Wednesday, February 10
San Francisco, Calif.
2:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
9-8,5-3WCC
76
at
68
San Francisco
10-9,4-5WCC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine | 25 | 51 | 76 |
| San Francisco | 35 | 33 | 68 |
Photo by: Martin A. Folb
Second-Half Surge Lifts Men's Hoops to Win at USF
2/10/2021 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN FRANCISCO, California – Colbey Ross willed the Pepperdine men's basketball team to a huge second half and a rare win at San Francisco, as the Waves battled their way to a 76-68 road victory against the Dons in West Coast Conference play on Wednesday afternoon.
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After scoring just 25 points in the first half and falling behind by 10 at the break, the Waves (9-8, 5-3) scored 51 second-half points to topple USF (10-9, 4-5). The win moves the Waves into third place in the WCC.
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BIG WAVES
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The Waves got off to a very slow start and fell behind 12-4 eight minutes in. But things eventually got going, as Zidek hit a pair of three-pointers and grad transfer forward Kene Chukwuka (Stockholm, Sweden/Pitt) scored down low to the tie the game at 14 with under eight to play in the half. However, at 19-18 USF, the Dons hit two straight threes, and went on a 16-4 run to pull ahead by 13, their biggest of the game, at 35-22. An Edwards three-pointer was the final basket of the second half, making it 35-25.
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Ross scored six points in an 8-0 run early in the second half, and a Zidek lay-up later made it a one-point game at 43-42 with 12 minutes left. The Waves eventually tied it at 53 with 8:55 left on an Edwards three-pointer. Zidek gave Pepperdine its first lead since 2-0 on a short jump hook with four minutes left, making it 61-59.
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That was part of a 15-2 run that saw the Waves go in front 70-61 with 1:19 to play. Ross scored six points in the decisive stretch, while Edwards ended the run with a three-pointer off a Ross assist. The Dons closed the gap to four points in the final minute before the Waves scored the game's final four points. The final second-half tally was 51-33 in the Waves' favor.
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NOTABLESÂ
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The Waves host Saint Mary's on Saturday (Feb. 13) at 5 p.m. It will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network and there will be an audio-only WaveCasts with Al Epstein at PepperdineWaves.com.
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After scoring just 25 points in the first half and falling behind by 10 at the break, the Waves (9-8, 5-3) scored 51 second-half points to topple USF (10-9, 4-5). The win moves the Waves into third place in the WCC.
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BIG WAVES
- Senior guard Colbey Ross (Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest HS) scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. It was his eighth 20-point game of the season and the 52nd of his career. Ross shot 9-for-14 and also had six assists. Ross battled foul trouble, picking up three in the first half and his fourth with 6:49 left.
- Sophomore guard Sedrick Altman (Rialto, Calif./Colony HS) scored a career-high 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting. It was his fourth straight game in double-figures.
- Sophomore forward Jan Zidek (Prague, Czech Republic) contributed 14 points off the bench, two shy of his career high. He made six of nine shots and sank a pair of three-pointers.
- Junior forward Kessler Edwards (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS) recorded his second straight double-double and his fourth in the last six games with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
- Junior guard Jade' Smith (Oakland, Calif./St. Joseph Notre Dame HS) had six points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.
- The Waves had their best shooting performance of the season against a Division I team, finishing at 52.5%, with a 65.6% rate in the second half. They improved to 6-0 this season when shooting 50% or better.
- USF shot 39.7% for the game.
- Pepperdine hit on 50% (7-for-14) of its three-point shots. The Dons went 8-for-29 (27.6%).
- San Francisco was led by Khalil Shabazz's 20 points.
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The Waves got off to a very slow start and fell behind 12-4 eight minutes in. But things eventually got going, as Zidek hit a pair of three-pointers and grad transfer forward Kene Chukwuka (Stockholm, Sweden/Pitt) scored down low to the tie the game at 14 with under eight to play in the half. However, at 19-18 USF, the Dons hit two straight threes, and went on a 16-4 run to pull ahead by 13, their biggest of the game, at 35-22. An Edwards three-pointer was the final basket of the second half, making it 35-25.
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Ross scored six points in an 8-0 run early in the second half, and a Zidek lay-up later made it a one-point game at 43-42 with 12 minutes left. The Waves eventually tied it at 53 with 8:55 left on an Edwards three-pointer. Zidek gave Pepperdine its first lead since 2-0 on a short jump hook with four minutes left, making it 61-59.
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That was part of a 15-2 run that saw the Waves go in front 70-61 with 1:19 to play. Ross scored six points in the decisive stretch, while Edwards ended the run with a three-pointer off a Ross assist. The Dons closed the gap to four points in the final minute before the Waves scored the game's final four points. The final second-half tally was 51-33 in the Waves' favor.
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NOTABLESÂ
- The Waves won at San Francisco for just the second time in their last 12 trips, and beat USF in the regular season for the first time in nine games.
- Ross passed San Diego's Johnny Dee on the WCC's all-time scoring list and moved up to ninth place with 2,056 points. Next on the list is LMU's Forrest McKenzie at 2,060.
- The Waves had their highest-scoring second half of the season.
- Pepperdine's 13-point deficit was the largest overcome in a win this season.
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The Waves host Saint Mary's on Saturday (Feb. 13) at 5 p.m. It will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network and there will be an audio-only WaveCasts with Al Epstein at PepperdineWaves.com.
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🌊🌊🌊🌊@PeppBasketball | #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/HS3PinoFYL
— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) February 11, 2021
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Team Stats
PEP
USF
FG%
.525
.397
3FG%
.500
.276
FT%
.700
1.000
RB
38
31
TO
12
10
STL
4
8
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
