MALIBU – The Pepperdine men's basketball team concluded regular-season play at home on Thursday in an 83-57 loss to #17 Saint Mary's.
 
The game served as senior night for graduate guard Ethan Anderson who was celebrated prior to tip-off in a ceremony surrounded by friends and family. Pepperdine (12-19, 5-11 WCC) will await WCC Tournament seeding arrangements based on the outcome of Saturday's games across the league, while the Waves enjoy a bye.
 
BIG WAVES

• Jevon Porter (Columbia, Mo./Father Tolton Catholic) led the Waves with 22 points and six boards with three assists and a block.
• Cord Stansberry (Bermuda Dunes, Calif./Shadow Hills HS) added 10 points on 3-for-5 field goal shooting.
• Malik Moore (Ventura, Calif./Heritage Christian) also contributed 10 points as well as an assist and a steal.
• Michael Ajayi (Kent, Wash./Pierce College) gathered seven points and eight rebounds while tacking on two steals.

 
KEY STATS

• Saint Mary's outrebounded the Waves 37-24 and earned 48 points in the paint compared to Pepperdine's 24.
• Pepperdine had a cold shooting night, going for 37% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc while SMC shot 60% FG and 41% 3FG.

 
The night started out with a poetic layup by none other than graduate senior Ethan Anderson and the teams traded buckets throughout the opening eight minutes of play. Stansberry drove into the paint for a layup and a foul to bring the Waves within just one point of the Gaels but it was the closest Pepperdine would get for the rest of the opening stanza. With just over four minutes to play, Saint Mary's rode a 19-3 that propelled them into a 51-28 halftime lead.
 
Pepperdine outscored the Gaels in the first four minutes of the second half 7-5 and showed signs of life defensively with a Porter block and an Ajayi steal but SMC kept the Waves at bay. Porter enjoyed a 5-0 run of his own at the nine-minute mark to bring the Waves within 14 as Pepperdine played with fervor. Silly turnovers plagued the home team in the last half of the second period as the Gaels' lead flirted with 20 until a final score of
 
UP NEXT
The Waves will await to discover their fated mates for their first game in the WCC Tournament as the rest of the league play their final regular-season contests on Saturday and Pepperdine has a bye.