MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine men's basketball (6-19, 1-11 WCC) fell by a score of 92-59 against Pacific (16-10, 7-6 WCC) Saturday from Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Tigers caught fire from deep (14-for-23) to pull away in an efficient offensive effort, as all five starters were in double figures for Pacific.
Aaron Clark paced the Waves with 17 points, connecting on three of five looks from deep. Javon Cooley was also in double figures with 15 points, adding five rebounds and two blocks.
"It was a tough night for us," noted head coach Ed Schilling. "We were coming off two heartbreaking losses in a row (overtime versus San Diego and in the last minute at Seattle) and just didn't play well tonight versus a very experienced Pacific team."
The Waves got out to a quick 6-4 lead with Yonatan Levy hitting a quick basket and Danilo Dozic knocking down his first three-point attempt of the game, but it would be the lone lead of the game for the Waves.
The Tigers' TJ Wainwright caught fire next, hitting a pair of threes and two free throws which put Pacific ahead 15-7. The Waves maintained the single-digit deficit with baskets from David Mager and Styles Phipps, with another Wainwright jumper eventually making it a 26-15 advantage for the road side.
Following a layup from Clark which brought it to 28-17 with 5:40 to play in the half, the Tigers embarked on a 10-0 run, capped by back-to-back threes from Wainwright, pushing the score to 38-17.
Cooley scored six in the final three minutes to help bring it back to a 14-point deficit, with Pacific eventually leading 41-25 at the break. The Tigers shot (15-for-30) from the field while the Waves were 7-for-26 in the opening 20 minutes.
The teams traded baskets through the opening five minutes of the second half, as Clark got it going with back-to-back threes which brought the score to 51-37.
Pacific's hot shooting continued, as they continued to shoot lights out, including 9-for-13 from three in the second half alone.
Clark and Cooley knocked down back-to-back triples at the midway point of the half, keeping the deficit at 15 for the Waves at 62-47. Wainwright's sixth triple of the game brought it back to 20-plus for the Tigers, icing the game with just over six minutes remaining.
The Waves were held without a field goal for the final 4:29, while Pacific hit on eight of their final nine attempts, stretching the final score to 92-59, earning the season series sweep over Pepperdine.
Game Notes
- Aaron Clark logged 17 points on 3-for-5 shooting from distance.
- Javon Cooley posted 15 points and five rebounds.
- Cooley added a pair of blocks as the game marked his ninth effort this season with 15+ points.
- Styles Phipps registered seven points, six rebounds and three assists.
- Danilo Dozic added eight points while knocking down a pair of three-pointers.
- Yonatan Levy scored six points to go along with six rebounds.
- Stefan Cicic blocked a pair of shots while recording two rebounds.
- The Waves matched a season-high with six blocked shots.
The Waves return Wednesday on the road at Saint Mary's, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. from Moraga, Calif.
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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