MALIBU, California – Freshmen
Houston Mallette and
Mike Mitchell Jr. combined for 30 points and both hit a big basket in the final minute of regulation as the Pepperdine men's basketball team held off UC Davis, 72-67, in Firestone Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.
The Waves (2-2) led by 14 in the first half, but the Aggies (2-1) rallied for a three-point lead with about 5 1/2 minutes left in the game. A 10-0 run erased that deficit and the Waves held on from there, but needed some clutch baskets late.
BIG WAVES
- Freshman guard Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS) had a team-high 17 points. He made seven of 11 shots and was a perfect 3-for-3 on three-pointers.
- Freshman guard Mike Mitchell Jr. (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) scored 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
- Junior forward Jan Zidek (Prague, Czech Republic) added 13 points and seven rebounds.
- Senior guard Jade' Smith (Oakland, Calif./St. Joseph Notre Dame HS) had 11 points and six rebounds.
PLAY BY PLAY
A lay-up and a three-pointer by Zidek gave the Waves a 10-point lead at 29-19 with six minutes left in the first half. Senior center
Victor Ohia Obioha (Owerri, Nigeria/Hillcrest HS) finished off a fast break to put Pepperdine up by 14 at 38-24 with 2:18 left. Pepperdine led 43-30 at halftime.
The Aggies began the second half on a 19-5 run to take their first lead since 3-0 at 49-48 with 11 minutes left. The Waves regained the lead and went up by four at 56-52 on a Zidek basket, but the Aggies came right back with seven straight points to go ahead 59-56 with 5:25 to play.
Ohia Obioha made four free throws during a 10-0 run that erased the Aggie lead and put Pepperdine up 66-59 with three minutes to go. But, it was just a three-point game heading into the final minute. Mallette beat the shot clock with a jumper from the right corner with 42 seconds left to put the Waves up by five at 68-63.
After the Aggies scored, the Waves again worked the shot clock down, and then Mitchell drained a short-range jumper with nine seconds to go, putting Pepperdine back in front 70-65. The Aggies made two free throws with five seconds to go, but Smith iced the game for Pepperdine with two free throws with four seconds remaining.
KEY STATS
- Pepperdine outshot UC Davis 48.1% to 44.4%. The first-half shooting was 66.7%-34.6% in the Waves' favor, but the second half was 53.6%-32.1% in the Aggies' direction.
- The Waves enjoyed a 36-26 rebounding edge.
- The Aggies outscored the Waves 22-9 on points off turnovers.
- UC Davis was led by 18 points apiece from Christian Anigwe and Elijah Pepper.
NOTABLES
- This was the first-ever meeting between Pepperdine and UC Irvine.
- Mallette has made 14 three-pointers over the first four games of the season and is shooting 53.8% from beyond the arc.
- Graduate transfer forward Keith Fisher III (Los Angeles, Calif./Illinois State) led all players with a career-high six assists.
UP NEXT
Pepperdine plays its next three games down in Orange County, beginning Saturday (Nov. 20) at 6 p.m. at UC Irvine. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and there will be an audio-only WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com.
