PORTLAND, Ore. — Pepperdine men's basketball (8-20, 3-12 WCC) earned a 95-87 victory at Portland (12-16, 5-10 WCC) Wednesday night from Chiles Center.

The Waves shot lights out from three-point distance at 16-for-28 from beyond the arc in a comeback victory, having trailed by 16 points in the first half. Aaron Clark knocked down a career-high seven triples on eight attempts to lead the way with a team-high 29 points.

Styles Phipps posted 19 points, a career-high 12 assists and five steals in an all-around effort from the Pepperdine point guard, as Yonatan Levy also filled the stat sheet with five points, six boards and a career-high seven assists.

Javon Cooley made a career-best five three-pointers, adding 21 points, three rebounds and matching a career-high four assists. Stefan Cicic recorded new career-highs in points (17), rebounds (7), field goals made (6) and free throws made (5).

Pepperdine's 16 three-pointers made and .571 clip from three-point range both marked new season-highs.

"The guys showed great heart in fighting back after getting down at the start of the game," said head coach Ed Schilling. "I am so excited for our guys to get back-to-back wins in this tough conference. We shared the basketball very well as seen by our 24 assists and only having nine turnovers. Hitting 16 three-pointers on the road was amazing."

The Pilots got out to a quick start with a 9-0 run which prompted a Pepperdine timeout 2:24 into the contest. The Waves quickly got back on track with three-point hits from Phipps and Cooley. 

Portland kept up its efficiency offensively, beginning 13-for-15 from the floor and 3-for-4 from three to take an eventual 30-14 lead at the midway point of the first half.

The Waves then used a run of their own, an 11-0 spurt to get the game back within five at 30-25. Clark hit back-to-back threes to cap the run with Cicic and Luka Vudragovic chipping in baskets offensively.

The comeback continued as it moved to an eventual 19-2 run, as Clark nailed two more three-pointers following a Portland basket, giving the Waves their first lead at 33-32.

Pepperdine took a 45-43 lead into halftime, with Clark leading all scorers with 16 points at the break on 5-for-6 shooting from deep. Cooley was also in double figures with 12 points at the half, while Phipps had logged nine points and five assists.

The Waves dominated the boards 18-9 in the first half, getting 11 second chance points off four offensive rebounds, while holding the Pilots without an offensive board.

The teams went back and forth through the opening stages out of the break, with a Clark three giving the game its sixth lead change of the half at 61-59 with 14:11 left to play. The three turned into a 10-0 burst with six points coming from Clark and four from Cicic.

The Waves held their largest lead at 71-61 following a Levy three with 11:37 remaining. The Pilots climbed back with an 8-0 run, with Pepperdine calling timeout. Levy finished with a career-high six assists.

Phipps, Clark and Cooley hit three straight triples out of the timeout, restoring an eight-point advantage with 8:08 left to play.

The Waves were 16-from-28 from three-point range in the game, with their shooting proving the difference in the game.

Cooley hit another, his career-high fifth of the game with 4:23 remaining which gave the Waves an 87-81 lead.

Joel Foxwell had scored 10 of 12 for the Pilots, with back-to-back baskets from Foxwell brought it to a one-possession game at 89-87 with 2:23 to go.

The Waves would dig in defensively forcing two turnovers and not allowing another field goal for the remainder of the game. Phipps hit the dagger three, making it a six-point game with under a minute to play, before icing the game further two late free throws.

The 95 points marked a new season-high as the Waves earned their first road conference win at 95-87 and have now won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

GAME NOTES

• Aaron Clark scored 29 points on 9-for-14 from the field.
• Clark hit a career-high seven three-pointers on eight attempts.
• Clark has hit three or more triples in five of six efforts, shooting 24-for-41 (.585) from deep over that span.
• Clark has matched a conference-high with his fifth game of the season with 25 or more points.
• Clark's effort's marked the 14th time this season that a player has hit seven three-pointers in a game on eight or less attempts, and first from a WCC player.
• Styles Phipps registered 19 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, and five steals.
• The 12 assists marked a new career-high for Phipps while the five steals were a new season-high.
• The double-double marked the third of the season for Phipps.
• Phipps is the first player in the NCAA this season to have a game with at least 19 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and five steals.
• Phipps' five steals matched a season-high for any WCC player.
• Phipps matched a career-high with three makes from downtown on four attempts.
• Javon Cooley tallied 21 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• Cooley knocked down a career-high five three-pointers, while matching a career-best with four dimes.
• Stefan Cicic posted a career-high 17 points along with a career-best seven rebounds.
• Cicic converted a career-high six field goals and five free throws, while playing a career-high 29 minutes.
• Yonatan Levy registered five points, six rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
• The Waves had four players score 15 or more points in a game for the first time this season.
• The Waves assisted on 24 of 31 field goals, marking a season-high against a Division I opponent.
• Pepperdine recorded 24 team assists against a Division I opponent for the first time since Mar. 7, 2024 against Pacific.
• Pepperdine's 16 three-pointers made and .571 mark from three-point range each marked new season-bests.
• It marked the first game with 16 three-pointers made for Pepperdine since Jan. 8, 2008 vs. Hope International. The most recent time against a Division I opponent came Nov. 14, 2006 against Nicholls State.
• The Waves' .571 three-point percentage marked its highest since going .624 (15-for-24) against Portland Feb. 17, 2024.
• Pepperdine hit eight three pointers in each half, going 8-for-12 in the final 20 minutes.
• The Waves pulled in 14 offensive rebounds, matching a season-best in WCC play.
• Pepperdine held the Pilots to just four offensive rebounds, winning the second chance points battle 23-6.
• The Waves outrebounded the Pilots 35-22.
• The 16-point deficit is the largest overcome by the Waves this season.
• Pepperdine improves to 71-44 in the all-time series with Portland, sweeping the season series while improving to 27-27 all-time in Portland.

The Waves will head to Oregon State (14-14, 7-8 WCC) next, matching up with the Beavers at 5 p.m. Saturday 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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