MALIBU, California – December's homestand got off to a terrific start as Keith Fisher III led the way with 21 points and the Pepperdine men's basketball team defeated San Jose State, 82-69, on Monday night.
 
The Waves (3-8) went up by as many as 20 points in the first half and held off the Spartans' (4-4) comeback attempt in the second half.
 
BIG WAVES

• Graduate transfer forward Keith Fisher III (Los Angeles, Calif./Illinois State) matched the season high by any Wave this season with his 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting. Fifteen of his points came in the first half. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Fisher began his college career at San Jose State back in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
• Freshman forward Maxwell Lewis (Las Vegas, Nev./AZ Compass Prep) contributed a season-high 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
• Senior guard Jade' Smith (Oakland, Calif./St. Joseph Notre Dame HS) added 13 points and nine rebounds.
• Junior forward Jan Zidek (Prague, Czech Republic) had 11 points and seven rebounds.
• Senior center Victor Ohia Obioha (Owerri, Nigeria/Hillcrest HS) notched his second career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
• Freshman guard Mike Mitchell Jr. (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) dished out eight assists, matching his season high.

PLAY BY PLAY
 
San Jose State's only lead came at 2-0. Tied at seven, Fisher had a three-pointer and a traditional three-point play during a 9-0 run to make it 16-7. A lay-up by Lewis ended a 6-0 run as the Waves doubled up the Spartans at 22-11. Another 6-0 run, this one capped off by an Ohia Obioha lay-up, made it 34-19. Smith scored four points in an 8-0 run to push the lead to 43-24. Lewis hit a three-pointer to make it a 20-point lead at 46-26, and Pepperdine went into the break with a 46-28 advantage.
 
The Waves took their biggest lead of the game at 21 points when freshman guard Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS) opened the second half with a three-pointer, and later at 55-34 after a Smith basket. Pepperdine led 65-47 at the midway point of the half, though the Spartans went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 10 points. The Spartans would also make it a 10-point game at 71-61 with five minutes left, but Smith hit a pair of jumpers and Fisher finished a lay-up to put Pepperdine ahead 77-61, and the Waves went on to win from there.
 
KEY STATS 

• The Waves shot 44.6% overall, and held the Spartans to an opponent season-low 38.2% shooting.
• Pepperdine enjoyed a 50-37 rebounding edge, and turned a season-high 17 offensive rebounds into a 24-13 edge in second-chance points. In the first half alone, the Waves had an 18-2 edge in second-chance points.
• Pepperdine committed only two turnovers in the first half before finishing with a season-low 10 (while forcing 11).
• The Waves enjoyed advantages with points in the paint (48-30), fast breaks (20-5) and bench points (27-14).
• San Jose State got 14 points apiece from Alvaro Cardenas and Trey Smith.

NOTABLE 

• This was the first of a stretch that will see the Waves play four of their final non-conference games at home.
• This was the first time this season that Pepperdine put five players into double-figure scoring.

UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine hosts Alabama State on Saturday (Dec. 11) at 3 p.m. The game will be streamed online on the WCC Network. Ticket information and COVID-19 entry policies for Firestone Fieldhouse can be found here.