MALIBU, Calif. – Jordan Bell and Erik Johansson each had career nights in the first edition of the PCH Cup of the season. Despite Bell's first-career double-double and Johansson's 19-point outburst, Pepperdine (9-9, 2-2 WCC) took the game from the Lions (7-11, 1-3 WCC), 75-67.
 
Johansson was the catalyst that kept the Lions alive in the early stretch of the game as Pepperdine took an early 12-point lead just eight minutes into the game. He started the game 4-for-4 and scored 15 of LMU's first 20 points. His five made threes in the game matches his career-high set against Portland State (Nov. 25, 2016) in his freshman season.
 
An 8-0 run and a 7-0 run (15-3 run over 3:45) by the Lions helped erase the early deficit and tied the game for the first time, at 22-22.
 
Jordan Bell stole the ball and took it the length of the court at the 4:39 mark to give the Lions their first lead of the game, 28-27. Bell finished with 14 points, two off his career-high set last season against Bethesda (Nov. 29, 2018). His career-high 13 rebounds led to the first double-double of his LMU career, with five of the rebounds coming on the offensive end of the court.
 
The Waves took a 36-32 advantage into the break, with both teams shooting an identical 14-for-29 mark (48.3 percent) in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Consecutive layups by Jonathan Dos Anjos and Parker Dortch coming out of intermission evened the score at 36-all a minute and a half into the second half. After Pepperdine went down and retook the lead, Keli Leaupepe finished in the paint to tie the score for the final time of the night, 38-38, with 14:12 remaining.
 
Pepperdine built their second half lead up to as large as 13 points, courtesy of a 9-0 run with ended with less than two minutes remaining. LMU brought it within six points at the 1:05 mark, but could not overcome the deficit.
 
The Lions outscored Pepperdine in points off turnovers (19-11), in the paint (34-18), second chance points (20-12), fast break points (8-4), and bench points (16-9), but the Waves won the percentage battle from the field, three, and the line to take the game.
 
LMU will play at San Francisco on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game against the Dons.