Box Score MALIBU – Two Waves recorded double-doubles but the Pepperdine men's basketball team fell to Long Beach State in a close 79-76 final Thursday night.
 
The Waves (5-7) were led by Stefan Todorovic, who scored over 30 for the second time this season but the Beach connected on shots where it hurt most for Pepperdine, leading to a narrow end that came down to the final seconds of play.
 
BIG WAVES

• Stefan Todorovic (Belgrade, Serbia/SMU/USF) recorded 32 points, drawing largely from his 12-of-14 free-throw shooting. He also pulled down five boards and added two assists.
• Moe Odum (The Bronx, N.Y./Pacific) put together a 14-point, 11-assist double-double while tallying three rebounds and two steals.
• Boubacar Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali/USC) had another big night, recording a double-double that included 11 points and 11 boards.
• Dovydas Butka (Panevezys, Lithuania) also added 11 rebounds and six points.

 
KEY STATS

• While both teams remained relatively close in most stat categories, the Beach outshot Pepperdine 50% to 41% from the field but the Waves took the advantage from beyond the arc at 38% to 35%.
• Pepperdine won the battle of the boards at 36-32, while turnovers and points off turnovers were knotted up at 10 and 11 each respectively.
• There were three areas where Long Beach State overpowered the Waves: second-chance points (14-9), bench points (41-7) and points in the paint (32-28).

 
RECAP
Odum started off the game with a dagger three and the teams traded buckets until Pepperdine pulled away by eight after six minutes of play. Beach's TJ Wainwright would keep them in the fight, however, connecting on all four of his three-point attempts in the first half alone. With half of the first stanza left, LBSU embarked on an 8-0 run to move up 26-20 over Pepperdine and the Waves could not catch up before heading to the locker rooms at a 45-36 disadvantage.
 
After a Zion Bethea three, the Waves surged back into competition scoring six-straight to cut the lead down to four early in the second half. Todorovic's shot-making ability and Odum's sharp passing kept Pepperdine in the game down the stretch, not allowing the Beach to go ahead by more than eight, but the Waves' second 6-0 run would come too late to overtake LBSU's lead. The last minute of play saw both teams trade threes and then free throws and Pepperdine's last attempt fell just off the mark.
 
UP NEXT
Pepperdine remains home for its last nonconference game of the season, inviting UC Davis to Malibu on Saturday, December 21. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED
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