PHOENIX, Ariz. – Carson Basham and Mike Mitchell Jr. had season-best nights but the Pepperdine men's basketball team was unable to overcome the Lopes in overtime, falling 83-73 at GCU Arena Saturday evening.

Basham scored a season-high of 13, going 57% from the field and blocked four shots for a new career high, while Mitchell Jr. pulled down a season-high eight rebounds for the Waves (5-5).
 
BIG WAVES

• Sophomore Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS) led the way with 19 points, two assists and a steal.
• Freshman Jevon Porter (Columbia, Missouri/Father Tolton Catholic HS) finished yet another double-double, going for 15 points and 10 boards on the night.
• Sophomore Carson Basham (Phoenix, Ariz./AZ Compass Prep) pulled down seven boards and blocked four shots to go with his season-high 13 points.
• Sophomore Mike Mitchell Jr. (San Jose, Calif./Arch Bishop Mitty HS) had four points but garnered eight rebounds and seven assists.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Waves took about 14 minutes of the first half to get warmed up after starting the game 2-for-8 from the field before the first media timeout. Mallette drained a fastbreak three from a Mitchell pass just before the under-16 but both teams went quiet until back-to-back corner threes from the Lopes. GCU would extend its lead to as much as 12 until Pepperdine went on an 11-0 run, keeping Grand Canyon scoreless in the last five minutes of the first period.

Pepperdine came out of the locker room firing, once again going 11-0 largely by the hands of Basham rebounds. The Waves went up by 12 (53-41) at the most but the Lopes pounded the paint inside to force the Pepperdine bigs into foul trouble, cutting the lead to six halfway through the second period. GCU took a two-point lead with just under two minutes to play, but Lewis notched two free throws with nine seconds left to put the score at 68-all at the end of regulation.

In overtime, fouls again plagued the Waves as Basham, Porter and Mitchell went over the limit. GCU kept Pepperdine scoreless until the last two minutes where Maxwell Lewis hit a bucket and drew a foul for a final score of 83-73.
 
KEY STATS

• The Waves shot 35% in comparison to the Lopes' 41% from the field.
• Both teams were evenly matched in the paint, as Pepperdine and GCU both collected 36 points from that area.
• Pepperdine had six blocks over GCU's four.
• The Waves led for 19:34 of the game. 

UP NEXT

Pepperdine will return to Malibu to take on Cal State LA for its last home non-conference action on Monday, December 19. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein will have the call on the WCC Network. Following Monday's matchup, the Waves will make the quick turnaround and head to Honolulu, Hawaii for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, set to face host Hawaii on Thursday, December 22.