Pepperdine University
0-1,0-0WCC
Cornell
1-0,0-0Ivy League
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine | 40 | 45 | 85 |
| Cornell | 46 | 40 | 86 |
11/2/2026 6:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ITHACA, N.Y. — Pepperdine men's basketball (0-1) saw its second half comeback effort fall just short at Cornell (1-0) as the Big Red collected an 86-85 victory to open the season from Newman Arena.
Pepperdine trailed by as many as 15 in the second half and by double-digits with seven minutes to play, ending the game on a 15-5 run as a potential game-winner was off the mark at the buzzer for the Waves.
Cornell's hot shooting from beyond the arc proved to be the difference, as the Big Red connected on 14-of-29 (.483) three-point attempts compared to Pepperdine's 8-of-30 (.267). The Waves held a 38-32 advantage on the glass, committed three fewer turnovers and outscored Cornell 19-6 from the charity stripe.
Freshman Alex Constanza registered a game-high 25 points with a game-best nine rebounds as a catalyst for Pepperdine's second half run, as 21 of his 25 points came in the final 20 minutes. Five Waves scored in double figures altogether, with Petar Majstorovic adding 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting while Evan Haywood logged 14 points, five boards and a career-high four steals.
"Congratulations to Cornell. For 40 minutes they competed at a high level and made the winning plays - be it loose balls, offensive rebounds or execution layups," said head coach Griff Aldrich following the game. "While I was proud of our fight to get back into the game and take the lead, we did not compete in that manner for much of the game. We have a great group of young men who I believe in - and we are just beginning this team's journey. However, this film provides us ample opportunities to learn that we must compete with purpose on a significantly higher level on both ends of the floor."
The teams got out to a fast pace to open the game, with Cornell hitting on six of its first seven looks from three-point distance. Pepperdine matched the scoring output early, as Cornell's sixth make from three in the first ten minutes made the score 20-20 just over midway through the first half.
Majstorovic and Haywood each got it going with 10 points in the opening half, with Majstorovic hitting on 4-of-5 looks from the field. The Waves trailed 30-25 with 5:40 to go before a quick 7-2 spurt behind four points from Will McClendon tied the game at 32 apiece.
Cornell eventually opened up a 10-point lead 1:24 remaining in the half, but Haywood and Majstorovic each connected on late triples to make it a six-point game at the break. Pepperdine trailed 46-40 as Cornell shot 50% from three in the first 20 minutes.
The Big Red held onto the lead through the opening stages of the second half, pulling ahead 68-53 with 12:54 to go in the game. The Waves quickly cut it back down to nine with consecutive baskets from Constanza, Anthony Robinson and Jahari Williamson as a triple from Williamson made it 70-61 at the under-12 media timeout.
Pepperdine continued to chip away led by Constanza, who scored 16 of Pepperdine's final 24 points in the final 11 minutes. After a free throw from the freshman made it 82-73 with 6:03 to play, he drained his first three-point ball of the game to bring Pepperdine's deficit back down to six with 4:41 to play.
After three straight stops on defense, Pepperdine made it a one-possession game as McClendon hit on a three, bringing it to 82-79 with under four minutes remaining. With free throws from Cornell making it 84-80, Constanza got to the rim for a three-point play which made it 84-83 with 1:16 left.
Pepperdine's defense held firm once again, with a Williamson steal leading to another driving layup from Constanza, which gave the Waves their first lead since midway through the first half at 85-84 with 40 seconds to go.
Cornell eventually called timeout with 28 seconds left, converting out of the break to retake the lead at 86-85. Constanza then drove again but a block and tie-up gave possession back to Cornell, who headed to the line for a one-and-one with 5.9 seconds on the clock. The Big Red missed the front end and Pepperdine corralled the rebound, but a last second three from Oliver Kanden was off the mark, as Cornell escaped with an 86-85 win.
GAME NOTES
- Alex Constanza scored 25 points in 21 minutes off the bench for Pepperdine in his collegiate debut.
- Constanza added nine rebounds and two steals.
- Petar Majstorovic posted 15 points, three rebounds and matched a team-high three assists.
- Evan Haywood had 14 points to go along with a career-high five rebounds and career-best four steals.
- Haywood was one of two Waves to connect on multiple triples in the game.
- Jahari Williamson added 13 points and five rebounds while connecting on 3-of-8 looks from three-point range.
- Will McClendon added 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting off the bench.
- Youri Fritz recorded three rebounds, two assists and two steals in nine minutes of action.
- The Waves collected 16 rebounds on the offensive glass compared to 10 from the Big Red.
- Nine different Waves registered an offensive rebound while four Waves had multiple steals.
- Pepperdine had 23 second-chance points compared to 12 from Cornell.
- The Waves had a plus-10 advantage in bench scoring at 35-25.
- Pepperdine held Cornell to one field goal in their final eight possessions while forcing three turnovers.
- The Waves won the second half 45-40.
- Pepperdine was 19-of-28 from the free-throw line.
The Waves return to Malibu for the home opener this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against La Sierra. Streaming can be found on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase here.
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.
TICKETS
For more information on ticket packages and to purchase tickets for upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's basketball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMBB.
