SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Pepperdine men's basketball team fell 91-80 to Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference opener on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Waves (6-8) could not stop the Broncos' (9-5) three-point barrage, seeing SCU hit 15 total including nine in the first half alone.
 
BIG WAVES

• Stefan Todorovic (Belgrade, Serbia/SMU/USF) led the Waves with 25 points, three rebounds, four assists and a steal.
• Dovydas Butka (Panevezys, Lithuania) added 16 points on a personal stellar shooting night, going 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from long range. He also added eight boards and three assists.
• Moe Odum (The Bronx, N.Y./Pacific) tabbed 14 points, six rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

 
KEY STATS

• Santa Clara outshot the Waves 51% to 45% from the field, but decimated any Pepperdine momentum from the three where the Broncos made 15-of-33 and Pepperdine connected on 8-of-23.
• The battle of the boards ended pretty evenly, seeing SCU gather 35 to Pepperdine's 34.
• The Waves enjoyed 42 points in the paint compared to the Broncos' 34.

 
RECAP
Santa Clara gained an early advantage with a series of fast-break threes and layups and the Waves found themselves at a 10-point disadvantage at the under-16 media timeout. After returning to play, Pepperdine started to find some rhythm, with several strong plays from Butka and a few threes of their own, including one from Odum. Despite PEP's efforts, SCU's fast breaks, three-pointers from Bryan and Johnny O'Neil, and offensive rebounds kept them ahead. The Waves had two good stretches of runs, first an 8-0 run to bring the good guys within five points and then a 7-0 run with four minutes in the stanza. By the end of the half, SCU led 47-41, as they capitalized on more second-chance opportunities and continued their strong perimeter shooting.
 
In the second half, SCU extended the lead using its three-point accuracy but the Waves responded with buckets from Todorovic. Santa Clara quickly reasserted control to make it 58-67. The Broncos' fast breaks and effective defense coupled with Pepperdine's turnovers allowed SCU to maintain and extend their lead. Though the Waves had some good individual moments, including a few second-chance points and layups, the team couldn't string together a sustained run to challenge finishing at a 90-78 final.
 
UP NEXT: The Waves return to Malibu to host the #14 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Monday, Dec. 30 set for a 7 p.m. tip-off. A limited number of tickets remain available for purchase, starting at $35. Head to pepperdinewaves.com/tickets to reserve your spot!
 
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