Pepperdine Pulls Away from South Alabama 78-68

After a back and forth game that saw South Alabama gunning for an upset with a second half lead, the Pepperdine Waves used a big run to pull away and avoid disaster defeating the Jaguars 78-68 on Monday night in Malibu. The Jaguars held a 37-36 early in the second half, but a 17-0 run by the Waves helped them pull ahead to establish a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.

Stacy Davis was once again the star of the night finishing with his second double-double of the year. He had a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. It was his 18th straight game with double-digit points. Jett Raines and Shawn Olden also reached doubled figures each finishing with 12 points.

With the win, the Waves improve to 6-2 on the year and a perfect 4-0 at home. The Jaguars fall to 2-5 and have dropped two in a row. This was the first game for both teams as part of the Gotham Classic. The participating schools are hosting tournament games throughout this week and the next. Pepperdine will host Howard on Wednesday, travel to face Richmond on Sunday in New York, and finish the tournament hosting IUPUI next Saturday. That game will also conclude their non-conference schedule.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

Second Half Field Goal Percentage

Pepperdine – 55.2%

South Alabama – 37.9%

The Jaguars were in this game for a long time and had a very strong Pepperdine team on their heels throughout the first half.  But they showed their resilience in the second half used some strong shooting to pull away. During their 17-0 run, the Waves went 6-7 from the field compared to 0-5 for the Jaguars during the same span. This is a strong team that seems to always find ways to produce, and even though it took being under pressure in the second half to find a way to close it out, they managed to do it. For a team that has been cruising in most of their wins, this is a great sign to see them step up and make the shots they needed to make. That resilience and the confidence it can build will go a long way when they find themselves in tight games against tough WCC opponents.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

STACY DAVIS, PEPPERDINE: Davis just seems to be unstoppable right now. No matter the opponent, he gets big numbers every game. He is averaging 16.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, and those numbers might rise to double-double levels if he keeps putting up performances like the one he had against the Jaguars. The Waves need to keep getting the strong support they have gotten all season from guys like Raines and Jeremy Major, but Davis keeps them in every game with his strong inside presence. And like he has been many times in his career and will continue to be, Davis was the best player on the court for either side on Monday night.

UP NEXT

The Waves continue a busy week in the Gotham Classic hosting Howard University on Wednesday. The Bison are 6-6 and coming off a 57-47 win over IUPUI as part of the Gotham Classic. They are 1-1 in the tournament after opening with a loss to Richmond. A win for Pepperdine would give them 7 for the year. That would tie their total number of non-conference wins last season with two games left before WCC play begins.