LA JOLLA, Calif. – Despite a career-high scoring performance from Stefan Todorovic, four players scoring in double-digits and the Waves leading the opposition in scoring percentages, the Pepperdine men's basketball team couldn't overcome a first half lead and fell to the UC San Diego Tritons 94-76 on Saturday evening.
 
The Waves and Tritons traded buckets in the opening minutes in front of a packed crowd in La Jolla, but UCSD forced eight Pepperdine turnovers in the first half alone. Using the Pepperdine errors, the Tritons pulled ahead by 10 midway through and kept the Waves at a distance for the first 20 minutes. Todorovic led the good guys with 10 points, connecting on two of his three long-range attempts, but UCSD would go into the locker rooms with a 15-point lead at 47-32.
 
Todorovic and Bethea came out of the break with energy, seeing five-straight points from the due before the bookend by an emphatic Boubacar Coulibaly dunk. The Waves could neither defend the three or secure the ball offensively, leading to a 7-0 run for the Tritons. Todorovic proved to be the bright point for Pepperdine, however, finding ways to score either from the field and the charity stripe. The Waves would inch back within 11 points of the opposition, but a 9-0 run stiff-armed Pepperdine back to an eventual 94-76 final.
 
BIG WAVES

• Stefan Todorovic (Belgrade, Serbia/SMU/USF) had a career-high 33 points on 10-of-14 field goal shooting and shooting 75% from beyond the arc. The Senior also pulled down six boards and three assists.
• Moe Odum (The Bronx, N.Y./Pacific) dished out seven assists, recorded 10 points and had three steals on the night.
• Dovydas Butka (Panevezys, Lithuania) scored 11 points and gathered seven rebounds.
• Zion Bethea (South Orange, N.J./Delaware) also scored 10 points while accruing five rebounds and two assists.

 
KEY STATS

• Pepperdine out-shot the Tritons 52% to 49% from the field and 43% to 42% from beyond the arc.
• The Waves committed 19 turnovers which UCSD converted to 24 points in their favor. The Tritons recorded only nine errors.
• UCSD scored from all over the court, but its 16 threes and 32 points in the paint helped led the Waves throughout the night.

NEXT UP
The Waves will head to Irvine, Calif. next Saturday for another Big West matchup set to begin at 7 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED
Keep up with all things Pepperdine hoops by following the team on X and Instagram and find more about Waves Athletics via @PepperdineWaves on all platforms.