MALIBU, California – Kessler Edwards scored the go-ahead basket with 2.5 seconds left to cap a stunning final 10 seconds, lifting the Pepperdine men's basketball team to a 70-67 win over San Diego in West Coast Conference play on Saturday.
After San Diego's Olin Carter III knocked down a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to put the Toreros ahead 67-64, the Waves made two of five free throws on their next possession. Twice, however,
Jade' Smith grabbed offensive rebounds, the second one leading to Edwards' go-ahead score.
Three Waves – both Edwards brothers and
Colbey Ross – had double-doubles, the first time three Pepperdine players had done that in one game since 1983. Pepperdine improved to 12-13 overall, 5-6 in the WCC, and swept the season series from San Diego (16-9, 5-5).
BIG WAVES
- Sophomore guard Colbey Ross (Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest HS) had game highs of 19 points and 10 assists. The nation's most prolific free throw shooter went 14-for-16 from the line. It was his second straight double-double and his seventh of the season.
- Freshman forward Kessler Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) had 15 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double.
- Junior forward Kameron Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double.
- Senior guard Eric Cooper Jr. (Ontario, Calif./St. Anthony HS/Nevada) sank two three-pointers and scored 10 points.
- Sophomore guard Jade' Smith (Oakland, Calif./St. Joseph Notre Dame HS) had six points and seven rebounds.
KEY STATS
- Pepperdine outshot USD 42.9% to 39.7%.
- The Waves regained their form from distance, going 10-for-25 on three-pointers compared to USD's 8-for-26.
- The Waves survived a near-season-high 19 turnovers and a season-worst turnover margin of -9.
- The game had 15 lead changes and 10 ties. Both teams led the contest for 16+ minutes.
- San Diego had three players score in double-figures, led by Isaiah Wright's 14 points.
PLAY BY PLAY
The Waves led 10-4 after a
Kessler Edwards three-pointer. Later, down 16-15, three-pointers by senior forward
Darnell Dunn (Kinston, N.C./Kinston HS/Miami Dade JC) and
Kessler Edwards and a lay-up by freshman center
Victor Ohia Obioha (Owerri, Nigeria/Hillcrest HS) put Pepperdine ahead 23-16. A 16-4 USD run over six minutes turned into a 32-27 Torero lead, and it was eventually 32-31 USD at the break.
The Waves started the second half strong and went up 39-34, though USD would regain the lead and go up 48-44 with 13 minutes left. After Smith tied the game at 53 on a three-pointer, USD scored six straight points to take its biggest lead of the game at 59-53 with 5:45 to play.
The Waves held the Toreros scoreless for the next 3 1/2 minutes, however, and that six-point deficit became a four-point lead capped off a
Kameron Edwards three-pointer, making it 63-59 with 2:26 left.
The game was even at 64 entering the final minute, and Carter III broke the tie with his three-pointer with 19 seconds left. On the next possession, Ross was fouled shooting a three-pointer with eight seconds to go. He made the first, but missed the second. He purposefully missed the third foul shot, and Smith was in the right place to grab the rebound,
Smith was fouled on the rebound, sending him to the line with another chance to tie the game. He made the first free throw, and though he missed the second, he went and got the rebound again. Ross then fed the ball down low to
Kessler Edwards, who scored on the left block to put the Waves ahead 68-67 with 2.5 seconds left.
USD threw the ball the length of the court, and after a review, it was determined that it was last touched by a Torero before the ball went out of bounds. Ross hit two free throws with a second left to account for the final margin.
QUOTABLE
Pepperdine Coach
Lorenzo Romar said: "Obviously it's a huge win. That's a good basketball team. Perseverance was the key word today. We had some bad breaks at times and we didn't take care of the basketball. But we persevered and fought."
NOTABLES
- Pepperdine earned a season sweep of USD for the first time since 2016.
- Ross moved up to 10th place on Pepperdine all-time assist list and he now has 362.
- Ross also surpassed his total of 179 assists from last season. He now has 183, fifth on Pepperdine's single-season list. He's also up to fourth on the single-season free throw list with 174.
- Cooper Jr. hit his 63rd and 64th three-pointers, moving him into 10th on Pepperdine's single-season list.
UP NEXT
The Waves are headed out on the road for the next three games, including an upcoming Northern California trip to San Francisco (Thursday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m.) and Saint Mary's (Saturday, Feb. 16, 8 p.m.). Fans can listen to audio-only WaveCasts with Al Epstein at PepperdineWaves.com.
