LAS VEGAS – Moe Odum's third-straight double-double and a slew of Waves in double-digit scoring carried the Pepperdine men's basketball team to yet another upset win in the WCC Tournament quarterfinals, 78-76 over fifth-seeded Santa Clara.
The Waves (13-21) will face top-seeded Saint Mary's Monday afternoon in the tournament semifinals. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. PT on
ESPN.
BIG WAVES
- Moe Odum (Bronx, N.Y./Pacific) put together a 19-point, 13-assist double-double Sunday night, becoming the third occasion in a row for the point guard– and adding a new career-high in assists. He becomes the first NCAA DI player to record three conference tournament games with 15+ points and 10+ assists, and added on five rebounds on the night.
- Stefan Todorovic (Belgrade, Serbia/SMU/USF) also scored 19 points on 7-of-15 field-goal shooting while pulling down three boards and snatching two assists. The senior hit a dagger three to tie the game in the latter half on a run that would lead to the win.
- Dovydas Butka (Panevezys, Lithuania) delivered 13 points, four rebounds and three steals.
- Boubacar Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali/USC) had 11 points and six boards to go with three assists and a block.
KEY STATS
- Santa Clara hit eight threes in the first half of play, but the Waves reduced that number to just five in the second stanza while Pepperdine reversed that stat line for themselves, going from just three in the first to five in the latter.
- While the Broncos fared better from beyond the arc, the Waves outshot SCU 51% to 41% from the field.
- Pepperdine caused 13 Santa Clara turnovers while only committing nine themselves.
- SCU won the battle of the boards, but the Waves won the paint, scoring 36 to the Broncos' 28 from inside.
RECAP
Santa Clara hit back-to-back threes to open the contest and the Waves began playing catch-up through the first nine minutes of play.
Dovydas Butka ran the floor well in transition and was the target of several
Moe Odum full-court passes to get Pepperdine on the board but the Broncos' Brenton Knapper hit his own pair of back-to-back long-range shots and two free throws to push SCU up to 13 points over the Waves.
Stefan Todorovic then embarked on a run of his own, connecting on two free throws before sinking a layup and a jumper to keep Pepperdine in striking distance and the team's first three of the game came from who else but Odum to kickstart a comeback campaign.
Jaxon Olvera and Todorovic also hit threes of their own and it was the Serbian's dagger that tied the game up at 34-34. The two teams would trade baskets to end the half at a slight 40-36 Santa Clara advantage.
For half of the second period, the Broncos owned the lead but the Waves stayed within seven points of SCU. At just over 10 minutes, Todorovic drained a three to tie the game at 56-all and a
Danilo Dozic turnaround jumper put Pepperdine over by two. Santa Clara hit a pair of free throws before the Waves sprinted out to an 8-0 run fueled by impeccable defensive stops and forced turnovers to notch their largest lead of the game at 66-58 with under seven minutes left to play. The Broncos attempted to claw back but Pepperdine answered every attempt.
Zion Bethea iced the game with another pair of free throws to extend the good guys' lead to two possessions and the Waves ran away with another Cinderella win, 78-76 over Santa Clara.
STAY CONNECTED
Keep up with all things Pepperdine hoops by following the team on
X and
Instagram and find more about Waves Athletics via @PepperdineWaves on all platforms.
