NASSAU, Bahamas – The Pepperdine men's basketball team couldn't hold off Georgia Southern's second-half charge and fell 88-78 in the semifinals of the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase on Saturday evening.
The Waves (2-2) led by 11 at 63-52 with 14 minutes left but the Eagles (4-0) scored the next 10 points and extended the run to 18-2 and 22-4.
BIG WAVES
- Sophomore guard Colbey Ross (Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest HS) tied his career high with a game-high 25 points (18 in the first half). It was his second straight 20-point game and the 10th of his career. He added five assists.
- Junior forward Darnell Dunn (Kinston, N.C./Kinston HS/Miami Dade JC) made all six of his shots and all three of his three-pointers for 15 points. He also had six rebounds and three assists.
- Junior forward Kameron Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. He had 13 points in the second half.
- Freshman forward Kessler Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) had 13 points.
KEY STATS
- The Waves were outshot 58.8% to 41.2% overall (56.0% to 33.3% in the second half).
- Pepperdine forced more turnovers (19 to 17) but Georgia Southern had a 23-16 edge in points off turnovers.
- The Eagles got to the foul line more often and went 21-for-31 there, while the Waves were 13-for-17.
- Five Georgia Southern players scored in double-figures, led by Tookie Brown's 21.
PLAY BY PLAY
The Waves led for more than 17 minutes of play in the first half. They twice led by as many as seven points, at 39-32 after two Ross free throws and again at 43-36 after Ross drove in for a lay-up. A late 7-0 Eagles run put Georgia Southern in front 45-44, but a
Kessler Edwards slam dunk put the Waves head 46-45 at halftime.
The Waves led by four at 56-52 and then scored the next seven points on a
Kameron Edwards three-pointer, and baskets by freshman guard
Darryl Polk Jr. (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly HS) and Dunn, making it 63-52 with 14 minutes left.
Unfortunately, the teams' fortunes reversed from that point forward. Georgia Southern scored the next 10 points in a row, then extended the run to 18-2 and 22-4. By time it was done, the score was 74-67 in the Eagles' favor, and the Waves would get no closer than four points the rest of the way.
NOTABLES
- The Waves left Malibu with the Pepperdine campus under distress from the Woolsey Fire. Fans can support Pepperdine students who have been affected or displaced by visiting impact.pepperdine.edu/crisisresponse and making a donation.
- This was the third-ever meeting between the two schools, all on neutral sites. GSU now leads the series 2-1.
UP NEXT
The Waves will play in the third-place game against Miami (Ohio) at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT. Al Epstein will have the call on WaveCasts.