MALIBU, Calif. – Three Waves scored in double figures and the Pepperdine men's basketball team kept it close with the 13th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in a sold out Firestone Fieldhouse, but fell to the Zags 97-88 on Saturday evening.
The game consisted of 17 lead changes and the score was tied five times, as a Houston Mallette three from a
Maxwell Lewis rebound and assist brought the Waves to within a single point with under four minutes to play, though Gonzaga came up with the nine-point win.
BIG WAVES
- Sophomore Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS) led the Waves with 22 points on 50% field goal and three-point shooting as well as five rebounds and four assists.
- Freshman Jevon Porter (Columbia, Mo./Father Tolton Catholic) scored 15 of his 20 total points in the second half, going 66% from the field. He also pulled down six rebounds and accrued two steals on the evening.
- Sophomore Maxwell Lewis (Las Vegas, Nev./AZ Compass Prep) scored 20 points and added on four boards, three assists and a steal.
- Sophomore Carson Basham (Phoenix, Ariz./AZ Compass Prep) contributed nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Pepperdine and #13 Gonzaga traded buckets right out of the gates, beginning with a Basham putback. A Mallette three and Lewis lay-in put the Waves up by two possessions early, but the Zags would answer with their own consecutive scoring possessions. With five minutes left in the half, Lewis earned a run of his own on five-straight free-throws to put Pepperdine up three before Gonzaga surged ahead by eight heading into the locker rooms.
Through the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Zags flirted with a 10-point lead but Mallette sandwiched a Porter turnaround jumper with a layup and a fastbreak three to pull the Waves within a point at 78-77 with under four minutes to play. The two teams would again trade baskets, but Pepperdine was not able to shut down Gonzaga on the defensive end, leading to a 97-88 final.
KEY STATS
- The Waves out-worked the Zags on the boards, rebounding 35 to Gonzaga's 31 with Pepperdine earning 12 offensive rebounds.
- Pepperdine also filled the passing lanes more than the Bulldogs, accruing five steals to Gonzaga's three.
UP NEXT
The Waves travel to Santa Clara on Thursday for their penultimate regular-season game before returning to Malibu on Saturday to take on PCH Cup rival LMU on Senior Day. Pepperdine will recognize seniors Jan Zidek and
Majok Deng before the game.
