Pepperdine Visits Long Beach State at The Pyramid Thursday Night
12/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2006
Malibu, Calif. -
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A LOOK AT THE WAVES: Coming off a much-need victory at Colorado on Monday, the Pepperdine men's basketball team concludes its four-game road trip on Thursday when it travels to Long Beach State to take on the 49ers at The Walter Pyramid beginning at 7 p.m.
The Waves will be seeking back-to-back wins for the first time since last January when they registered victories over Santa Clara (65-45) and Loyola Marymount (70-62). Pepperdine also is searching for consecutive road wins since early in the 2004-05 campaign when it defeated Fairleigh Dickinson (80-79) and topped Long Beach State (82-78).
The Waves (2-6) snapped a four-game losing streak on Monday when they out-lasted Colorado, 78-72, at the Coors Event Center in Boulder, Colo. Senior guard Chase Griffin scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to lead the victory.
Pepperdine returns to Firestone Fieldhouse for just the second time this season when it hosts Cal State Fullerton beginning at 7 p.m. The contest marks the opener of a three-game homestand.
MEDIA COVERAGE: The Pepperdine-Colorado game can be heard live on the Internet at www.PepperdineSports.com.
Every men's basketball game throughout the 2006-07 season can be heard live on the Internet at www.PepperdineSports.com with veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein calling the action.
WALBERG ERA BEGINS: The 2006-07 season marks the beginning of the Vance Walberg Era. Walberg takes over as Pepperdine's 12th head coach after being hired on April 19 following four highly successful seasons at Fresno City College. During his tenure there, Walberg guided the Rams to a 133-11 (.924) record and won the California State Junior College Championship in 2005 after posting a 34-0 record. In 26 seasons as a junior college and high school coach, Walberg has compiled an overall record of 614-170 (.783).
COLORADO RECAP: Senior guard Chase Griffin had 18 points and nine rebounds and fellow senior Marvin Lea scored all of his 17 points in the second half to lead Pepperdine to a 78-72 victory over Colorado Monday night at the Coors Event Center. Lea scored nine of his points from the free throw line as Pepperdine ended a four-game losing streak. Sophomore guard Tomas Pranciliauskas scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and junior guard Kingsley Costain also scored 15. Richard Roby had a season-high 32 points for Colorado, while Xavier Silas had 19 points and Dominique Coleman had his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE: Long Beach State is currently 3-4 on the season after posting a 57-53 victory over Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday that snapped a three-game losing streak. The 49ers are averaging 64.6 points a contest while allowing 71.4 points a game. Long Beach State has two players averaging in double figures and are led by senior guard Aaron Nixon who is averaging 16.0 points a game. Head coach Larry Reynolds is in the midst of his fifth year guiding the 49ers and has compiled an overall record to date of 42-79 (.347).
SERIES VERSUS LONG BEACH STATE: Thursday's contest marks the 20th meeting between Pepperdine and Long Beach State and the Waves lead the all-time series, 14-5. The two teams met a year ago and Pepperdine recorded a 92-86 victory at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves have won the last eight games in the series dating back to the 1998-99 season. The 49ers' last win over Pepperdine came during the 1986-87 campaign when they registered an 86-77 victory at Firestone Fieldhouse.
ABOUT CAL STATE FULLERTON: Cal State Fullerton begins play on Saturday with a 5-2 record after falling 78-54 to top-ranked UCLA on Tuesday. The Titans are averaging 84.9 points a game while allowing 75.4 points a contest. Cal State Fullerton has six players scoring in double figures and is led by junior forward Scott Cutley who is averaging 18.3 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. Head coach Bob Burton is in the midst of his fourth season leading the Titans and has compiled an overall record to date of 53-43 (.552).
SERIES VERSUS CAL STATE FULLERTON: Saturday's game between Pepperdine and Cal State Fullerton marks the 21st meeting between the two programs and the Waves lead the all-time series, 11-9. Cal State Fullerton has captured the last two meetings, including a 76-66 victory last season at Titan Gym.
NEXT OPPONENT: Pepperdine continues it four-game homestand on December 14 when it hosts Cal State Bakersfield at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Roadrunners are currently 2-4 on the season and will play at Saint Mary's December 9 before visiting Malibu.
INJURY REPORT: Senior guard Jason Walberg is lost for the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury during practice on November 24. Walberg played in five games and averaged 14.0 points and 2.4 rebounds a contest.
RAINING THREE'S: Each night out this season, the possibility exists that the Pepperdine record book will be re-written. In just three games this season, the Waves already have set new marks for three-point field goal attempts. One night after taking a school-record 36 three-point field goal attempts against Northern Iowa, Pepperdine broke that mark with 43 against Nicholls State. The Waves also made a program-best 21 three-pointers against Nicholls State to eclipse the previous mark of 17 set against Santa Clara on February 23, 2002. Pepperdine also set a new mark for most three-point field goals in one half with 12. The Waves' 21 three-pointers also tie for the second-most in West Coast Conference history. Gonzaga made 22 from behind the arc against San Francisco in 1995 to hold the WCC mark. The Waves are tied with Loyola Marymount, which made 21 against Michigan in the 1990 NCAA Tournament.
WAVES ENTER NCAA RECORD BOOKS: Pepperdine's school-record 21 three-point field goals against Nicholls State on November 14 tie for the sixth-highest total in NCAA History. Troy holds the record of three-point field goals made when it totaled 28 (28 of 74) against George Mason on Dec. 10, 1994. A team has made at least 21 three-point field goals in a game a total of 21 times.
HENRY NEARING CAREER TOP 10 FOR BLOCKS: Junior center Jarrad Henry, who has totaled 12 blocked shots in his last three games, is nearing Pepperdine's Top 10 for career blocked shots. Through eight games this year, Henry has recorded 21 blocked shots to bring his career total to 67. He is 13 blocked shots shy of tying Kelvin Gibbs (1997-2001) and Gavin Van Der Putten (1992-96). Henry has averaged 1.1 blocked shots a game for his career and currently ties for seventh on the program's career blocked shots per game list.
WAVES VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Pepperdine finished 0-3 against ranked opponents during the 2005-06 season. The schedule includes four teams that are currently in the Top 25 nationally. Pepperdine, which is 0-2 against ranked opponents thus far, opened the year at No. 16 Washington and suffered a 99-91 loss in Seattle. The Waves fell 90-74 at Oklahoma State on December 2. The Cowboys entered this week's rankings at No. 24. Pepperdine will also play at No. 10 Connecticut (December 20) and a pair of contests against West Coast Conference (WCC) rival Gonzaga, which is No. 18.
KEEP YOUR BAGS PACKED: The Pepperdine men's basketball team will need to keep a suitcase handy as it plays 11 of 16 non-conference games on the road, including eight of its first nine. The Waves twice have stretches where they play four consecutive road games, including at the outset of the season when they play three contests in the Basketball Travelers Classic in Seattle, Washington and a game at Cal State Northridge on November 18. Pepperdine doesn't play its first home game until November 21 when it welcomes UC Santa Barbara to Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves will look to turn around their road fortunes this year after going just 1-14 away from Firestone Fieldhouse in 2005-06.
HAVE A CALCULATOR HANDY: Scoreboard operators are expected to be busy during Pepperdine games this season. First-year head coach Vance Walberg brings to Malibu a high-octane offense that has a reputation of regularly averaging 100 or more points a game. During four years at Fresno City College, Walberg's teams averaged 103.5 points a contest, including 107.6 points a game during the 2003-04 season. Through four games of the 2006-07 season, the Waves are averaging 84.8 points a contest.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: Despite a 2-6 record, Pepperdine has been competitive in seven of its eight games and has out-performed its competition in the second half. After being outscored 320-253 in the first half, Pepperdine has a 368-334 scoring advantage in the second half. The Waves have outscored their opponents in five of their eight games.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Pepperdine ranks second in the West Coast Conference (WCC) behind Gonzaga (80.0) in scoring offense, averaging 79.6 points game...The Waves also are second in free throw percentage (71.0 percent), three-point field goal percentage (30.8), blocked shots (4.75) and assists (14.62)...Pepperdine tops the conference in steals per-game (9.62), turnover margin (+5.75) and three-point field goals made (10.75)...Senior guard Marvin Lea is averaging 17.4 points a game to rank third in the WCC in scoring...Senior guard Chase Griffin, who is having a career year and averaging 14.0 points a game, is tied for third in the conference in steals (1.88) and is fourth in free throw percentage (83.3)...Junior guard Kingsley Costain leads the WCC in three-point field goal percentage (55.3), is tied for second in three-pointers made (2.6) and third in steals (1.88)...Senior center Jarrad Henry is second in blocked shots per game with 2.62 a contest.
FORMER WAVE Yakhouba Diawara MAKES DENVER ROSTER: Former Pepperdine men's basketball player Yakhouba Diawara, who played for the Waves from 2003 to 2005, became an official member of the Denver Nuggets' when the team's 15-man roster was announced on Tuesday. During his two seasons at Pepperdine, Diawara appeared in 45 games, starting 40, and averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. He had an- outstanding junior campaign as he played in 14 games and averaged 18.9 points and 6.6 rebounds a contest en route to earning All-West Coast Conference (WCC) honors. A native of Paris, France, Diawara played in eight preseason games for the Nuggets and averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists a contest while averaging 24 minutes a contest. Diawara made his NBA debut November 2 and scored his first career points against Minnesota on November 3.
PEPPERDINE AND THE WCC: Dating back to the 1997-98 season, Pepperdine has the West Coast Conference's (WCC) second-best record in league play. The Waves have compiled an overall record to date of 78-47 (.624), trailing only Gonzaga, which has posted a 113-16 (.876) record during the same time. Since 1998, Gonzaga and Pepperdine have either won or shared every WCC regular-season title. The Bulldogs claimed outright titles in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, while the Waves captured the 2000 regular season crown. The two teams shared the title in 2002.
Vance Walberg: Vance Walberg, the former head coach of Fresno City College, became the 12th head coach in Pepperdine history when he was named to succeed Paul Westphal on April 18. He made his Pepperdine coaching debut on November 12 at Washington and the Waves suffered a 99-91 to the Huskies. He is currently 2-6 (.250) at Pepperdine. During his four seasons as head coach at Fresno City College, Walberg compiled a 133-11 (.924) record, including a perfect 34-0 mark and the California State Championship in 2005. In addition to posting an undefeated season and winning the 2005 state championship, Walberg's Fresno City College teams won four straight Central Valley Conference (CVC) titles, made four consecutive trips to the Northern California Playoffs, advanced to the Final Four of the California State Championships three times and appeared in the state title game in 2003 and 2005. His teams were noted for an up-tempo style of play and during his four years in Fresno, the Rams averaged 103.5 points a contest, 107.6 points during the 2003-04 season. Walberg was twice named California Junior College Coach of the Year (2003, 2005) and was tabbed the CVC Coach of the Year four times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006). Prior to taking over at Fresno City College, Walberg spent 22 years as a high school coach and compiled an impressive 481-159 (.751) record. His greatest success came at Clovis West High in Fresno, California, where he produced a 343-68 (.834) record in 13 seasons, winning 11 league titles and finishing second on two other occasions. Walberg earned league Coach of the Year honors nine times, Section Coach of the Year on six occasions and was tabbed the California and West Region (Section 7) Coach of the Year in 1999. In 2001, he was selected the Cal-Hi State Coach of the Year. In 26 seasons as a head coach, Walberg has a career record of 614-170 (.783). A 1978 graduate of Cal State Bakersfield, Walberg was twice named the Defensive Player of the Year and served as team captain his senior year. In two seasons at De Anza Community College, he won a conference championship and concluded his career as the school's all-time steals leader. Walberg, a 1974 graduate of Monta Vista High in Cupertino, California, was a two-year varsity letterwinner during which he was named Co-Most Valuable Player and team MVP. He helped the Matadors to a league championship.
THE PROGRAM: In the midst of its 69th season of intercollegiate competition, the Pepperdine men's basketball program has compiled an overall record to date of 1086-840 (.564). A total of 22 Pepperdine teams have posted 20-plus win campaigns. The Waves have won 19 or more games eight times in the last 15 campaigns. Pepperdine made its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001-02, and the Waves have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) a total of eight times, including the Preseason NIT in 1985 and 2000. Since the start of the 1979-80 campaign, Pepperdine teams have compiled an overall record of 499-376 (.570), including a 253-127 (.666) mark in regular season West Coast Conference (WCC) play. Since the 1980-81 season, Pepperdine teams have either won or shared the WCC regular season title on 10 occasions-1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000 and 2002-and the program has won 12 basketball championships overall. Additionally, the Waves have captured the WCC Tournament championship three times-1991, 1992 and 1994.
WAVES AT HOME: Dating back to the start of the 1997-98 campaign, the Waves are 83-29 (.741) at home. Pepperdine's all-time homecourt record at Firestone Fieldhouse, dating back to the start of the 1973-74 campaign, currently stands at 321-118 (.731). Pepperdine concluded 2005-06 with a 6-6 home record. The Waves are 0-1 at home this season.
WAVES ON THE ROAD: Pepperdine concluded the 2005-06 campaign with a 1-14 road record. Since the 1995-96 season, the Waves are 87-115 (.431), including a 26-26 mark (.500) in neutral court contests. Pepperdine is 2-5 on the road, including 1-1 in neutral court games, during the 2006-07 season.
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