LAS VEGAS – The Pepperdine men's basketball team suffered an 80-59 loss to UNLV on Wednesday night.
 
BIG WAVES

• Stefan Todorovic (Belgrade, Serbia/SMU/USF) led the Waves for the fourth-straight game, scoring 19 points while collecting six rebounds and three steals.
• David Mager (Englewood, N.J./Dwight-Englewood HS) earned a career-high 10 points on 5-of-7 field goal shooting, also pulling down three boards.
• Dovydas Butka (Panevezys, Lithuania/BC Zalgiris) had eight points and connected on 2-of-3 long-range attempts while also leading the team in rebounds with eight. In addition, Butka handed out four assists and earned a steal.
• Jaxon Olvera (Houston, Texas/Golden State Prep) chipped in 10 points while remaining spotless from beyond the arc.

 
KEY STATS

• Pepperdine stayed even with the Rebels on the boards, finishing the game at 29-all.
• UNLV earned 14 steals on the night, contributing largely to Pepperdine's 16 total turnovers. The Rebels enjoyed 24 points off of Waves turnovers, while Pepperdine only capitalized seven points off of UNLV mistakes.
• UNLV recorded a 50% shooting mark from three-point range, while Pepperdine could only muster 35%.

 
RECAP
Todorovic helped the Waves get started in the opening minutes right where the senior left off, connecting on a cut to the basket while drawing a foul for an and-one opportunity. The Rebels would go on a 15-2 run spanning six minutes of the half before Todorovic could hit a three from the wing to break the drought. In fact, the Serbian scored 14 of the Waves 17 first-half points, split only by a Butka corner three. Pepperdine was plagued with turnovers, committing 11 that resulted in 19 UNLV points while remaining unable to guard the paint defensively, leading to a 46-17 Rebels lead at the half.
 
Odum started the second half on a personal 5-0 run, scoring on an elbow jumper just before sinking a transition three. The Waves' defensive woes continued, however, allowing UNLV's big man Cherry to commit six points before the first media timeout. The half would continue much the same as the first until the nine-minute mark, seeing Pepperdine embark on a nine-point run that included a Butka three, two Olvera charity shots and back-to-back Mager short-range jumpers to trim the UNLV lead down. Pepperdine would enjoy another 10-0 run with four minutes to play but ultimately fell 80-59.
 
UP NEXT
The Waves make the quick turnaround, traveling to Evanston, Ill. to face Northwestern on Friday afternoon.
 
STAY CONNECTED
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