HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The Pepperdine men's basketball team saw three Waves hit double figures in scoring and two career highs, but fell to Hawai'i 76-70 in the first round of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic 76-70 on Thursday night.

Freshmen Malik Moore and Jevon Porter added new highs to their career columns, as Moore contributed eight points and Porter accrued five steals- the first Wave to hit that mark since 2021 in the CBI Championship game against Coastal Carolina, when current graduate assistant DJ Polk had the same number. 

The Waves (6-6) fell into a 19-point rut in the second half but stormed back to within four points in the final minute of play. 
 
BIG WAVES

• Sophomore Maxwell Lewis (Las Vegas, Nev./AZ Compass Prep) garnered 23 points and seven rebounds to lead the Waves in both categories. He also tallied on three blocks.
• Sophomore Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS) contributed 15 points, two assists and two rebounds.
• Freshman Jevon Porter (Columbia, Missouri/Father Tolton Catholic HS) finished with 10 points and three rebounds, adding on three blocks to go with his career-high five steals.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Waves started off slow with Hawai'i scoring the first five points of the game before Pepperdine could get on the board with a Lewis jumper. The Waves shook the home team up defensively with three shot clock violations for the Warriors in the first half, but could not find a solution for Hawai'i's three-point shooting. UH went 7-12 while Pepperdine suffered an 0-5 feat beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Lewis was a bright spot, however, putting in several back-down post moves for his 10 first half points. The Rainbow Warriors enjoyed a 7-2 run heading into the locker room to put the score at 38-24 in favor of UH.

Mitchell Jr. opened the second half up with a three, ending the Waves' drought from that range. The Rainbow Warriors went on a 6-0 run in the first 10 minutes to extend the lead to 19 before a Mallette and-one helped kick Pepperdine back into gear. The Waves rode a 10-0 run with under seven minutes in the game that included a Moore three but Hawai'i answered with runs of its own to keep the Waves just far enough away. With 20 seconds left, Pepperdine forced a couple of UH turnovers- one of which resulted in a Porter fastbreak three- to pull the Waves within four points but Hawai'i made two free throws at the end to make it a 76-70 final in favor of the Warriors.
 
KEY STATS
 

• The Waves did not hit a three in the first half but shot 40% from that range in the second.
• Pepperdine had one of its best free throw shooting nights, finishing at 90%.
• The Waves had five less turnovers than UH but were outrebounded 39-23.
• Pepperdine won the battle inside, scoring 36 points in the paint compared to Hawai'i's 28.

UP NEXT
The Waves take on George Washington tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. PT on ESPN2 in Honolulu in the consolation bracket. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein will have the call on WaveCasts.