PULLMAN, Wash. — Pepperdine men's basketball (6-16, 1-8 WCC) fell by a score of 95-79 at Washington State (9-13, 4-5 WCC) Saturday afternoon from Beasley Coliseum.

It was a game of runs as the Cougars jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first half, with the Waves coming back to bring it within five before another Washington State run put it out of reach.

The Cougars made a season-high 16 three-pointers on 37 attempts, proving the difference in the game as Pepperdine shot 53.6% from the field but connected on just six triples.

Styles Phipps matched a career-high with 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting to go along with a game-high five assists. Danilo Dozic also had an efficient day from the field, going 7-for-10 for a 19-point effort, while Aaron Clark posted 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting.

"WSU was on fire shooting threes today. They hit some open threes and some highly contested threes. When we adjusted to take away their threes, they hurt us inside," said head coach Ed Schilling. "We cut the lead several times, but couldn't overcome their explosive offense today. On a positive note, we did execute well on offense in scoring 79 points while shooting 53.6% from the field and 86.7% from the free throw line."

The Cougars started out on fire from deep, hitting on five of their first six looks from downtown in the opening 5:10. This pushed them out to a 17-5 lead, which was stretched to a 29-9 advantage following their 7th three-pointer in the opening nine minutes of the game.

The Waves began their comeback trail soon after, beginning with a 10-0 run which was started by back-to-back hits from three from Pavle Stosic and Dozic. A Clark floater capped the run, making it a 30-21 contest with six minutes to play in the half.

Phipps and Dozic both got hot down the stretch as the teams traded baskets, as Phipps netted 12 first half points while Dozic went 3-for-3 from downtown for 11 points in the opening 20 minutes.

A Simon Hildebrandt three ended the half for the Cougars, making it 47-37, as Washington State went 10-for-17 from three behind a 4-for-4 mark from Hildebrandt.

Pepperdine continued to battle and get stops to begin the second half, cutting the lead down to five at the 14:17 mark following consecutive baskets from Phipps as the Cougars were held scoreless for almost three minutes.

With the score reading 58-53, Washington State embarked on a 10-0 and eventual 20-3 run to put the game away. Ace Glass hit on all three of his looks from deep down the stretch, on his way to 13 second half points.

Phipps matched Glass' total after the break on his way to a 25-point effort, also posting three second half dimes. The Waves converted 16 of 30 field goals in the second half, with just one coming from beyond the arc on seven attempts.

David Mager added five late points for the Waves, as the final score read 95-79 in the high-scoring affair.

Game Notes

• Styles Phipps matched a career-high 25 points to go with five assists and two steals.
• Phipps shot 11-for-17 from the field while making all three free throw attempts.
• Danilo Dozic posted 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
• Dozic hit on three of his four looks from downtown, his fourth effort this season with three or more three-point makes.
• Aaron Clark recorded 17 points on 6-for-11 from the field.
• Clark added four rebounds and a pair of assists.
• Javon Cooley logged 10 points and two steals.
• Pavle Stosic added three points and five rebounds off the bench.
• David Mager scored five points, knocking down all three free throw attempts.
• The Waves' .536 field goal percentage marked its highest in WCC play and third-highest in a game this season.
• The Pepperdine starting lineup shot 28-47 (.596) from the field
• The Waves went 13-for-15 from the free throw line as a team.
• Pepperdine's 79 points marked its highest scoring output in a conference game this season.
• The Cougars collected 13 offensive rebounds with the Waves securing six.

The Waves return home for a matchup against San Diego, with tip-off set for 6 p.m. Wednesday from Firestone Fieldhouse.

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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