Jan. 9, 2010
Box Score
Teel Postgame Quotes via LMU Podcast Center
Coach Good Postgame Quotes via LMU Podcast Center
MALIBU, Calif. - Firestone Fieldhouse on the campus of Pepperdine University continues to be a house of horrors for LMU as the Lions let a 17-point lead slip away and a six-game winning streak end as the Waves earned a 79-75 victory in the West Coast Conference opener on Saturday night in Malibu, Calif.
Alex Osborne muscled in a three-footer with 3:40 to play in the first half to give the Lions a 17-point lead, 34-17. They would lead 38-25 at the break and seemed in control. However, as it has in 11 previous meetings, the Lions saw it slip away.
The three-pointer did the Lions in, as Pepperdine hit 14-for-23 (60.9 percent), including 6-for-7 from Mychel Thompson. The Lions fall to 9-8 overall and 0-1 in the WCC. Pepperdine goes to 5-12, 1-0.
Thompson led all scorers with 22. Vernon Teel led the Lions with 17. Jarred DuBois added 14 points and a career-best eight rebounds. Ashley Hamilton and Drew Viney added 13 points each.
"We came out strong and ran our offense well and were aggressive on defense," said Head Coach Max Good. "In the second half, we couldn't do anything, they got into a grove from three, and we did nothing to stop it. No excuse for allowing a team to come from 17 back, none. We have to learn play 40 minutes. We aren't going anywhere in league without playing 40 minutes."
The Waves opened the second half on a 23-4 run and the Lions went just 2-for-12 in the first eight minutes as the Waves took a 48-42 lead. In the stretch, the Waves hit six-for-seven from the three-point line. Pepperdine would get the lead to seven, 55-48, with 9:09 to play.
In the half, LMU went just 11-for-30 from the field (36.7 percent) while Pepperdine went 18-for-34 (53 percent). For the game, the Lions finished 41 percent while the Waves hit 45.9 percent.
The Lions would cut the lead to 59-58 after Hamilton's putback with 5:40 to play. After Keion Bell with empty at the charity stripe, Jarred DuBois drove the lane to give the Lions a 60-59 lead with 5:05 to play. Teel hit two free throws for a 62-59 lead.
Bell's runner with 3:44 made it 62-61 and then after Hamilton's charge, Thompson hit a three-pointer, the 12th of the game for the Waves, to give the host a 64-62 lead. LMU regained the lead on a dunk by Drew Viney and then a free throw by LaRon Armstead.
However, the three-pointer brought the Waves back, this time for good. Jonathan Dupree hit a three with 1:55 left and two free throws at the 1:49 mark to give the Waves a 69-65 lead.
"We did enough in the first half to actually have a chance at the end," said Good. "But we just couldn't do anything defensively from long range, and it killed us."
LMU had one last shot, down 74-70, Drew Viney hit a three-pointer to make it 74-73 with 33 seconds left. However, Pepperdine, who started the game 0-for-5 from the free throw line, hit 9-12 from the charity stripe down the stretch to ice it.
The Lions head home to face San Francisco on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM.
