Pepperdine University
2-5
Southern Utah
3-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Utah | 35 | 53 | 88 |
| Pepperdine | 29 | 53 | 82 |
Waves Fall to Thunderbirds Despite Edwards' Big Game
11/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MALIBU, California " Kameron Edwards had another huge game with 25 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, but the Pepperdine men's basketball team couldn't pull off another second-half comeback and fell at home to Southern Utah, 88-82, on Wednesday night.
The Waves (2-5) trailed by 12 early in the second half and rallied to take a one-point lead with seven minutes left, but the Thunderbirds (3-3) held on for the victory thanks to their long-distance and free throw shooting.
 | BIG WAVES |
- Sophomore forward Kameron Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) has now scored 20 or more points in the three of the last four games (the first three of his career). His previous career high was 10 rebounds. He had his second career double-double and also posted three blocked shots, two assists and a steal. He made 10 of 14 shots from the field.
- Freshman guard Trae Berhow (Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer HS) made four three-pointers en route to 12 points.
- Freshman guard Colbey Ross (Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest HS) established a new career-high with nine assists and also had 12 points.
- Sophomore forward Nolan Taylor (Keller, Texas/Keller HS) had 13 points and five rebounds off the bench.
| KEY STATS |
- Pepperdine outshot Southern Utah, 51.7% to 45.8%, and the Waves shot 63.6% in the second half.
- Both teams made half of their three-point attempts, but the Thunderbirds went 15-for-30 and the Waves were only 7-for-14.
- Free throws were a huge issue for the Waves, as they finished at 50% (13-for-26), while Southern Utah was at 70.4% (19-for-27). Take away Edwards' 5-for-7 and the rest of the Waves were 8-for-19.
- Turnovers again played a key role in the loss, with the Waves committing 16 while forcing only seven. Southern Utah had a 19-7 edge in points off turnovers.
- The Waves continued their excellent play on the boards, outrebounding the Thunderbirds 42-29. Thirteen offensive rebounds led to 17 second-chance points.
- Southern Utah put four players in double-figures, led by Jamal Aytes (a graduate transfer from BYU), who had 22 points.
- After Southern Utah led 35-29 at halftime, both teams scored 53 points in the second half.
| PLAY BY PLAY |
The Waves took their biggest lead at 16-10 but the Thunderbirds responded with a 9-0 run, holding Pepperdine scoreless for nearly six minutes. The run extended to 14-2, making the score 24-18 in Southern Utah's favor, and the Thunderbirds went into the break with a 35-29 lead.
An 11-2 run early in the second half pushed Southern Utah's lead to 12 at 46-34 with 17:30 to play, the Thunderbirds' largest of the game. But the Waves would score the next seven points to get it down to five, and kept picking away at the lead, finally going up 64-63 with 7:18 left after an Edwards basket.
That would be the Waves' only lead of the second half, although they would tie the game at 66 with 6:32 left after a tip-in by Harrison Meads and again at 71 with 5:15 to go after a three-point play by Edwards.
A three-pointer by Ross made it 80-78 with two minutes left, and the Waves had a chance to tie on their next possession but missed. The Waves wouldn't score again until 15 seconds remained and after Southern Utah had gone up by seven thanks to free throws.
| NOTABLES |
- Two Waves -- expected starter Eric Cooper Jr. (shoulder) and Kaijae Yee-Stephens (knee) " remain out with their injuries. The Waves' total number of player-games missed due to injury is up to 16 this season.
- This was the third-ever meeting between Pepperdine and Southern Utah.
- Last week, the Waves fell behind by 15 points to Oral Roberts at home but came back for a win.
| HIGHLIGHTS |
| UP NEXT |
The Waves visit Cal Poly on Saturday (Dec. 2) at 7 p.m. Fans can listen to the game via WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com with Al Epstein on the call.
