PALM DESERT, Calif. — Pepperdine men's basketball (3-4) fell by a score of 76-53 to Fresno State (6-2) in an Acrisure Series contest from Acrisure Arena Wednesday afternoon.
The Waves held an eight-point lead at the half before the Bulldogs took control on both sides of the ball in the second half, outscoring Pepperdine 49-18.
Javon Cooley led the Waves with 15 points on six-for-nine shooting to go along with five rebounds and two steals.
Danilo Dozic added eight points and three blocks for the Waves while Styles Phipps had a game-high eight rebounds with a team-high five assists.
The Waves jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, with Aaron Clark and Cooley hitting on threes to get the scoring started while Phipps and Pavle Stosic converted layups.
The balanced scoring continued for Pepperdine, with its first six field goals coming from six different players as Dozic and Levy got in on the action next.
Cooley caught fire next to give the Waves their largest lead of the half at 26-18 with seven of the next 10 points, with Pasha Shemirani knocking down a triple in between Cooley baskets.
Fresno State got it back to four points at 26-22, with Dozic and Phipps quickly making it 30-22. After the Bulldogs cut it back down to three, Cooley ended the half on a 5-0 spurt with a three and deuce to put Pepperdine ahead 35-27 at the half.
Cooley led all scorers in the first half with 15 points while knocking down three of five looks from downtown. Pepperdine held Fresno State to 1-for-14 from distance in the first half while hitting five of 12 looks.
The Bulldogs took control early in the second half, with a 19-0 and eventual 45-6 run to begin the final 20 minutes, putting the game out of reach in the closing minutes.
The Waves shooting went cold at 1-for-17 from three in the second half while the Bulldogs shot 20-for-30 from the floor to secure the 76-53 victory.
Game Notes
- Javon Cooley posted 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field while making three of six looks from downtown.
- Cooley added five rebounds and a game-high two steals.
- Danilo Dozic posted eight points while matching a career-high with three blocks.
- Styles Phipps logged a game-high eight rebounds to go along with five points and five assists.
- Stefan Cicic scored five points off the bench while Vladimir Sudar added four points.
- Pavle Stosic contributed two points, five rebounds and two assists while making first start of the season.
- The Waves won the battle on the glass, 42-32.
- Pepperdine had 17 offensive rebounds, marking the fifth time in seven games with at least 15 offensive boards.
The Waves will hit the road next, taking on Cal State Fullerton this Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Pepperdine men's basketball has made 13 NCAA postseason appearances while earning 12 WCC Regular-Season Championships and three WCC Tournament Championships in its history. This success has spanned multiple decades, with the Waves most recently winning the 2021 CBI Tournament. The program has also seen 19 All-Americans along with 19 NBA players, which included a streak of 34 consecutive seasons with at least one alum on an NBA roster from 1976-2011.
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