next team to step into Firestone Fieldhouse, and they too departed with another victory for their record. The first in-conference game for these teams started off very promising for Pepperdine, as the Waves held a 31-27 lead going into the second half. However, the second half proved to be very different, as Pepperdine shot 33.3 percent from the field, and coupled with the Dons’ making good on half of their shots, it spelled disaster for the Waves. USF exploded for 44 points in the half, and pulled out the victory 71-63.
The final home game was played Jan. 9 against the University of San Diego Toreros, and it was a thriller to the last second. The game was close throughout its entirety, with both the visiting Toreros and the Waves exchanging the lead 11 times. With two seconds left on the game clock and the score 55-54 in favor of Pepperdine, San Diego found themselves underneath the basket with an inbound. Inbounder Brandon Johnson found an open Ross DeRogatis behind the arc, and DeRogatis released an uncontested three-point shot that spun around the rim and flew out as time expired. The Waves dodged a potentially-devastating event and escaped with the win. The Waves were paced by Gerrity’s team-leading 14 points and four assists.
Over the last nine games, including the six winter break games, Pepperdine is 4-5.
The Waves’ next contest is this Saturday, Jan. 21, when they play host to Saint Mary’s 7 p.m. in the Fieldhouse.
Submitted01-19-2006
