Box Score SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Pepperdine men's basketball team opened up the night on a 15-0 run, not allowing a Bronco basket for almost seven minutes but Santa Clara overcame the Waves' early lead for a 94-71 final.
The Broncos (15-7, 6-1 WCC) were led by Adam Bal with 23 points as
Michael Ajayi led the Waves (9-12, 2-5 WCC) with 22.
BIG WAVES
- In addition to his game high 22 points, Michael Ajayi (Kent, Wash./Pierce College) pulled down eight rebounds and earned a block.
- Jevon Porter (Columbia, Mo./Father Tolton Catholic) put together 13 points and six boards while dishing out a team-high four assists.
- Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian) delivered 13 points as well as five boards and a team-high three steals.
KEY STATS
- Pepperdine enjoyed a 76.5% free throw clip in contrast to its season average of 68%.
- The Broncos outrebounded the Waves by a 36-21 mark, but Pepperdine caused more SCU turnovers than the reverse at a count of 12-10.
- Santa Clara doubled the Waves' three-point percentage, going for 50% compared to Pepperdine's 25%.
RECAP
Ajayi and Porter got the Waves to a quick 9-0 lead in the opening two minutes of play as Pepperdine was firing on all cylinders, causing four Santa Clara turnovers on its way to a 15-0 run. The Waves did not allow a Bronco bucket until the 14:15 mark of the opening stanza, but SCU's Adama Bal put in a layup and two threes to get them going. When the Broncos got hot, however, the Waves fell cold, seeing a 6-0 SCU run while instilling a full court press toward the end of the first half. The Broncos took the lead for the first time with just two minutes to go in the first period and the teams went into the locker rooms at a score of 40-32 in Santa Clara's favor.
The Broncos matched the Waves run-and-gun offense out of the second half gate as
Ethan Anderson drove hard into the lane to get Pepperdine within six points of SCU. The Waves were outrebounded on their own basket leading to Santa Clara extending their lead to 17 points midway through the latter half. Mallette exploded in the second 20 minutes, scoring all of his points during that time frame but was overshadowed by Santa Clara's stellar shooting as a team.
UP NEXT
The Waves return to Malibu for a matchup with San Diego on Saturday, set for a 5 p.m. start.
