Pepperdine University
Portland
Men's Hoops Holds Off Portland, 66-64
2/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2011
Pepperdine-Portland Box Score 
MALIBU, Calif. -- The Pepperdine men's basketball team won for the fourth time in six games and improved its West Coast Conference record to 5-5 with a thrilling 66-64 win over visiting Portland on Thursday night.
After senior forward Gus Clardy (Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches HS) made one free throw with nine seconds left, the Pilots missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer, got the offensive rebound but missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Pepperdine improved to 11-16 overall and moved past the Pilots (17-8, 4-5) into fifth place in the WCC.
Senior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Santa Margarita Catholic HS/Stoneridge Prep) led the Waves with 18 points while also collecting four assists and four rebounds. Junior guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) had 15 points and six assists.
Clardy set new career highs of nine points, seven rebounds and 30 minutes played. Junior center Corbin Moore (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) added nine points and six rebounds while junior forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) pulled down seven boards while battling foul trouble.
Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said his team is savoring its recent run of good form.
"They feel so much better about themselves," he said. "They are enjoying it. It's good to see them have success. We made plays down the stretch tonight. Mychel and Lorne made some key plays, and Gus and Taylor did a nice job defensively."
The Pilots boast two of the nation's top three-point shooters in Nemanja Mitrovic and Jared Stohl. Though Mitrovic made five threes on nine attempts and had a game-high 19 points along teammate Luke Sikma, the Waves harassed Stohl into an 0-for-8 from the field and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
The Waves did a tremendous job defensively in the second half. The Pilots shot 46.2% from the field in the first half in building a 31-29 lead, but Pepperdine held Portland to just 30.3% in the second half and 37.3% for the game.
Pepperdine shot just well enough at 44.4% for the night, and Asbury was pleased as his team recorded 18 assists. Sophomore guard Joshua Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) led all players with seven.
"It speaks volumes about our team play," he said. "We are sharing the ball really well. Each player is content with their role."
There were eight ties and five lead changes in the second half. Tied at 42-42, the Waves went on an 8-0 run on a three-pointer by Lowery, two free throws by Jackson, a jumper by Clardy and a free throw by junior guard Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep). That gave the Waves their largest lead at 50-42 with 11 minutes to play.
Portland came right back with a 14-3 run, putting the Pilots ahead 56-53 with five minutes to go. It went back and forth from there, and the game was tied for the 11th and final time at 63-63 when Jackson made a jumper in the lane with 1:46 left.
Thompson blocked a shot on the other end of the floor, and Jackson would hit two free throws with 1:06 remaining to put Pepperdine ahead to stay. Sikma cut the lead to one with a free throw, and after a Pepperdine miss, the Pilots had a chance to take the lead. But they missed on their attempt, and Clardy grabbed the rebound with nine seconds left.
After Clardy made the second of his two foul shots, Mitrovic misfired on a three-pointer from the top of the key. Portland's Tim Douglas got the rebound on the right baseline, but he had to fire a shot up quickly before the buzzer sounded and it bounced off the rim.
The Waves play their final home game of 2010-11 on Saturday (Feb. 12) against Gonzaga at 7 p.m. Fans are advised to arrive a few minutes early to catch a pregame ceremony honoring Pepperdine's four seniors. Fans can also watch the game and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast for free via Wave Casts at www.pepperdinesports.com.
