MALIBU – Shooting woes plagued the Pepperdine men's basketball team on Saturday night as they chopped away at a 19-point LMU lead but eventually fell to the Lions 68-61 in Firestone.
 
The Waves (9-12, 2-4 WCC) were led by Jevon Porter who recorded his first double-double of the season on 24 points and 12 boards, while five Lions scored in double-figures and moved to 9-10 (2-3 WCC) on the season.
 
BIG WAVES

• Jevon Porter (Columbia, Mo./Father Tolton Catholic) pulled down seven offensive boards on the way to his 24 and 12 double-double.
• Michael Ajayi (Kent, Wash./Pierce College) added nine points and 10 rebounds to go with two blocks and two steals.
• Nils Cooper (Los Angeles, Calif./Crossroads HS) played a huge role in the Waves' run, contributing nine points, two assists and a block.

 
KEY STATS

• Both teams ended the game shooting 36% from the field but LMU fared better from long-range going for 38% compared to Pepperdine's 25%. The Lions also hit 92% of their free-throws in contrast to the Waves' 59%.
• The Waves won the rebounding battle (37-36) and the turnover margin, causing 10 LMU turnovers for 10 Pepperdine points.
• Pepperdine also prevailed in the paint, going for 26 points to LMU's 14, as well as bench points, seeing 18 Waves' reserve points in contrast to the Lion's five.

 
RECAP
The Lions took the first five points of the night until Pepperdine caught up at 7-all on a Mallette three. Shooting woes and fouls plagued the Waves throughout the first half, seeing six points in a row come from the charity stripe and preventing Pepperdine from scoring a field goal until a Cooper jumper halfway through. Cooper ignited a run of his own, nailing a three, putting two free throws in and then slamming home an alley-oop courtesy of Mallette all in the span of a minute. LMU's Dominick Harris made back-to-back threes to help the Tigers to a 40-27 halftime score.
 
Pepperdine opened the first five minutes of the second period on a 1-for-7 field goal slide and LMU capitalized, playing hardball in the paint against the Waves. A Porter and-one sparked a short Pepperdine run that chopped away at LMU's 19-point lead as Cord Stansberry and Porter tossed in threes on consecutive Waves possessions to pull within six of the Lions. Shots from beyond the arc would not fall in the last four minutes of the contest and LMU played keep-away until the clock expired on a 68-61 final.
 
UP NEXT – Pepperdine will head to Santa Clara next Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip before returning to Malibu to take on San Diego Saturday at 5 p.m.