Pepperdine University
UC Irvine
Waves Rally to Defeat UC Irvine, 76-69
12/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2010
Pepperdine-UC Irvine Box Score 
MALIBU, Calif. Senior forward Mychel Thompson broke a 64-64 tie with a three-pointer from the right corner, starting an 8-0 run by the Pepperdine men's basketball team and lifting the Waves to a 76-69 victory over visiting UC Irvine on Saturday night.
The Waves improved to 5-8 this season while the Anteaters dropped to 6-5.
Thompson (Portland, Ore./Santa Margarita Catholic HS/Stoneridge Prep) broke out of a small slump with 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He had scored a total of just 18 points the previous four games.
"Mychel played well," Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. "It looked like he got back a little bit of his swagger. That was good to see."
Junior guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) led all scorers with 19 points and also had seven rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) added 14 points and a career-best nine rebounds.
A 15-2 run by the Waves near the end of the first half gave them their largest lead of the game at 38-23. But UC Irvine countered with a 10-0 run to end the half, and Pepperdine led just 38-33 at the break.
UC Irvine took the lead back six minutes into the second half, and the Anteaters took their biggest lead of the game at five points at both 55-50 and 57-52. But a jumper by sophomore Joshua Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) and a three-pointer by Thompson tied the game yet again.
Thompson's third three-pointer of the game broke a 64-64 tie with a little more than three minutes remaining. After two minutes of scoreless play, Bell threw a length-of-the-court pass to senior forward Gus Clardy (Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches HS), who laid it in for a five-point lead at 69-64 with 53 seconds remaining.
The Waves hit three foul shots before UC Irvine finally ended the 8-0 run with two free throws with 17 seconds left. Pepperdine then hit four more free throws in the final seconds (the Waves were 7-for-8 in the final minute of the game) to go up by double-figures before UCI hit a three-pointer with one second left to provide the final margin.
Neither team shot particularly well. The Waves were at 36.5% from the field (a season low) but held the Anteaters to 31.1%, a low by any of Pepperdine's opponent this season. But both teams were significantly better at the free throw line in a game that saw 48 fouls. The Waves made 79.3% (23-for-29) and the Anteaters were at 81.3% (26-for-32).
"I thought we played really solid," Asbury said. "Our defense was really good in the first half. We did well on defensive rebounding and down the stretch held them to just one shot per possession."
Prior to the game, Asbury announced that sophomore Tanner Kerry (Sydney, Australia/Cranbrook School) left the program at the conclusion of the semester and is intending to transfer to another institution. The 6-foot-9 forward/center had played in 10 games this season and was averaging 0.6 points and 0.3 rebounds in 4.3 minutes.
"Tanner decided to look elsewhere," Asbury said. "He wasn't satisfied with his playing time, and I can understand that. I think with our recruiting he saw that maybe there wasn't going to be as much of an opportunity here. We wish him the best, he's a quality kid from a quality family and we want the best for him."
The Waves are home again on Tuesday (Dec. 21) when they take on Cal Poly at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the game and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast for free via Wave Casts at www.pepperdinesports.com.
