MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine men's basketball (5-10, 0-2 WCC) was defeated by a score of 72-45 against Saint Mary's (13-2, 2-0 WCC) Tuesday night from Firestone Fieldhouse in the final game of the calendar year.

The Waves' shooting went cold from deep, hitting on four of 23 looks from beyond the arc in the game while the Gaels shot over 50% from the field for the contest (28-for-52).

The trio of Pavle Stosic, Danilo Dozic and Styles Phipps each had eight points to lead the Waves offensively, with the 45-point output marking a season-low. Phipps added five rebounds and three assists in the effort, as Yonatan Levy recorded a season-high five assists to go with three boards.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed with the loss, but we got quite a few good opportunities and open looks and missed a lot of open shots," noted head coach Ed Schilling following the game. "We cannot beat a perennial top-20 team shooting 4-for-23 from three."

The Gaels got out to a quick start with Mikey Lewis scoring the first seven of the game for the road side, pushing Saint Mary's to an early 7-1 advantage. Javon Cooley came off the bench to knock down the first shot for the Waves over four minutes into the game, with Dozic then connecting on a three which made it a 9-6 contest.

The teams went back and forth to the second media timeout with the score reading 16-11, with the Gaels then going on a 7-0 run during a stretch that also saw both teams held scoreless for 2:57 of game time. After the Waves went scoreless for over four minutes of play, Phipps found his offensive game, scoring three straight field goals for Pepperdine to keep the team afloat at 27-17 with 3:41 to play in the half.

Aaron Clark and Luka Vudragovic each had hits from three-point range in the closing minutes as the Waves cut the lead down to six, but a Dillan Shaw three for the Gaels ended the half and put them ahead 34-25 at the break. The Waves corralled seven offensive boards in the opening half as Stosic and Phipps each had six points to lead the way.

The teams went back-and-forth with three baskets each in the first five minutes of the second half, bringing the score to 40-31 with 15 minutes to play. The Saint Mary's defense locked in once again, holding the Waves scoreless for the next four minutes and allowing just two field goals over the ensuing 7:10. 

The Gaels were able to build up a 49-31 lead during the stretch, as a Vudragovic layup eventually made it a 55-38 game with 8:02 remaining. Cooley hit the next two baskets for the Waves which were each answered by Paulius Murauskas, who finished with a game-high 19 points for Saint Mary's.

Back-to-back baskets from Andrew McKeever gave the Gaels their first 20-point lead of the game with 3:27 to play, as Saint Mary's ended the game on an 11-3 spurt over the final four minutes, bringing the final score to 72-45.

The Waves were outscored 38-20 in the second half, hitting on just one of 13 looks from three after the break. 

Game Notes

• Styles Phipps posted eight points to go with a team-high five rebounds and three assists.
• Phipps has registered three or more assists in every game this season.
• Danilo Dozic scored eight points to go with two rebounds and two assists.
• Dozic connected on two of five looks from deep, the lone Wave with multiple hits from deep.
• Pavle Stosic matched a team-high with eight points while blocking a shot.
• Yonatan Levy added a season-high five assists to go with three rebounds and a steal.
• Javon Cooley logged six points and five rebounds off the bench for the Waves.
• Pepperdine shot 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
• The Waves assisted on 13 of 19 field goals.
• Pepperdine collected eight offensive rebounds compared to seven for the Gaels.

The Waves will head to Santa Clara next, matching up with the Broncos on Friday, January 2nd at 7 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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