MALIBU, California – Colbey Ross was clutch down the stretch again, willing the Pepperdine men's basketball team to another comeback victory, 77-75 over Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon, to cap a perfect four-game homestand.
 
Ross scored a game-high 27 points for the Waves (7-6), who erased a seven-point deficit with 3 1/2 minutes left and ended the game on an 11-2 run. Ross had 13 of the Waves' final 15 points, including the final nine, and hit the go-ahead free throws with 8.6 seconds left.
 
The Lumberjacks (6-3) missed a three-pointer in the closing seconds and a tip-in attempt at the buzzer.
 
BIG WAVES

• Junior guard Colbey Ross (Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest HS) scored 16 of his 27 in the second half. He made four three-pointers and also had six assists and five rebounds. It's his sixth time this season scoring 20 or more, and it comes off Tuesday's 31-point performance against Portland State.
• Senior forward Kameron Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) scored 14 points.
• Junior guard Skylar Chavez (Woodacre, Calif./Drake HS/Santa Rosa JC) returned to the starting lineup after missing the last game due to illness and scored 11 points with three three-pointers.
• Freshman forward Jan Zidek (Prague, Czech Republic) reached double-figures for the second time this season, scoring 10 points.
• Sophomore forward Kessler Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) had nine points and team highs of nine rebounds and four blocks.

KEY STATS 

• After being outshot 57.1% to 46.7% in the first half, the Waves had a 55.0%-34.5% edge in the second half and finished with a 50.0%-45.6% advantage for the game.
• Turnovers were about even (12 by the Waves, 13 by the Lumberjacks) but Pepperdine led 19-14 on points off turnovers.
• Northern Arizona had four players in double-figures, led by Cameron Shelton's 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

PLAY BY PLAY
 
The Waves scored 25 points in the first 11 minutes to get out to a 25-19 lead, which turned out to be their biggest of the game. NAU would go on an 18-4 run over the next seven minutes to take a 37-29 lead (its largest of the game), and the Lumberjacks led 43-27 at halftime.
 
NAU led for the first 18 1/2 minutes of the second half. Their biggest lead of the half was seven, which came at 69-62 with 5:50 to play and again at 71-64 with 3:30 to go.
 
After Kameron Edwards made two free throws with 3:05 left, Pepperdine forced turnovers on three consecutive NAU possessions. Meanwhile, Ross made a three-pointer, then a floater in the lane to tie it, and then a contested jumper in the right corner to give Pepperdine its first second-half lead at 73-71 with 52 seconds left.
 
NAU tied it with a lay-up with 33 seconds left. The Waves worked the shot clock down, and Ross was fouled in the backcourt. He made both free throws with 6.8 seconds left, and then NAU missed on its final two shots.
 
NOTABLES 

• Ross, who set the program's all-time assist record recently, moved into the top 20 in Pepperdine's all-time scoring list tonight. He now has 1,371 points.
• In the Waves' last game against Portland State on Tuesday night, they also overcame a seven-point deficit late to win.
• Pepperdine is now 14-3 all-time against Northern Arizona.
• The Waves' four-game winning streak is a season high and the program's first since January 2016

UP NEXT
 
After a break for Christmas, Pepperdine ends non-conference play at San Jose State next Saturday (Dec. 28) at 6 p.m. The game can be heard online via WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com with Al Epstein on the call.