Pepperdine University
San Francisco (WCC Tournament Quarterfinals)
Men's Hoops Season Ends in Quarterfinal Loss to USF
3/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 5, 2011
Pepperdine-USF Box Score 
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- A Pepperdine men's basketball team coming off a tough win the night before squared off against a well-rested San Francisco squad in the quarterfinals of the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Championships, and the Waves suffered a 76-59 defeat on Saturday night.
The sixth-seeded Waves finished the 2010-11 season with a 12-21 record, posting their most victories since the 2004-05 season. Third-seeded USF improved to 17-13 overall and advances to Sunday's semifinals to take on Gonzaga.
Junior guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) finished a breakout season with a team-high 18 points. He'll be the top returning scorer on next year's team at 13.2 points per game. Jackson averaged 20.8 points over the final five games of the season and earned All-WCC honorable mention honors.
Senior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Santa Margarita Catholic HS/Stoneridge Prep) ended a tremendous four-year career with 11 points. He played in the 128th game of his career tonight, Pepperdine's all-time record, and finished with 1,413 points, 14th on the Waves' career records list.
Sophomore guard Joshua Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) tied his career high with 15 points, while junior forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) had seven points and 10 rebounds.
After shooting a season-high 56.4% from the field in an 84-81 first-round win over San Diego on Friday, the Dons harassed the Waves into shooting 32.1% tonight. USF hit 55.6% of its shots.
"I give San Francisco a lot of credit," Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. "They just beat us. I thought we matched up well with them. They just beat us tonight. They played better, shot it better and they took us out of what we wanted to do offensively. They were a better team tonight. No question about it. No excuses."
Pepperdine had an early 11-8 lead after a basket by Darby but USF went on a 14-0 run and never trailed again. The Waves did counter immediately with an 8-0 run that was capped by a three-pointer by junior guard Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep), which cut the deficit to 22-20 with eight minutes left in the first half.
But USF would go on to take a 42-35 lead at halftime. It was still a seven-point game at 52-45 after two free throws by Jackson with 11:42 left, but an 8-1 USF run gave the Dons a double-digit lead that they would not relinquish.
Four players scored in double-figures for the Dons, led by Rashad Green's 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Pepperdine was 6-0 in WCC Tournament games against USF heading into the contest.
