Pepperdine University
Louisiana-Lafayette
Waves Rout Louisiana 79-59 for Fifth Straight Win
12/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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MALIBU, Calif. -- The Pepperdine men's basketball team held the nation's fifth-highest scoring team to 30 points below its average, Jett Raines scored 21 points, Stacy Davis had another double-double and the Waves rolled to their most impressive win of the season, 79-59, over Louisiana on Friday night in Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Waves (7-4) won their fifth game in a row, their longest win streak since December 2004, in the non-conference finale. Louisiana (3-6) came into the contest averaging 88.8 points per game.
After trailing by one at halftime (34-33), the Waves outscored the Ragin' Cajuns 46-25 after the break. Pepperdine shot 49.2% for the contest and held Louisiana to 30.6% shooting.
"We talked about it beforehand, we had to find a way once we got the lead to separate ourselves from them, and we did that tonight," Pepperdine Coach Marty Wilson said. "We were very unselfish in the second half. We played for each other and gave others the opportunity to score. Defensively, we tried to slow down their point guard and get to their shooters early, and force them to try to score in the halfcourt. This one feels good. We'll be ready to start league on Monday."
Raines (Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS), a senior forward, made eight of 11 shots en route to a season high that was just one point away from his career high.
Davis (Laveen, Ariz./Fairfax HS), a senior forward who earned WCC Player of the Week honors after notching two double-doubles last week, became the first Wave since 2005 to record double-doubles in three straight games as he posted 17 points and 12 rebounds (plus four assists and two blocks). The 25th double-double of his career moved him into a tie for eighth place on the Waves' all-time list.
Junior guard Jeremy Major (Pasadena, Calif./Maranatha HS) added 13 points, junior guard Lamond Murray Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS) had 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds and sophomore guard Shawn Olden (Tulsa, Okla./Union HS) added nine points off the bench.
There were eight ties and eight lead changes in the first half, but only a couple of more lead changes took place at the start of the second half. Louisiana's last lead came at 36-35 as the Waves scored the next six points on baskets by Davis, Raines and Major. Davis later capped off a 12-0 run with a three-pointer, pushing Pepperdine's lead to 16 points at 57-41 with 12 1/2 minutes to go.
Pepperdine didn't let up down the stretch, as Louisiana got no closer than 11 points. Back-to-back dunks by freshman forward Kameron Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) in the final minutes gave the Waves a 20-point lead and the final margin.
The Waves allowed the Rajun Cajuns' to shoot just 33.3% in the first half, and that fell to 27.6% in the second half. Pepperdine was at 44.8% in the first half and 52.9% in the second. Pepperdine also outrebounded Louisiana 47-41 and committed one fewer turnover (13 to 12).
Louisiana's Shawn Long, the NCAA Division I active career leader in rebounds and double-doubles, got the 58th of his career with 15 points and 14 rebounds. But he was only one of two Rajun' Cajuns to score in double-figures.
The Waves begin West Coast Conference play with the Pacific Northwest trip early next week. Pepperdine plays at Gonzaga on Monday (Dec. 21) at 6 p.m. and at Portland on Wednesday (Dec. 23) at 6 p.m. The Gonzaga game will be on ESPN2 and the Portland game will be on ESPNU. Fans can also listen to both games online via WaveCasts at PepperdineSports.com with Pepperdine Hall of Famer Al Epstein on the call.
