Pepperdine-USF Box Score 
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine men's basketball team is 3-0 in the West Coast Conference for the first time since 2002 after an 83-68 victory over San Francisco on Saturday, and is headed into a first-place showdown at Gonzaga next week.
Pepperdine and Gonzaga are the only two teams unbeaten in West Coast Conference play, and the Waves and the Bulldogs will meet in Spokane on Thursday night. In 2002, the last time the Waves got off to this kind of start, the two schools finished tied atop the WCC with 13-1 records.
Five Waves (7-12) scored in double-figures against USF (7-12, 2-2) and scored all but two of Pepperdine's season-high point total. The 15-point margin of victory was also the largest of the season. Numerous career highs were set or tied in the victory.
"The five guys that finished the game are really playing well," Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. "And it's not just scoring. It's all aspects of their game."
Sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) scored a career-high 21 points and had a career-high-tying six rebounds. Sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) tied his career high with 15 points and notched his first double-double of the season with 12 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) was just a few stats away from a triple-double, as he added 18 points, a career-high nine assists and eight rebounds.
"Our morale is higher than ever before," Bell said. "Coach reminded us to stay focused throughout the game. Everyone is contributing. When we are all scoring, things happen and we are that much stronger."
Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) contributed 12 points, all in the second half.
"Practices have been great," Asbury said. "The team has been focused and playing really well. We've won four out of five at home. We've won the games that we needed to win and we defended our home court. But things will get tougher now."
The Waves held USF to 37.5% shooting for the game while making 45.9% of their shots. Dior Lowhorn led the Dons with 14 points.
Everything went right for the Waves in the first seven minutes, as they hit seven of their first 11 shots and jumped out to an 18-4 lead. Jackson and Thompson each hit a pair of three-pointers during the start.
The next five minutes belonged to the Dons, however, as they immediately went on a 19-2 run to grab a 23-20 advantage. USF's Michael Williams scored the first 10 points of the spurt (though he wouldn't score again the rest of the night).
The Waves recovered, however, and eventually went into halftime with a 38-35 lead.
USF tied the game five times in the second half, but Pepperdine never trailed after the break. The last tie came at 59-59 with 7 1/2 minutes to play, but Pepperdine outscored USF 24-9 the rest of the way.
It was just a two-point game at 64-62 with a little more than four minutes to go, but Bell then fed Darby twice for slam dunks. Bell sank a three-pointer and Jackson scored the final four points of an 11-2 run that gave Pepperdine its first double-digit lead at 75-64 with one minute left.
"The first part of the year we were 4-12, but we were motivated to start the new season (conference play)," Darby said. "We need to continue playing smart. Right now we feel really good."
Pepperdine next heads out on the road for the first time in the WCC season and plays at Gonzaga (Thursday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m.) and Portland (Saturday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m.). The Gonzaga game will be shown on a tape-delayed basis by Prime Ticket at 10 p.m. Fans can listen to Al Epstein's broadcasts at www.pepperdinesports.com with a subscription to Wave Casts.
