Pepperdine University
Long Beach State
Men's Basketball Unable to Rally Past Long Beach State
12/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LONG BEACH, California -- The Pepperdine men's basketball team had one nice comeback in them, but couldn't make a second one in a 75-66 loss at Long Beach State on Wednesday night.
The Waves (4-5) were playing their first true road game of the season, while the 49ers (2-9) were playing at home for just the second time after losing nine straight road games, most of them coming to some of the nation's top teams.
Pepperdine fell behind by 14 points in the first half, then rallied to take a couple of one-point leads early in the second half before Long Beach State pulled away again.
Senior guard Lamond Murray Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS) scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half. Senior forward Chris Reyes (La Verne, Calif./Damien HS/Utah) added 15 points.
Playing in just his second game and making his first college start, freshman forward Nolan Taylor (Keller, Texas/Keller HS) recorded the first double-digit game of his college career with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
Long Beach State shot 56.0% in the second half and 45.6% for the game. The Waves finished at 41.1% overall. The 49ers used 14 offensive rebounds for a 16-9 edge in second-chance points, and also outscored the Waves 34-12 in bench points.
For the second straight game, the Waves got off to a slow start. The 49ers went on a 15-3 run to take a 24-10 lead just 8 1/2 minutes into the contest. It was still a 14-point advantage at 28-14 with 8 1/2 minutes left in the half.
That's when Pepperdine got things going on both ends. The 49ers wouldn't make another field goal for eight minutes, and the Waves went on an 11-0 run, capped up by a three-point play by Reyes, making it a three-point game at 28-25.
The Waves closed the deficit to two points twice, first at 31-29 after two free throws by sophomore center Nate Gehring (Waukee, Iowa/Waukee HS) and again at the halftime score of 33-31 after two free throws by senior guard Jonathan Allen (Nashville, Calif./Ravenwood HS) with 0.4 seconds left.
Pepperdine took a pair of one-point leads early in the second half. A lay-up by Taylor made it 41-40 with 15 minutes left, and a three-pointer by freshman guard Knox Hellums (Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran HS) put the Waves ahead 44-43 with 14:47 to go.
The 49ers scored seven of the next eight points, however, and made it a double-digit lead again at 60-49 with under nine minutes to play. Long Beach State took its biggest lead of the game at 70-53. The Waves attempted another comeback but only got as close as seven points with under a minute to play.
The 49ers were led by a couple of LMU transfers, Evan Payne (17 points) and Gabe Levin (14 points).
The Waves played their second game since losing senior starting point guard Amadi Udenyi (Oakland, Calif./De La Salle HS) for the season to a torn Achilles tendon. Sophomore forward Kameron Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) is also out with a fractured jaw, meaning the Waves are without two expected starters.
Pepperdine has begun a stretch of six games on the road and won't be home again until January 5. The Waves are next at USC on Sunday (Dec. 11) for a 7 p.m. game. Fans can listen via WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com with Al Epstein on the call. It will also be shown on the Pac-12 Network.
