LAS VEGAS, Nevada – A short-handed Pepperdine men's basketball team couldn't pull off the Cinderella role one more time, as the eighth-seeded Waves fell 100-74 to top-seeded and #1-ranked Gonzaga in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Championships on Monday night.
Down to a rotation of seven players, the Waves (16-18) couldn't keep up with a Bulldog squad (30-2) that won its 21st consecutive game. Pepperdine was playing its fourth game in five days while the well-rested Zags were making their tournament debut.
BIG WAVES
- Sophomore guard Colbey Ross (Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest HS) scored a game-high 20 points, his third consecutive contest doing so and the 18th time this season. Ross established a new Pepperdine record at the WCC Tournament by scoring 80 total points. He also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
- Senior guard Eric Cooper Jr. (Ontario, Calif./St. Anthony HS/Nevada) sank four three-pointers and scored 16 points.
- Sophomore guard Jade' Smith (Oakland, Calif./St. Joseph Notre Dame HS) had 14 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
KEY STATS
- The Waves were outshot 59.7% to 44.6%.
- For most of the game, Gonzaga neutralized the WCC's best three-point shooting team, though the Waves hit several late in the contest and finished at 9-for-24. The Bulldogs went 11-for-23 from deep.
- Gonzaga enjoyed advantages of 13-2 on second-chance points and 16-2 on fast-break points.
- Gonzaga put six players into double-figures, led by Zach Norvell Jr.'s 18 points.
PLAY BY PLAY
Smith and Ross each had four early points to helped the Waves to their only lead of the game at 8-6 after 4+ minutes. But the Bulldogs went on a 10-0 run, and after Ross made a basket and freshman forward
Kessler Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) hit a three to close the gap to 16-13, the Zags followed with another 13-0 run to make it 29-13. It was 47-26 at halftime.
The Waves nearly doubled their scoring output in the second half, scoring 48 points, but Gonzaga put 53 on the board.
NOTABLES
- Junior forward Kameron Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS), who saw some action the previous three games despite his foot injury, was not healthy enough to play in this one. Freshman guard/forward Andre Ball (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills HS) missed his third straight game after suffering an awkward fall Thursday vs. Pacific.
- Pepperdine established a new WCC Championships record with 40 made three-pointers in the tournament.
- Pepperdine was playing in its third WCC semifinal in the last five years, and for the 16th time in tournament history.
- This is the fourth time Pepperdine has won three games at a single WCC Championships (the Waves were champions at the other three in 1991, 1992 and 1994). This was the first time that the Waves have ever played four games at a WCC Tournament.
- The Waves posted wins over #8 Pacific (61-53), #5 Loyola Marymount (68-65) and #4 San Francisco (89-72).
- Ross extended his Pepperdine single-season records to 239 assists and 238 free throws made.
- Cooper Jr. increased his season total to 84 three-pointers, third-most in program single-season history.
QUOTABLE
Pepperdine Coach
Lorenzo Romar said: "It has been just a joy to coach our team this year. This team gave us all they had, and every day came with the right attitude. Win or lose, it was tough to lose, but win or lose, you just really appreciate the guys you come to work with very day. That said, Gonzaga is really good. I know I'm stating the obvious. I've been a head coach for 22 years, I've been an assistant at UCLA and won a national championship. l told our team I know what that looks like, and they are really good."
