MALIBU, Calif. ­- College basketball got its start to the 2009-10 season at Pepperdine with yet another successful "Blue & Orange Madness" in front of a near-capacity crowd at Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Dane Suttle Jr. won the three-point contest and Keion Bell captured his second straight dunk contest title. Last year, Bell jumped over three teammates to win the competition. This year, he soared over five players in the final for a perfect score and the victory.
After students, parents and other fans streamed through the gates at 8:30 p.m., Willie the Wave got things underway by surfing from one end of the court to the other with the help of some Pepperdine students. The fans were then treated to a basketball highlight video.
Master of ceremonies Sam Lagana then introduced the women's and men's basketball teams. A color guard from the naval construction base at Port Hueneme brought in the American flag, and Pepperdine junior Tyler Varnell performed the national anthem on the saxophone.
After a highlight video put together by the women's basketball program, Taylor Snider took the microphone to introduce a relay race featuring women's players and Pepperdine students. Senior Miranda Ayim and sophomore Lauren Bell along with their two students just barely outraced the team of freshmen Keyah Shealy and Shay Cooney-Williams and their two students.
The Waves' cheerleaders took to the floor for a routine, followed by an eight-minute scrimmage by the Pepperdine men's team.
Corbin Moore, Keion Bell, Caleb Willis, Tanner Kerry and Jonathan Dupre' started for the Orange squad, with Richard Branning, Don Martin and Denis Agre on the bench. The Blue team featured a starting lineup of Dane Suttle Jr., Mychel Thompson, Taylor Darby, Andy Shannon and Lorne Jackson, with Gus Clardy, Joshua Lowery, Zach Kimber and Matt Olson as reserves.
Following is a rundown of the scoring during the scrimmage:
Orange 2-0 - Orange's Kerry scores in the post
tied 2-2 - Blue's Thompson 17' jumper
Orange 4-2 - Orange's Willis drives in for a lay-up
tied 4-4 Blue's Suttle 18' baseline jumper
Orange 6-4 - Orange's Kerry fastbreak lay-up
tied 6-6 - Blue's Thompson grabs miss and lays it in
Orange 8-6 - Orange's Bell drives for lay-up
tied 8-8 - Blue's Darby dunk on fast break
Orange 10-8 - Orange's Bell windmill dunk
Orange 12-8 - Orange's Kerry dunks from Bell assist
Orange 12-10 - Blue's Clardy dunk
Orange 14-10 - Orange's Kerry short jumper
Orange 14-12 -- Blue's Jackson 15' jumper
Orange 16-12 - Orange's Dupre' dunk
Orange 16-15 - Blue's Shannon three-pointer
Orange 18-15 - Orange's Moore drives in, gets own miss and lays it in
The blue team had a couple of chances to tie it up in the final minute, but their three-pointers were off.
After a giveaway of two men's basketball season tickets and a student Spirit Cup presentation, one of the highlights of the night took place when the entire men's and women's teams, the cheerleaders and Willie the Wave put on their version of Michael Jackson's classic "Thriller" dance. Keion Bell and Skye Barnett were out front leading the performance.
The men's and women's teams then squared off in their annual three-point contest. The women had been victorious the past couple of years, but Dane Suttle Jr. ended the streak with an 8-5 victory over Shay Cooney-Williams in the final. Results are as follows:
First Round
Kelsey Patrick 7, Dane Suttle Jr. 7
Shay Cooney-Williams 8, Lorne Jackson 7
Lauren Bell 2, Richard Branning 6
Audrey Miller 4, Mychel Thompson 6
Tiebreaker
Dane Suttle Jr. 4, Lorne Jackson 2
Final
Shay Cooney-Williams 5, Dane Suttle Jr. 8
Following a routine by the Pepperdine step team, women's head coach Julie Rousseau and senior Miranda Ayim took to the microphone to ask the students to come out and support the team this year. And after the Pepperdine dance team's performance, men's head coach Tom Asbury spoke to the crowd about the home-court advantage that can help his team to more wins.
A parent and a student were called out of the stands at random and given the opportunity to win free tuition with a halfcourt shot, though it didn't happen this year. They didn't go home empty-handed, however, as Lagana offered them dinners at a couple of local restaurants.
The night's special guest was the Killafornia dance crew, which has performed with many top pop artists and on Dancing with the Stars. The group of seven wowed the crowd with their moves at center court.
The men's slam-dunk contest was next, featuring Joshua Lowery, Mychel Thompson, Jonathan Dupre' and defending champion Keion Bell. Results are as follows:
First Round
Lowery -- teammate throws off backboard, catches and dunks -- 36
Bell -- teammate throws it off shot clock, catches it in air and windmill dunk -- 39
Thompson -- comes in from right, cradle dunk -- 39
Dupre' -- reverse dunk -- 30
Second Round
Dupre' -- bounces high off ground, catches and two-handed dunk -- 37
Thompson -- windmill dunk coming from left -- 40
Bell -- takes ball between legs and dunks -- 40
Lowery -- jumps over top of Tanner Kerry and one-handed dunk -- 37
Tiebreaker Final
Thompson -- throws off backboard, catches one hand and dunks -- 38
Bell -- sets up five teammates in front of basket, runs and dunks over top of all five -- 40
The night ended with the results of the students' Spirit Cup competition.
The women have their exhibition opener on Saturday, Oct. 31, against Westmont at 4 p.m. The men have their first and only exhibition on Friday, Nov. 6, as part of a doubleheader with the women. Rousseau's squad plays at 4 p.m. against Cal State Los Angeles, while Asbury's team faces Westmont at 7 p.m.
