Dec. 23, 2009
Kickoff - California vs. Utah (Wednesday, Dec. 23)
Gameday CoverageTV: ESPNOnline Telecast: ESPN360.com Gametracker Cal Bowl Guide (PDF)Cal Bowl Central
Pepperdine gets back into action quickly with two games prior to Christmas: Monday (Dec. 21) at UC Irvine at 7 p.m. and Wednesday (Dec. 23) vs. Utah at 7 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. Fans can catch the games and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Lorne Jackson
# 20
Guard - G
Height:
6-2
Weight:
205
Sophomore
Previous Affiliations
Simi Valley HS
Previous Experience
1L
Simi Valley, Calif.
PEPPERDINE 2008-09: Pepperdine’s third-leading scorer as a freshman ... Averaged 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 16.6 minutes ... Played in 31 games ... Started 14 games at point guard while Ryan Holmes was injured ... Scored in double-figures 12 times ... Had a season-high 18 points at Hawaii (12/30) in just 22 minutes ... Other season highs were five assists (several times), four rebounds (several times), three steals at Saint Mary’s (1/17) and three three-pointers (several times) ... After scoring 11 points in the first five games, exploded for 17 vs. Cal State Bakersfield (11/29) in a season-high 31 minutes ... Drove in for a game-winning lay-up with 6.6 seconds left vs. Coppin State (12/29) ... Late in the season, scored in double-figures in three straight games, amassing 32 points in 33 minutes.
HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Simi Valley (Calif.) High School in 2008 ... Named the Ventura County Star’s Player of the Year as a 2008 senior ... On the Ventura County all-time lists, finished second in career steals (308) and ninth in career assists (439) ... Also named CalHiSports.com all-state second team, All-SCIBCA Southern Section Division I-AA first team and Marmonte League co-Player of the Year ... A McDonald’s All-American nominee ... Led Ventura County in scoring (22.9 ppg) and steals (4.3 spg) and was second in assists (6.8 apg) ... Added 6.7 rebounds per game and shot 50% from the field, 38% on three-pointers and 84% from the free throw line ... Set a school record with a 20-for-22 free-throw performance against Dominguez High School en route to a season-high 39 points ... Scored 20 or more points 19 times and 30 or more points three times ... Helped Simi Valley to a 26-2 record, an unbeaten record in the Marmonte League and the second round of the CIF playoffs ...As a 2007 junior, made the CalHiSports.com all-state junior second team and the All-Ventura County first team while averaging 16.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 4.0 steals ... As a 2006 sophomore, averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 steals ... Also lettered in football ... Earned a CIF “Character Counts” award and the Marmonte League’s “All-Star” honor.
CLUB: Played for Double Pump Elite and BTI.
PERSONAL: Born in Simi Valley, Calif. ... Son of Reginald and Lyle Jackson ... His father played football at UCLA ... Has two siblings, Ashley and Langston ... His twin brother Langston is a freshman walk-on on the California football team ... Majoring in integrated marketing ... His personal trainer was former NBA player Pooh Richardson ... Chose Pepperdine because “I loved the coaches, the players and the campus.”
FAVORITES: Enjoys watching television and movies and listening to music ... Favorite pro basketball player is Kobe Bryant ... Favorite pro basketball team is the Los Angeles Lakers ... Favorite book is Coach Wooden One-on-One ... Favorite movie is Superbad ... Favorite musical artist is Lil’ Wayne ... Favorite sport other than basketball is football ... Favorite thing about basketball is “there is so much more that you can get better at, even though I’ve been playing it since I was young.”
RB: LANGSTON JACKSON 6-1, 227 pounds, R-Fr. Jackson is one of the more compelling running backs on the roster because of his size and strength running between the tackles. Could Jackson be the short-yardage 'back Cal is searching
Cal Arrives in San Diego for Poinsettia Bowl
Golden Bears go thru spirited workout at University of San Diego.
Cal's hotel offers a spectacular view of sailboats docked at Harbor Island.
Football Home
Dec. 19, 2009
Bears Enjoy First Day in San Diego (Photo Gallery)
SAN DIEGO - When the sun was rising early Saturday morning, the Cal football team could be found boarding buses outside Memorial Stadium heading to Oakland International Airport. By the time the sun was setting on a beautiful day in San Diego, the Golden Bears were in the midst of a spirited workout at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego.
Cal (8-4, 5-4 Pac-10) is in San Diego to play No. 23 Utah (9-3, 6-2 MWC) in the San Diego County Credit Union on Wednesday, Dec. 23 (5:00 p.m. PT). The Golden Bears have extended its school-record run of bowl appearances to seven in 2009 and will be looking for its fifth consecutive bowl win under head coach Jeff Tedford, who is 5-1 all-time in postseason action. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN with an online version of the telecast available on ESPN360.
"We're going to be playing a great Utah football team, and it's going to be a great matchup," Tedford told local San Diego media after Saturday's workout. "They always do a great job of putting on a bowl here. The players are excited, and we're looking forward to it."
After a short flight delay caused by an East Coast storm that had air travel backed up around the nation, the Golden Bears took a 500-mile flight south to San Diego. Shortly after the team's arrival, the Bears went into a team meeting and position meetings at the team hotel before hopping on buses for a short drive to the USD campus for a one-and-a-half hour practice.
Although the Bears will certainly take part in bowl activities leading up to the game, the team is in town to end the season on a winning note.
"We want to redeem ourselves and get this one," confirmed sophomore safety Sean Cattouse. "That's the bottom line for me. I'm looking for a win."
"We're definitely coming in to win, and that's what we're working hard for," added junior defensive lineman Cameron Jordan.
The Bears will start Sunday with a morning visit to the world-famous San Diego Zoo before returning to Torero Stadium for an afternoon practice. The early evening schedule will include a visit by selected members of the team to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Diego.
For bowl tickets and information, visit the Cal Bowl Central page or call
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
DEAR SANTA: A "W" FOR XMAS PLEASE!
New Mexico State Beats Men's Hoops, 78-72
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 12/18/2009
Pepperdine-NMSU Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine men's basketball team kept rallying in the second half to get within one point of New Mexico State, but the Aggies held on for a 78-72 win on Friday night in Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Waves (3-9) were led by 19 points from sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) and 18 points from junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC). Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) added 11 points.
Jahmar Young (27) and Jonathan Gibson (24) of New Mexico State (4-6) scored 51 of the Aggies' 78 points and were their only two players in double-figures.
The Waves broke out to leads of 9-3 and 14-8 as Bell scored 10 points in the first five minutes. But the Aggies went on a 21-4 run over about an eight-minute period (Gibson scored 10) and took their largest lead of the game at 29-18 with 7:30 to play.
Pepperdine had a strong finish to the second half, however, and pulled back to within three points at 38-35 at the break after sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) nailed a three-pointer with 38 seconds left.
The Waves closed the deficit to one point three times in the second half: at 46-45 with 15:53 to play after a putback by Dupre', at 59-58 with 8:50 to play after a three-pointer by Suttle and at 61-60 with 6:29 to play after two free throws by freshman forward Tanner Kerry (Sydney, Australia/Cranbrook School).
But after the Waves pulled within one point on that last occasion, Young had five points as part of an 8-0 run that boosted the New Mexico State lead to 69-60 with a little more than four minutes remaining. Pepperdine got no closer than four points the rest of the way.
NMSU had a 50.0%-37.3% edge in shooting, while the Waves hit more three-pointers (11 to nine) and had the rebounding advantage (41-39).
Kerry had season highs of seven points, eight rebounds and 21 minutes for the Waves.
Pepperdine gets back into action quickly with two games prior to Christmas: Monday (Dec. 21) at UC Irvine at 7 p.m. and Wednesday (Dec. 23) vs. Utah at 7 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. Fans can catch the games and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
The Waves (3-9) were led by 19 points from sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) and 18 points from junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC). Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) added 11 points.
Jahmar Young (27) and Jonathan Gibson (24) of New Mexico State (4-6) scored 51 of the Aggies' 78 points and were their only two players in double-figures.
The Waves broke out to leads of 9-3 and 14-8 as Bell scored 10 points in the first five minutes. But the Aggies went on a 21-4 run over about an eight-minute period (Gibson scored 10) and took their largest lead of the game at 29-18 with 7:30 to play.
Pepperdine had a strong finish to the second half, however, and pulled back to within three points at 38-35 at the break after sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) nailed a three-pointer with 38 seconds left.
The Waves closed the deficit to one point three times in the second half: at 46-45 with 15:53 to play after a putback by Dupre', at 59-58 with 8:50 to play after a three-pointer by Suttle and at 61-60 with 6:29 to play after two free throws by freshman forward Tanner Kerry (Sydney, Australia/Cranbrook School).
But after the Waves pulled within one point on that last occasion, Young had five points as part of an 8-0 run that boosted the New Mexico State lead to 69-60 with a little more than four minutes remaining. Pepperdine got no closer than four points the rest of the way.
NMSU had a 50.0%-37.3% edge in shooting, while the Waves hit more three-pointers (11 to nine) and had the rebounding advantage (41-39).
Kerry had season highs of seven points, eight rebounds and 21 minutes for the Waves.
Pepperdine gets back into action quickly with two games prior to Christmas: Monday (Dec. 21) at UC Irvine at 7 p.m. and Wednesday (Dec. 23) vs. Utah at 7 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. Fans can catch the games and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Waves Host New Mexico State on Friday
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 12/16/2009
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes
THE FACTS - After finishing up final exams, the Pepperdine men's basketball team completes a four-game homestand with a contest against New Mexico State on Friday. It's the start of a busy stretch of games right before Christmas, with contests at UC Irvine on Monday and at home against Utah on Wednesday. Keion Bell is now just one of two players in all of Division I averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.
GAME #12 - Friday (Dec. 18) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (3-8) vs. New Mexico State (3-6) at 7:30 p.m. In the first game of the doubleheader, the Pepperdine women face Nevada at 5 p.m.
ON THE WEB - Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men's basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 25th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the Wave Casts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team's website when the Waves are on the road.
PROMOTIONS - Groups of 15 or more can purchase general admission tickets for $5 each ... If the Waves score 75 points or more in an upcoming home game, certificates will be given out afterward for a free piece of grilled chicken from the KFC in Malibu.
TICKETS - Men's basketball single-game tickets cost $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (adult general admission) or $5 (child general admission). Call (866) WAVE-TIX to purchase tickets.
NEW MEXICO STATE - Pepperdine is 8-3 all-time against New Mexico State. A majority of the meetings (eight of the 11) took place in the 1950s. One matchup was in the 1989 NIT during Tom Asbury's first season as head coach (an 84-69 Pepperdine victory in Las Cruces; Marty Wilson started and scored four points). The only meeting since then was last season in Las Cruces, when the host Aggies posted a 90-66 victory (Taylor Darby had team highs of 12 points and 11 rebounds). This is the first time that NMSU has ever visited Firestone Fieldhouse.
LAST GAME - Pepperdine couldn't overcome Portland State's three-point barrage (17 for the game, which tied the Firestone Fieldhouse record and was one shy of the Vikings' school record) in a 93-81 loss on Sunday (Dec. 13). Pepperdine nearly had six players score in double-figures, led by Keion Bell and Lorne Jackson with 16 points apiece. Portland State led for most of the first half and was up 43-38 at the break, but Pepperdine tied the game early in the second half. It was still just a five-point lead for the Vikings with 9:20 to go at 67-62, but a 12-0 run gave Portland State its largest lead of the game and the Waves were unable to rally back.
SOPHOMORE SCORERS - Last season, Pepperdine's eight-man freshman class scored more than half of the Waves' points (57.4%). So far, the now-sophomore class has contributed 69.2% of Pepperdine's scoring.
BELL'S BIG START - At the start of the week, Keion Bell ranked 11th nationally and first in the WCC in scoring (22.2 points per game). He and Manny Harris of Michigan are the only two Division I players across the nation that began the week averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Bell has scored more than 20 points in eight of his 11 games, including a career-high 34 against Monmouth, while his season-low was still 16 points. On the WCC leaderboard, he is also second in steals (2.0), fourth in assists (4.4), fifth in minutes (33.0), eighth in field goal percentage (.503), 10th in free throw percentage (.796) and 16th in rebounding (5.2). At the pace he's on, he'll become Pepperdine's 35th 1,000-point scorer by the end of his sophomore season (he's got 656).
SUTTLE'S SHOOTING - Dane Suttle Jr., second-best on the team at 11.3 points per game, is one of the conference's best three-point shooters so far this season. He is averaging 2.1 per game (seventh in the WCC) and making 43.8% of them (21-for-48, seventh in the WCC).
THOMPSON TEAM CAPTAIN - Mychel Thompson was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. The junior forward is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. He is averaging 10.0 points this season and 9.0 points for his career, and has made 101 career three-pointers (he needs 113 to break into the school's top 10).
2009-10 HONORS - Keion Bell was named to the preseason All-WCC first team ... Bell was named MVP of the World Vision Challenge at Wyoming and Dane Suttle Jr. also made the all-tournament team.
ROSTER - There are no seniors on the 2009-10 squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Pepperdine returns 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). There are also five newcomers, bringing the roster total to 16. Twelve are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
RETURNERS - Four of the five starters from last year's team return (Keion Bell, Taylor Darby, Corbin Moore and Mychel Thompson). Pepperdine's returning players account for 82.5% percent of last year's scoring (1629/1974), 88.3% of the rebounds (919/1041), 65.4% of the assists (223/341), 95.0% of the blocked shots (96/101) and 77.2% of the steals (166/215).
YOUTUBE SENSATION - Keion Bell, a preseason All-WCC first team selection, got Pepperdine a ton of publicity in mid-October. At Blue & Orange Madness, Pepperdine's event to kick off the start of practice, the sophomore guard finished up the dunk contest by leaping over five teammates and slamming it home. A Pepperdine fan happened to record the dunk on his iPhone and uploaded it onto YouTube. It quickly spread around the internet and at last check had nearly 1.1 million hits. ESPN's SportsCenter picked up the video and made the dunk the #2 Play of the Day.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - Tom Asbury believes in preparing his team for league play with a difficult non-conference slate of games, and so that's what the Waves are in the midst of. The Waves play six games against non-conference teams that took part in the postseason last year: Portland State, UCLA and Utah made the NCAA Tournament, Miami (Fla.) was in the NIT, Wyoming was in the College Basketball Invitational and Pacific was in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Nine of the 16 non-conference games are at home.
WCC PRESEASON POLL - According to the WCC's coaches, the Waves are predicted to finish seventh in the conference. Their poll went in the following order: Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara (tied), San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Several national publications and websites have differing opinions on the Waves, including fourth (The Sporting News), fifth (The Sports Network), sixth (Athlon and Lindy's) and seventh (Rivals.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net).
TELEVISION - The Waves are slated to appear on television several times once again in 2009-10. Six games will be shown locally - Nov. 23 at UCLA on Fox Sports West, Jan. 14 vs. Santa Clara on ESPNU, Jan. 21 at Gonzaga on Prime Ticket (delayed), Jan. 30 vs. San Diego on Prime Ticket, Feb. 18 vs. Portland on Prime Ticket and Feb. 20 vs. Gonzaga on Fox Sports West.
TOM ASBURY - Now in his second stint in charge of the Waves is coaching great Tom Asbury. He returned to Malibu prior to the 2008-09 campaign to become the Waves' head coach again after 14 seasons away. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for nine years as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He went on to serve as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first head coaching job at Pepperdine and took the Waves to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, '92, '94) and two in the NIT (1989, '93). Pepperdine won three regular-season WCC titles and the school's only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, his seven-year record at Pepperdine was 134-82 (.620) and his 13-year record as a head coach was 219-170 (.563).
ASSISTANTS - Upon his return, Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It's believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
ONE RECRUIT - There are no seniors on the roster but Pepperdine had one scholarship to offer for 2010-11. During the early signing period, they inked Hector Harold, a 6-foot-6 small forward from the Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) School. He was given a rating of 88 out of 100 by ESPN.com's recruiting site and is considered one of the top seniors in New England. He is originally from Pasadena, Calif.
LAST SEASON - Tom Asbury's return to Pepperdine brought much-needed stability to the program in his first season back. With only five players returning, Asbury and his new staff brought in 10 newcomers well after the regular letter-of-intent signing period. The young Waves posted a 9-23 overall record but got much better as the year went on, placing sixth in the WCC with a 5-9 record and winning a first-round game at the WCC Tournament. Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY - This is the 72nd season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2009-10 with an all-time record of 1,111-910 (.550). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST - Pepperdine has long been one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Over the 31-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2008-09 campaign, of the 32 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2009-10 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (525) and winning percentage (.565) over the past 31 years.
WAVES IN THE PROS - This is the 34th consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his fourth season overall and his second with the Miami Heat. A total of 16 former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). Some recent standouts have been playing in foreign countries, including Alex Acker (Italy), Tezale Archie (Netherlands), Brandon Armstrong (Venezuela), Gerald Brown (Poland), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Finland.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports - one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 12/16/2009
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes
THE FACTS - After finishing up final exams, the Pepperdine men's basketball team completes a four-game homestand with a contest against New Mexico State on Friday. It's the start of a busy stretch of games right before Christmas, with contests at UC Irvine on Monday and at home against Utah on Wednesday. Keion Bell is now just one of two players in all of Division I averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.
GAME #12 - Friday (Dec. 18) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (3-8) vs. New Mexico State (3-6) at 7:30 p.m. In the first game of the doubleheader, the Pepperdine women face Nevada at 5 p.m.
ON THE WEB - Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men's basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 25th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the Wave Casts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team's website when the Waves are on the road.
PROMOTIONS - Groups of 15 or more can purchase general admission tickets for $5 each ... If the Waves score 75 points or more in an upcoming home game, certificates will be given out afterward for a free piece of grilled chicken from the KFC in Malibu.
TICKETS - Men's basketball single-game tickets cost $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (adult general admission) or $5 (child general admission). Call (866) WAVE-TIX to purchase tickets.
NEW MEXICO STATE - Pepperdine is 8-3 all-time against New Mexico State. A majority of the meetings (eight of the 11) took place in the 1950s. One matchup was in the 1989 NIT during Tom Asbury's first season as head coach (an 84-69 Pepperdine victory in Las Cruces; Marty Wilson started and scored four points). The only meeting since then was last season in Las Cruces, when the host Aggies posted a 90-66 victory (Taylor Darby had team highs of 12 points and 11 rebounds). This is the first time that NMSU has ever visited Firestone Fieldhouse.
LAST GAME - Pepperdine couldn't overcome Portland State's three-point barrage (17 for the game, which tied the Firestone Fieldhouse record and was one shy of the Vikings' school record) in a 93-81 loss on Sunday (Dec. 13). Pepperdine nearly had six players score in double-figures, led by Keion Bell and Lorne Jackson with 16 points apiece. Portland State led for most of the first half and was up 43-38 at the break, but Pepperdine tied the game early in the second half. It was still just a five-point lead for the Vikings with 9:20 to go at 67-62, but a 12-0 run gave Portland State its largest lead of the game and the Waves were unable to rally back.
SOPHOMORE SCORERS - Last season, Pepperdine's eight-man freshman class scored more than half of the Waves' points (57.4%). So far, the now-sophomore class has contributed 69.2% of Pepperdine's scoring.
BELL'S BIG START - At the start of the week, Keion Bell ranked 11th nationally and first in the WCC in scoring (22.2 points per game). He and Manny Harris of Michigan are the only two Division I players across the nation that began the week averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Bell has scored more than 20 points in eight of his 11 games, including a career-high 34 against Monmouth, while his season-low was still 16 points. On the WCC leaderboard, he is also second in steals (2.0), fourth in assists (4.4), fifth in minutes (33.0), eighth in field goal percentage (.503), 10th in free throw percentage (.796) and 16th in rebounding (5.2). At the pace he's on, he'll become Pepperdine's 35th 1,000-point scorer by the end of his sophomore season (he's got 656).
SUTTLE'S SHOOTING - Dane Suttle Jr., second-best on the team at 11.3 points per game, is one of the conference's best three-point shooters so far this season. He is averaging 2.1 per game (seventh in the WCC) and making 43.8% of them (21-for-48, seventh in the WCC).
THOMPSON TEAM CAPTAIN - Mychel Thompson was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. The junior forward is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. He is averaging 10.0 points this season and 9.0 points for his career, and has made 101 career three-pointers (he needs 113 to break into the school's top 10).
2009-10 HONORS - Keion Bell was named to the preseason All-WCC first team ... Bell was named MVP of the World Vision Challenge at Wyoming and Dane Suttle Jr. also made the all-tournament team.
ROSTER - There are no seniors on the 2009-10 squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Pepperdine returns 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). There are also five newcomers, bringing the roster total to 16. Twelve are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
RETURNERS - Four of the five starters from last year's team return (Keion Bell, Taylor Darby, Corbin Moore and Mychel Thompson). Pepperdine's returning players account for 82.5% percent of last year's scoring (1629/1974), 88.3% of the rebounds (919/1041), 65.4% of the assists (223/341), 95.0% of the blocked shots (96/101) and 77.2% of the steals (166/215).
YOUTUBE SENSATION - Keion Bell, a preseason All-WCC first team selection, got Pepperdine a ton of publicity in mid-October. At Blue & Orange Madness, Pepperdine's event to kick off the start of practice, the sophomore guard finished up the dunk contest by leaping over five teammates and slamming it home. A Pepperdine fan happened to record the dunk on his iPhone and uploaded it onto YouTube. It quickly spread around the internet and at last check had nearly 1.1 million hits. ESPN's SportsCenter picked up the video and made the dunk the #2 Play of the Day.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - Tom Asbury believes in preparing his team for league play with a difficult non-conference slate of games, and so that's what the Waves are in the midst of. The Waves play six games against non-conference teams that took part in the postseason last year: Portland State, UCLA and Utah made the NCAA Tournament, Miami (Fla.) was in the NIT, Wyoming was in the College Basketball Invitational and Pacific was in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Nine of the 16 non-conference games are at home.
WCC PRESEASON POLL - According to the WCC's coaches, the Waves are predicted to finish seventh in the conference. Their poll went in the following order: Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara (tied), San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Several national publications and websites have differing opinions on the Waves, including fourth (The Sporting News), fifth (The Sports Network), sixth (Athlon and Lindy's) and seventh (Rivals.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net).TELEVISION - The Waves are slated to appear on television several times once again in 2009-10. Six games will be shown locally - Nov. 23 at UCLA on Fox Sports West, Jan. 14 vs. Santa Clara on ESPNU, Jan. 21 at Gonzaga on Prime Ticket (delayed), Jan. 30 vs. San Diego on Prime Ticket, Feb. 18 vs. Portland on Prime Ticket and Feb. 20 vs. Gonzaga on Fox Sports West.
TOM ASBURY - Now in his second stint in charge of the Waves is coaching great Tom Asbury. He returned to Malibu prior to the 2008-09 campaign to become the Waves' head coach again after 14 seasons away. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for nine years as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He went on to serve as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first head coaching job at Pepperdine and took the Waves to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, '92, '94) and two in the NIT (1989, '93). Pepperdine won three regular-season WCC titles and the school's only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, his seven-year record at Pepperdine was 134-82 (.620) and his 13-year record as a head coach was 219-170 (.563).
ASSISTANTS - Upon his return, Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It's believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
ONE RECRUIT - There are no seniors on the roster but Pepperdine had one scholarship to offer for 2010-11. During the early signing period, they inked Hector Harold, a 6-foot-6 small forward from the Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) School. He was given a rating of 88 out of 100 by ESPN.com's recruiting site and is considered one of the top seniors in New England. He is originally from Pasadena, Calif.
LAST SEASON - Tom Asbury's return to Pepperdine brought much-needed stability to the program in his first season back. With only five players returning, Asbury and his new staff brought in 10 newcomers well after the regular letter-of-intent signing period. The young Waves posted a 9-23 overall record but got much better as the year went on, placing sixth in the WCC with a 5-9 record and winning a first-round game at the WCC Tournament. Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY - This is the 72nd season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2009-10 with an all-time record of 1,111-910 (.550). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST - Pepperdine has long been one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Over the 31-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2008-09 campaign, of the 32 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2009-10 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (525) and winning percentage (.565) over the past 31 years.
WAVES IN THE PROS - This is the 34th consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his fourth season overall and his second with the Miami Heat. A total of 16 former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). Some recent standouts have been playing in foreign countries, including Alex Acker (Italy), Tezale Archie (Netherlands), Brandon Armstrong (Venezuela), Gerald Brown (Poland), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Finland.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports - one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles. New Mexico State Aggies +3 to upset Pepperdine Waves on road
Game Time: Friday, December 18, 2009 10:30 PM ET
Pepperrdine is 3-8 straight up this season, and truth be told, they are not even as good as that already poor record. The Waves are just 1-5 at home with the only win coming vs. a non-lined opponent in Cal State San Bernardino, and even that win vs. a seemingly outclassed opponent was by just a scant 72-70 score!The Waves have lost five straight games, as they defense has been dreadful, surrendering 83.0 points per game during this streak. Taking a look at the Pomeroy Ratings, they rank a dreadful 306 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing a whopping 1.096 points per possession. They only force turnovers on 16.9 percent of opponents possessions, ranking 325, and they rank 285 in two-point field goal percentage allowed at 52.0 percent.Now New Mexico State may be no great shakes either, but at least they won on the road at UTEP two games back, a UTEP team that is far superior to Pepperdine. Also, the Aggies are averaging 70.8 points per game on the road, which is actually better than the Waves home average of 68.8 points, and perhaps most importantly, New Mexico State has faced the fifth toughest schedule in the country to this point, according to Pomeroy.Thus, their 3-6 record is certainly understandable, and after battling the likes of St. Marys, New Mexico (twice), UTEP (twice) and even UCLA in a down year, the Aggies should appreciate this drop in class and get out of Malibu with a win.
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Aggies Fall at UCLA
NM State-UCLA boxscore
LOS ANGELES-Playing in the historic Paley Pavilion, the New Mexico State men’s basketball team suffered a 100-68 loss at UCLA, Tuesday, Dec. 15, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Junior guard Jahmar Young led the Aggies with 13 points while senior guard Jonathan Gibson and junior guard Gordo Castillo added 11 points each. Sophomore guard Hernst Laroche tied his career-high assists mark with a game-high nine.
NM State made a season-high 11 3-point field goals hitting 50 percent as a team with Young and Castillo both sinking three apiece.
The Aggies struggled in the first half shooting only 37.5 percent from the field and were down at halftime, 47-26.
At the break, Castillo directed the Aggies with eight points including a 2-for-3 performance from beyond the arc. As a team, NM State was strong from the 3-point line with a 5-for-9 showing. Young added six points while Laroche had a game-high six assists, which is a season-high.
The Aggies conclude a four-game road stint at Pepperdine, Friday, Dec. 18, at 8:30 p.m.
Aggies stay on road, travel to UCLA
By Jason Groves Sun-News reporter
Posted: 12/15/2009 12:00:00 AM MST
LAS CRUCES — Jahmar Young backed head coach Marvin Menzies after the New Mexico State men's basketball team beat UTEP on Sunday on the road.
"He can yell at us until he is blue in the face in practice but if we don't get it as a team, it doesn't matter what he does," said Young after scoring 24 points to move the Aggies to 3-5 on the season. "He can give us all of the right things to do but we are going out and losing so it makes it look like he don't know what he is doing."
Sometimes the road can be a good place for a team to come together and figure things out.
The Aggies remain on the road this week for two games. The first is tonight against 2-6 UCLA at 8:30 p.m., available on 104 KGRT-FM. They play at Pepperdine on Friday at 8:30 p.m.
The Aggies played their most complete game of the season on Sunday. The Aggies turned the ball over just 12 times, made 28-of-32 from the foul line and had four players in double figures with key contributions from role players Kelly Merker and Hernst Laroche.
All in front of 10,459 at the Don Haskins Center.
"It really brought us all together," said Aggies junior Gordo Castillo, who scored 17 points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. "These two road games are big. If we can get one at UCLA and Pepperdine and come back home at .500, it would be big and good for the community to come back. I think we have got way better the last few games."
Menzies said he was proud of the way the Aggies responded after he was ejected
Basketball, College Basketball, Portland State, Sports »
Portland State 93, Pepperdine 81: Nelson and Vikings shoot the lights out
By Special to The Oregonian
December 13, 2009, 9:36PM
MALIBU, Calif. -- Any curiosity about how the Portland State men's basketball team would respond to a zone defense was answered Sunday with a near-record performance by the Vikings' sharpshooters. PSU sank a season-high 17 three-pointers, one shy of the team record, to begin a four-game road trip with a 93-81 nonconference victory over Pepperdine at Firestone Fieldhouse. Junior forward Phil Nelson hit eight three-pointers, a career high, and finished with a game-high 28 points. "That was the first time we'd ever seen a zone this season," Vikings coach Tyler Geving said. "And, fortunately, it's one of those good and bad things. We shot a lot of threes, but the good thing is we can make a lot of threes. "We didn't do a very good job of getting the ball down low or to the high post, so we ended up shooting a lot of threes. So it wasn't really the game plan, but we also have a lot of good shooters." PSU's three-point total tied the Firestone Fieldhouse record and was nearly double the Vikings' season average entering the game. "We just moved the ball well," Nelson said. "We got a lot of wide-open shots and they were falling." Melvin Jones and Dominic Waters contributed 17 points apiece, including five three-pointers by Jones. Jamie Jones added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Nelson easily surpassed his previous season high of 15 points. "It was phenomenal," Geving said of Nelson's performance. "It was huge. He's got a reputation as a shooter and he did it today. He was getting lots of looks. ... A lot of it's because of the zone. I didn't want to play him inside; he's a good three-point shooter so I wanted him on the perimeter." PSU (5-4) never trailed after taking the lead less than five minutes into the game. The Vikings used a 10-point run to push their advantage to 12 midway through a first half in which they attempted 20 three-point shots. PSU's 43-38 halftime lead was quickly reduced to a 43-43 tie, but the lead returned to double figures when Nelson sank the Vikings' sixth three-pointer of the second half with 11:48 remaining. Improved rebounding helped the lead grow to as big as 17 points. Five Waves finished in double figures, led by Keion Bell and Lorne Jackson with 16 points each. Taylor Darby had 14 points and eight rebounds. The loss was the fifth in a row for Pepperdine (3-8) and first ever against PSU, which notched its fourth consecutive win. "One of the main keys has been defense and rebounding," Jones said of his team's recent success. "We don't have a problem scoring. Like today, we just find the guy with the hot hand." The Vikings have scored more than 80 points in each of their past six games.
Waves Beaten by Portland State, 93-81
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 12/13/2009
Pepperdine-Portland State Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine men's basketball team couldn't overcome Portland State's barrage of three-pointers as the Vikings posted a 93-81 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Portland State (5-4) made 17 three-pointers for the game, which tied the Firestone Fieldhouse record and was one shy of the school record. The Vikings connected on 52 percent of their 33 attempts.
The Waves (3-8) nearly had six players score in double-figures. Sophomore guards Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) and Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) each had a team-high 16 points, with Bell also collecting five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) had 14 points and eight rebounds, junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) had 13 points and seven rebounds, junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) added 11 points and sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) had nine points.
Portland State's Phil Nelson scored a career-high 28 points and had eight of his team's three-pointers.
The Waves took an early 7-3 lead after Dupre' converted a traditional three-point play. A 6-0 run not long after, however, put the Vikings ahead 12-9 and gave them a lead they would keep for the rest of the half. Nelson's fourth three-pointer of the half capped a 10-0 run that gave Portland State its largest lead of the half at 27-15 with 11:25 to go.
But Pepperdine immediately went on a 7-0 run that included Bell grabbing a defensive rebound and going baseline-to-baseline for a lay-up, cutting the lead to 27-22 with 9:35 left. A 9-3 run that featured jumpers by Thompson and Dupre' and a steal and dunk by Bell got the Waves back within two points at 35-33 with four minutes to go.
But, on the strength of nine first-half three-pointers, Portland State went into halftime with a 43-38 advantage.
The Waves scored the first five points of the second half as Dupre' hit a jumper and Jackson made a three-pointer to tie the game at 43-43.
Portland State hit two free throws the next time down the floor, however, and the Waves never had a chance to retake the lead as the Vikings began to pull away. Nelson's eighth three-pointer made it a double-digit lead again at 65-55 with 11:46 left.
Down by 12, Darby had two lay-ups and Bell had a three-point play to cut the deficit to five points at 67-62 with 9:20 to go. But the Vikings immediately went on a 12-0 run to take their biggest lead of 17 points at 79-62 with 6 1/2 minutes left. Pepperdine got no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
For the game, Portland State shot 54.8% to Pepperdine's 43.7%. The Waves committed just six turnovers and forced 10 and also had a 36-34 rebounding edge.
After final exams this week, the Waves finish their four-game homestand on Friday (Dec. 18) against New Mexico State at 7:30 p.m. Fans can watch the game and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts. It's a doubleheader with the women's team, which plays Nevada at 5 p.m.
Associated Press
MALIBU, Calif. -- Phil Nelson led a barrage from beyond the arc with career highs of 28 points and eight 3-pointers as Portland State defeated Pepperdine 93-81 Sunday.
The Vikings (5-4) made 17 3s, one shy of the school record, and connected on 51.5 percent of their attempts.
Pepperdine (3-8) had five players score in double-figures, led by Keion Bell and Lorne Jackson, who had 16 apiece.
Melvin Jones made five 3s for Portland State and finished with 17 points.
The Vikings were up 67-62 with less than nine minutes to play but went on a 12-0 run to put the game away.
Nelson hit four 3s in the first nine minutes of the game as Portland State jumped out to a 27-15 lead. The Vikings led 43-38 at halftime, but Pepperdine quickly tied it by scoring the first five points of the second half.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL:
Nelson hits for 28 as PSU wins at Pepperdine
The Portland Tribune, Dec 14, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. - The Portland State Vikings, led by Phil Nelson’s 3-point shooting and career-high 28 points, stayed hot on Sunday.
The Viks beat host Pepperdine 93-81 to hike their record to 5-4 and stretch their winning streak to four games.
PSU, over .500 for the first time, has averaged 91.0 points in its victories.
The Vikings made a season-high 17 3-pointers at Pepperdine, which was one shy of the school record.
Nelson, a junior forward, helped Portland State take a 27-15 lead after 8 1/3 minutes, making four 3-pointers and a fastbreak dunk.
At the half, PSU led 43-38.
Nelson had 11 points (making three more 3-pointers) in a key 13-4 second-half run.
After Pepperdine (3-8) pulled within 67-62 at the 9:24 mark, the Vikings outscored the Waves 17-4 over the next four minutes.
Nelson finished 10 of 15 from the field and a career-best 8 of 12 from 3-point range.
Guards Melvin Jones and Dominic Waters each scored 17 points and combined for 17 Viking assists.
“Phil carried us in the first half, and he had 28 points. He’s capable of doing that for us,” PSU coach Tyler Geving said.
Jamie Jones added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Viks, who will play at Saint Mary's at 7 p.m. Fuesday.
Copyright 2009 Pamplin Media Group,
Portland State 93, Pepperdine 81: Nelson and Vikings shoot the lights out
By Special to The Oregonian
December 13, 2009, 9:36PM
MALIBU, Calif. -- Any curiosity about how the Portland State men's basketball team would respond to a zone defense was answered Sunday with a near-record performance by the Vikings' sharpshooters. PSU sank a season-high 17 three-pointers, one shy of the team record, to begin a four-game road trip with a 93-81 nonconference victory over Pepperdine at Firestone Fieldhouse. Junior forward Phil Nelson hit eight three-pointers, a career high, and finished with a game-high 28 points. "That was the first time we'd ever seen a zone this season," Vikings coach Tyler Geving said. "And, fortunately, it's one of those good and bad things. We shot a lot of threes, but the good thing is we can make a lot of threes. "We didn't do a very good job of getting the ball down low or to the high post, so we ended up shooting a lot of threes. So it wasn't really the game plan, but we also have a lot of good shooters." PSU's three-point total tied the Firestone Fieldhouse record and was nearly double the Vikings' season average entering the game. "We just moved the ball well," Nelson said. "We got a lot of wide-open shots and they were falling." Melvin Jones and Dominic Waters contributed 17 points apiece, including five three-pointers by Jones. Jamie Jones added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Nelson easily surpassed his previous season high of 15 points. "It was phenomenal," Geving said of Nelson's performance. "It was huge. He's got a reputation as a shooter and he did it today. He was getting lots of looks. ... A lot of it's because of the zone. I didn't want to play him inside; he's a good three-point shooter so I wanted him on the perimeter." PSU (5-4) never trailed after taking the lead less than five minutes into the game. The Vikings used a 10-point run to push their advantage to 12 midway through a first half in which they attempted 20 three-point shots. PSU's 43-38 halftime lead was quickly reduced to a 43-43 tie, but the lead returned to double figures when Nelson sank the Vikings' sixth three-pointer of the second half with 11:48 remaining. Improved rebounding helped the lead grow to as big as 17 points. Five Waves finished in double figures, led by Keion Bell and Lorne Jackson with 16 points each. Taylor Darby had 14 points and eight rebounds. The loss was the fifth in a row for Pepperdine (3-8) and first ever against PSU, which notched its fourth consecutive win. "One of the main keys has been defense and rebounding," Jones said of his team's recent success. "We don't have a problem scoring. Like today, we just find the guy with the hot hand." The Vikings have scored more than 80 points in each of their past six games.
Nelson leads 3-point barrage in Vikings' win
MALIBU, Calif. — Former McNary standout Phil Nelson made eight 3-pointers on his way to 28 points Sunday, and Portland State defeated Pepperdine 93-81 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Nelson shot 10 of 15 from the field and 8 of 12 from behind the arc. He added five rebounds as the Vikings improved to 5-4.
PSU made 17 of 33 3-pointers, one short of the school record.
Dominic Waters and Melvin Jones scored 17 apiece and combined for 17 assists, and Jamie Jones had 10 points and nine rebounds for Portland State.
Lorne Jackson and Keion Bell each scored 16 points to pace Pepperdine (3-8).
Statesman Journal • December 14, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. — Former McNary standout Phil Nelson made eight 3-pointers on his way to 28 points Sunday, and Portland State defeated Pepperdine 93-81 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Nelson shot 10 of 15 from the field and 8 of 12 from behind the arc. He added five rebounds as the Vikings improved to 5-4.
PSU made 17 of 33 3-pointers, one short of the school record.
Dominic Waters and Melvin Jones scored 17 apiece and combined for 17 assists, and Jamie Jones had 10 points and nine rebounds for Portland State.
Lorne Jackson and Keion Bell each scored 16 points to pace Pepperdine (3-8).
Statesman Journal • December 14, 2009
Pepperdine gets buried by 3-point barrage
By The Associated Press
Updated: 12/13/2009 10:40:24 PM PST
Phil Nelson led a barrage from beyond the arc with career highs of 28 points and eight 3-pointers as visiting Portland State defeated Pepperdine 93-81 Sunday.
Pepperdine (3-8) had five players score in double-figures, led by Keion Bell and Lorne Jackson, who had 16 apiece. The Vikings (5-4) made 17 3s, one shy of the school record, and connected on 51.5 percent of their attempts. Melvin Jones made five 3s for Portland State and finished with 17 points.
The Vikings were up 67-62 with less than nine minutes to play but went on a 12-0 run to put the game away. Nelson hit four 3s in the first nine minutes of the game as Portland State jumped out to a 27-15 lead. The Vikings led 43-38 at halftime, but Pepperdine quickly tied it by scoring the first five points of the second half.
First for Lancers: win over a Div. I team
12:35 AM PST on Friday, December 11, 2009
The Associated Press
MALIBU — Davey Hopkins scored a layup with 8.2 seconds left to help lift California Baptist to a surprising 67-65 victory over Pepperdine on Thursday night.
It was an official game for Pepperdine (3-7), but an exhibition for Cal Baptist.
It is the first time the Lancers have defeated an NCAA Division I opponent.
After Keion Bell’s basket gave Pepperdine a 65-64 lead with 20 seconds remaining, Cal Baptist’s Larry Dew threw a lob pass to Hopkins, who laid the ball in.
The Waves turned the ball over on the next possession, and the Lancers’ Cesar Menjivar hit one of two free throws with 2.3 seconds left.
“We won that game on the defensive end tonight,” Cal Baptist coach Tim Collins. “We are a young team and will have some inconsistencies, but this was a big night and a good win for us.”
Mychel Thompson scored a season-high 22 points for Pepperdine, and Bell 21. Dew had 20 points for Cal Baptist.
Cal Baptist scored the first 12 points of the game. Pepperdine didn’t take its first lead until Lorne Jackson hit a short jumper to make it 30-28. The Lancers rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final 261/2 minutes.
CAL BAPTIST (67) —Hopkins 3-9 0-0 7, Evans 1-3 6-8 8, Johnson 0-3 2-2 2, Dew 7-12 3-4 20, Von Wright 6-13 0-0 17, Tartir 1-4 0-0 3, Menjivar 3-9 2-3 9, Rose 0-1 0-0 0, Barrett 0-1 0-0 0, Ransome 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 21-57 14-19 67.
PEPPERDINE (65) —Thompson 9-18 0-0 22, Dupre’ 1-2 0-0 2, Clardy 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 8-13 5-6 21, Jackson 1-5 4-4 6, Lowery 0-0 0-0 0, Kerry 0-1 0-0 0, Willis 0-0 0-0 0, Darby 2-6 3-6 7, Moore 2-4 3-4 7, Agre 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-50 15-20 65.
Halftime—Cal Baptist 28-26. 3-Point goals—Cal Baptist 11-35 (Von Wright 5-11, Dew 3-5, Tartir 1-4, Hopkins 1-5, Menjivar 1-7, Barrett 0-1, Rose 0-1, Johnson 0-1), Pepperdine 4-9 (Thompson 4-6, Bell 0-1, Jackson 0-2). Fouled out—None. Rebounds—Cal Baptist 29 (Hopkins 5), Pepperdine 38 (Darby 9). Assists—Cal Baptist 15 (Dew 5), Pepperdine 9 (Jackson 4). Total fouls—Cal Baptist 19, Pepperdine 14.—672.
CAL BAPTIST-PEPPERDINE California Baptist upsets Pepperdine 67-65
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Davey Hopkins scored a layup with 8.2 seconds left to help lift California Baptist to a 67-65 victory at Pepperdine on Thursday night.After Keion Bell's basket gave Pepperdine a 65-64 lead with 20 seconds remaining, CBU's Larry Dew threw a lob pass to Hopkins, who laid the ball in. The Waves turned the ball over on the next possession, and the Lancers' Cesar Menjivar hit one of two free throws with 2.3 seconds left.Mychel Thompson scored a season-high 22 points for Pepperdine, while Bell posted 21. Dew had 20 points for CBU and Justus Von Wright added 17.CBU, an NAIA team, scored the first 12 points of the game. Pepperdine (3-7) didn't take its first lead until Lorne Jackson hit a short jumper with 19:05 left in the game, giving the Waves a 30-28 lead.The Lancers rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final 2½ minutes.
Waves Fall to CBU, 67-65
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 12/10/2009
Pepperdine-California Baptist Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - Despite 22 points from junior forward Mychel Thompson and 21 from sophomore guard Keion Bell, the Pepperdine men's basketball team was upset by California Baptist of the NAIA, 67-65, in Firestone Fieldhouse on Thursday night.
Due to differences between NCAA and NAIA rules, Pepperdine (3-7) was playing this as an official game, while California Baptist was considering it an exhibition.
After a short jumper by Bell gave Pepperdine a 65-64 lead with 20 seconds remaining, CBU's Larry Dew threw a lob pass to Davey Hopkins, who laid the ball in with 8.2 seconds left. The Waves turned the ball over on the next possession, and the Lancers' Cesar Menjivar hit one of two free throws with 2.3 seconds left. A three-quarters-court heave by Pepperdine failed to connect at the buzzer.
Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) had a season high for points, and he also hit four three-pointers and collected seven rebounds. Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) scored 20-plus points for the eighth time in 10 games.
After Thompson and Bell, no one else from Pepperdine had more than seven points. Dew led the Lancers with 20 points.
The Waves got off to a forgettable start, missing their first two shots and committing six turnovers in the first five minutes as CBU broke out to a 12-0 lead.
Thompson began a 6-0 run with a three-pointer that cut the Lancers' lead to 16-12 with less than nine minutes to go in the half. Later, Bell had a 6-0 run all by himself, and his last basket tied the game at 22-22 with 2:48 left. Still, the Lancers went into the break with a 28-26 advantage.
The Waves scored the first six points of the second half and took their first lead of the game at 30-28 on a short jumper from the left baseline by sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS).
The Waves couldn't shake the Lancers, however, as it was still a two-point game at 53-51 with 6 1/2 minutes to play. A 7-0 run helped Pepperdine to its largest lead at 60-51 with less than four minutes left. It was still a seven-point lead at 63-56 with 2 1/2 minutes to go when CBU began its rally. The Lancers scored 11 of the game's final 13 points.
Although Pepperdine had a rebounding advantage of 38-29, CBU hit more three-pointers (11 to four) and outscored the Waves in points off turnovers 17-8.
Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep), the Waves' second-leading scorer, sat out the game with a sprained ankle.
The Waves continue their four-game homestand this Sunday (Dec. 13) against Portland State at 2 p.m. Fans can watch the game and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
latimes.com
SOUTHLAND ROUNDUP
Pepperdine loses at home to Fresno State, 80-72
Paul George, who originally signed a letter of intent with the Waves, scores 29 points to the lead the Bulldogs.
December 9, 2009
Fresno State 80, at Pepperdine 72: Paul George scored 24 of his career-high-tying 29 points in the second half as the Bulldogs (4-4) held off the Waves (3-6). George, who originally signed a letter of intent with Pepperdine, had 14 points during a 16-2 run to open the second half. Keion Bell had team highs of 24 points and seven assists for the Waves.
Waves Fall 80-72 to Fresno State
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 12/08/2009
Pepperdine-Fresno State Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - Two of the bright young stars on the West Coast put on a show Tuesday night, but Paul George and Fresno State outdueled Keion Bell and Pepperdine, 80-72, in men's basketball action at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS), a sophomore guard who entered the game as one of only three players in the nation averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists, did nothing to harm that fact as he tallied 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
George (a sophomore forward who originally signed a letter-of-intent with Pepperdine) tied his career high with 29 points, and scored 24 in the second half as the Bulldogs rallied from a 39-36 halftime deficit.
The Waves lost their third straight game to drop to 3-6, while the Bulldogs improved to 4-4.
Pepperdine also got 15 points from sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) and 11 from junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep).
Pepperdine never trailed during an entertaining first half. The Waves quickly jumped out to an 8-0 lead as Suttle drained a three-pointer, sophomore center Corbin Moore (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos) scored on a short jumper and junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) hit a three-pointer. Later in the half, the lead grew to as many as nine points, first at 30-21 with 5:40 to go when Bell scored a lay-up after collecting his own missed shot.
A late 8-0 run by Fresno State, capped by Steven Shepp's fifth three-pointer of the half, got the Bulldogs within one point at 35-34 with less than two minutes to go, and Pepperdine went into the break with a 39-36 lead.
George had a remarkable four minutes to start the second half, scoring 14 quick points, including four three-pointers. He keyed a 16-2 run to start the half that lifted Fresno State to an 11-point lead at 52-41.
Pepperdine wasn't out of it, however, as the Waves recovered with a 13-0 run that was fueled by two three-pointers by Thompson. That put the Waves back in front with a 54-52 lead with less than 12 minutes to play.
Fresno State's Greg Smith then had three dunks during an 8-1 run, putting the Bulldogs back ahead 60-55 with eight minutes left.
Pepperdine got as close as three points and had a shot to tie the game with 2 1/2 minutes left and trailing 70-67, but instead the Bulldogs scored six straight points to help ice the game.
The final statistics were fairly even. Pepperdine had a 42.0%-40.6% shooting edge, while Fresno State had advantages in turnovers (10-14) and rebounding (39-34).
The Waves continue their four-game homestand this Thursday (Dec. 10) against California Baptist at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the game and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
George leads Fresno State past Pepperdine 80-72
Associated Press
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009 - 12:30 a.m. ET
MALIBU, Calif. -- Paul George scored 24 of his career-high-tying 29 points in the second half to lead Fresno State over Pepperdine 80-72 Tuesday night.
George, who originally signed a letter of intent with Pepperdine before landing at Fresno State, had 14 points, including four 3-pointers, during a 16-2 run to open the second half. That turned a 39-36 Pepperdine halftime lead into a 52-41 Bulldog advantage with 16 minutes to go in the game.
The Waves regained the lead at 54-52 thanks to a 13-0 run, but Fresno State's Greg Smith had three slam dunks during an 8-1 spurt that put the Bulldogs in front to stay at 60-55 with eight minutes to go.
Pepperdine's Keion Bell had team highs of 24 points and seven assists. Dane Suttle Jr. added 15 points and Mychel Thompson had 11.
'Dogs make waves in win over Pepperdine
Fresno State men pull away from Pepperdine to even record at 4-4.
Published online on Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2009
The Fresno Bee
Fresno State men pull away from Pepperdine to even record at 4-4.
Published online on Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2009
The Fresno Bee
Paul George got on a roll and took the Fresno State men's basketball team with him Tuesday night.
George scored 24 of his career-high tying 29 points after halftime to spark the Bulldogs' 80-72 come-from-behind, nonconference victory over Pepperdine in Malibu.
George sank four 3-pointers and a layup during a 16-2 second-half-opening run that saw Fresno State (4-4) turn a 39-36 deficit into a 52-41 advantage at 16:19 of the second half.
"He was very special for 4-5 minutes there," Bulldogs coach Steve Cleveland said. "He got the feel of it, and when guys get like that you've got to let them go. But the key is he was running the floor. And our post players were running. When you do that, it forces teams to stay inside, and that creates the ability to hit the open 3."
Pepperdine (3-6) responded with a 13-0 run that gave it a 54-52 lead with 11:54 remaining. But the Bulldogs' Greg Smith had three dunks during an 8-1 spurt that put Fresno State in front to stay at 60-55 with 8 minutes left.
"In the last seven days the guys have bought into what it takes to be successful," Cleveland said. "They are playing with a purpose."
The Bulldogs now turn their attention to a showdown against Cleveland's former team -- Brigham Young (6-1) -- at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Save Mart Center.
"This is the kind of matchup this community has been asking for," Cleveland said. "I just hope they are there and in the seats creating a homecourt advantage."
George scored 24 of his career-high tying 29 points after halftime to spark the Bulldogs' 80-72 come-from-behind, nonconference victory over Pepperdine in Malibu.
George sank four 3-pointers and a layup during a 16-2 second-half-opening run that saw Fresno State (4-4) turn a 39-36 deficit into a 52-41 advantage at 16:19 of the second half.
"He was very special for 4-5 minutes there," Bulldogs coach Steve Cleveland said. "He got the feel of it, and when guys get like that you've got to let them go. But the key is he was running the floor. And our post players were running. When you do that, it forces teams to stay inside, and that creates the ability to hit the open 3."
Pepperdine (3-6) responded with a 13-0 run that gave it a 54-52 lead with 11:54 remaining. But the Bulldogs' Greg Smith had three dunks during an 8-1 spurt that put Fresno State in front to stay at 60-55 with 8 minutes left.
"In the last seven days the guys have bought into what it takes to be successful," Cleveland said. "They are playing with a purpose."
The Bulldogs now turn their attention to a showdown against Cleveland's former team -- Brigham Young (6-1) -- at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Save Mart Center.
"This is the kind of matchup this community has been asking for," Cleveland said. "I just hope they are there and in the seats creating a homecourt advantage."
WCC Power Rankings: 11/22-11/29 edition
by Eugene Tanner - AP
While everyone knows that Gonzaga will be in the top spot in the Power Rankings, the WCC actually had some other teams competing for hardware this week.
Sometimes doing these Power Rankings can be a little bit of a grind, mostly due to the fact that it seems the same teams are always in the same spots. However, with the performance of Gonzaga, USD, and Portland, the WCC was officially fun this past week. In three separate tournaments, the WCC had one winner (Gonzaga) and two teams lose in championship games (USD and Portland). Slowly but surely, this conference is building depth and competition, and is doing a great job of building a solid national reputation with these performances. It was great hearing the national media gush over Portland the rest of the WCC. With that said, the most important thing for this conference is that there is improvement and consistency throughout the month of December. There will be some great match ups against power conference teams, and the more wins that everyone can pick up before WCC play, the better chance there will be for multiple bids in March.
by Eugene Tanner - AP
While everyone knows that Gonzaga will be in the top spot in the Power Rankings, the WCC actually had some other teams competing for hardware this week.
Sometimes doing these Power Rankings can be a little bit of a grind, mostly due to the fact that it seems the same teams are always in the same spots. However, with the performance of Gonzaga, USD, and Portland, the WCC was officially fun this past week. In three separate tournaments, the WCC had one winner (Gonzaga) and two teams lose in championship games (USD and Portland). Slowly but surely, this conference is building depth and competition, and is doing a great job of building a solid national reputation with these performances. It was great hearing the national media gush over Portland the rest of the WCC. With that said, the most important thing for this conference is that there is improvement and consistency throughout the month of December. There will be some great match ups against power conference teams, and the more wins that everyone can pick up before WCC play, the better chance there will be for multiple bids in March.
1) Gonzaga (5-1): 76-72 win vs. Colorado; 74-61 win vs. Wisconsin; 61-59 win vs. Cincinnati
I really can't stress enough how impressed I was about the performance in Maui. I'm not as worried about the lack of bench production for the fact that I think that will develop throughout December and early January. However, this team better not be relaxing, because going up against Washington St. and Wake Forest this week will be incredibly difficult. If Gonzaga can get through this week unscathed, it's not unreasonable to expect to be 9-1 and facing a top 10 match up against Duke in the middle of the month.
2) Portland (5-1): 74-47 win vs. UCLA; 61-56 win vs. Minnesota; 84-66 loss vs. West Virginia
Portland put together an absolutely terrific performance in the 76 Classic. Not only did they demolish UCLA, (I'm still waiting for a formal apology from Jeff Goodman for ranking that back court ahead of the Zags back court) but the Pilots won an impressive game over Minnesota. That amounts to knocking off a highly ranked team and one of the greatest programs in NCAA history in back-to-back nights. I definitely would have liked to have seen a better performance against West Virginia, but Bob Huggins might just have a top 5 team on his hands. For all of this to matter in March, Portland must take care of business against Idaho and Nevada later this month, and also must give Washington a great game.
3) St. Mary's (4-1): 100-59 win vs. California Maritime
Not a huge week from the Gaels, but I like where this team is positioned heading into a huge group of games against San Jose St, Utah St, and Oregon. St. Mary's needs to keep developing the young bench, as it will be very important for some of these big non-conference games and of course for WCC play. However, Omar Samhan is having a terrific season, averaging 20.6 points and 11.2 rebounds, and he will be tough to handle in January and February. However, we will really know a lot more about this team in the middle of December after they complete that tough stretch of games.
4) USD (4-2): 76-64 win vs. Oklahoma; 72-65 win vs. Houston; 93-56 loss vs. Washington St.
I was totally prepared to move USD up to the third spot in the power rankings. Even though Oklahoma is a shell of the team they were last season, it was still an impressive victory. Following that up with a win against a solid Houston team had me thinking that the Toreros finally turned the corner on their inconsistent play. However, there is no way a team is moving up this list when they lose a game by 37 points. I understand Klay Thompson put on an epic scoring display, but there is no excuse to lose a game by that much. For this team to compete during WCC play, they will need a couple of guys to compliment the terrific back court of Brandon Johnson and De'Jon Jackson.
5) Pepperdine (3-4): 75-66 win vs. Hampton; 82-73 win vs. Monmouth; 86-82 loss vs. Wyoming
It probably wasn't publicized much, but Pepperdine did come away the winner of the World Vision Basketball Challenge. This was a round robin tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming, and although it didn't feature elite competition, I truly think that this is just a team that needs to learn how to win. Not surprisingly, Keion Bell came away with the MVP award in this tournament, and I will be stunned if he doesn't compete for the WCC POY. Bell is currently averaging 22.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.
6) Santa Clara (3-3): 88-72 loss vs. NAU; 74-67 win vs. Fresno St.
The one thing I like about this team is the fact that Kerry Keating is starting to give some of his younger guys more playing time. Chris Cunningham, Niyi Harrison, and Ray Cowels are all starting to see some action, and that is a nice young core of guys for Santa Clara to build around. Kevin Foster seems to be back on track academically, since he scored 25 points in the win over Fresno St. However, I still think this group is another year or two away from being competitive in this conference.
7) LMU (2-5): 79-65 loss @ Tulsa; 89-84 loss vs. UCSB
Although LMU lost games against two solid teams, I think I jumped the gun last week by moving them up the list so far. Much like Pepperdine, the Lions have the talent and depth to start competing at a high level, but they still have a long way to go before they learn how to win close games. However, with Drew Viney and a solid three guard lineup, this team has a very nice core to build around, and will certainly be a team that will scare Gonzaga, Portland, and St. Mary's by the end of January.
8) USF (2-4): 76-65 loss @ UCSB; 70-66 loss vs. Montana St; 91-75 loss @ Colorado St.
While USF was competitive in all three of these losses, it doesn't seem like this group is quite on the level of the rest of the conference. Dior Lowhorn continues to be an elite guy, but the supporting cast still hasn't caught up with him and Kwame Vaughn. However, keep an eye on Rashad Green. The sophomore guard scored a season-high 21 points against Colorado St, and is doing a nice job with the extra minutes he has been seeing recently. He is exactly the type of guy that the Dons need to emerge throughout the season.
Cal Accepts Bid to Play in Poinsettia Bowl
Golden Bears Earn School-Record Seventh Consecutive Postseason Invitation
Football Home
Dec. 6, 2009
Dec. 6 Jeff Tedford Press Conference Quotes
I really can't stress enough how impressed I was about the performance in Maui. I'm not as worried about the lack of bench production for the fact that I think that will develop throughout December and early January. However, this team better not be relaxing, because going up against Washington St. and Wake Forest this week will be incredibly difficult. If Gonzaga can get through this week unscathed, it's not unreasonable to expect to be 9-1 and facing a top 10 match up against Duke in the middle of the month.
2) Portland (5-1): 74-47 win vs. UCLA; 61-56 win vs. Minnesota; 84-66 loss vs. West Virginia
Portland put together an absolutely terrific performance in the 76 Classic. Not only did they demolish UCLA, (I'm still waiting for a formal apology from Jeff Goodman for ranking that back court ahead of the Zags back court) but the Pilots won an impressive game over Minnesota. That amounts to knocking off a highly ranked team and one of the greatest programs in NCAA history in back-to-back nights. I definitely would have liked to have seen a better performance against West Virginia, but Bob Huggins might just have a top 5 team on his hands. For all of this to matter in March, Portland must take care of business against Idaho and Nevada later this month, and also must give Washington a great game.
3) St. Mary's (4-1): 100-59 win vs. California Maritime
Not a huge week from the Gaels, but I like where this team is positioned heading into a huge group of games against San Jose St, Utah St, and Oregon. St. Mary's needs to keep developing the young bench, as it will be very important for some of these big non-conference games and of course for WCC play. However, Omar Samhan is having a terrific season, averaging 20.6 points and 11.2 rebounds, and he will be tough to handle in January and February. However, we will really know a lot more about this team in the middle of December after they complete that tough stretch of games.
4) USD (4-2): 76-64 win vs. Oklahoma; 72-65 win vs. Houston; 93-56 loss vs. Washington St.
I was totally prepared to move USD up to the third spot in the power rankings. Even though Oklahoma is a shell of the team they were last season, it was still an impressive victory. Following that up with a win against a solid Houston team had me thinking that the Toreros finally turned the corner on their inconsistent play. However, there is no way a team is moving up this list when they lose a game by 37 points. I understand Klay Thompson put on an epic scoring display, but there is no excuse to lose a game by that much. For this team to compete during WCC play, they will need a couple of guys to compliment the terrific back court of Brandon Johnson and De'Jon Jackson.
5) Pepperdine (3-4): 75-66 win vs. Hampton; 82-73 win vs. Monmouth; 86-82 loss vs. WyomingIt probably wasn't publicized much, but Pepperdine did come away the winner of the World Vision Basketball Challenge. This was a round robin tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming, and although it didn't feature elite competition, I truly think that this is just a team that needs to learn how to win. Not surprisingly, Keion Bell came away with the MVP award in this tournament, and I will be stunned if he doesn't compete for the WCC POY. Bell is currently averaging 22.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.
6) Santa Clara (3-3): 88-72 loss vs. NAU; 74-67 win vs. Fresno St.
The one thing I like about this team is the fact that Kerry Keating is starting to give some of his younger guys more playing time. Chris Cunningham, Niyi Harrison, and Ray Cowels are all starting to see some action, and that is a nice young core of guys for Santa Clara to build around. Kevin Foster seems to be back on track academically, since he scored 25 points in the win over Fresno St. However, I still think this group is another year or two away from being competitive in this conference.
7) LMU (2-5): 79-65 loss @ Tulsa; 89-84 loss vs. UCSB
Although LMU lost games against two solid teams, I think I jumped the gun last week by moving them up the list so far. Much like Pepperdine, the Lions have the talent and depth to start competing at a high level, but they still have a long way to go before they learn how to win close games. However, with Drew Viney and a solid three guard lineup, this team has a very nice core to build around, and will certainly be a team that will scare Gonzaga, Portland, and St. Mary's by the end of January.
8) USF (2-4): 76-65 loss @ UCSB; 70-66 loss vs. Montana St; 91-75 loss @ Colorado St.
While USF was competitive in all three of these losses, it doesn't seem like this group is quite on the level of the rest of the conference. Dior Lowhorn continues to be an elite guy, but the supporting cast still hasn't caught up with him and Kwame Vaughn. However, keep an eye on Rashad Green. The sophomore guard scored a season-high 21 points against Colorado St, and is doing a nice job with the extra minutes he has been seeing recently. He is exactly the type of guy that the Dons need to emerge throughout the season.
Cal Accepts Bid to Play in Poinsettia Bowl
Golden Bears Earn School-Record Seventh Consecutive Postseason Invitation
Football Home
Dec. 6, 2009
Dec. 6 Jeff Tedford Press Conference Quotes
BERKELEY - California, which will continue is school-record run of bowl appearances with its seventh consecutive postseason invitation, has accepted a bid to the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and will face Utah on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. Kickoff will be at 5 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Cal finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record and tied for fifth place in the Pac-10 with a 5-4 mark. The Bears own a 5-1 bowl record during their current run under head coach Jeff Tedford, including last year's 24-17 win over Miami in the Emerald Bowl.
Overall, Cal will be making its 20th bowl appearance, with the Bears owning a 10-8-1 postseason record. Cal has twice played in bowl games in San Diego in recent years, having participated in the Holiday Bowl in 2004 and '06.
"We are looking forward to going to San Diego and playing in the Poinsettia Bowl," Tedford said.
"We've had great experiences in bowl games in San Diego in the past. We've always been treated very well, and the hospitality has been outstanding. We are looking forward to playing a quality opponent from the Mountain West Conference."
The Bears are 2-0 vs. Mountain West Conference schools in bowls. Cal defeated BYU, 35-28, in the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl and downed Air Force, 42-36, in the 2007 Armed Forced Bowl behind an MVP performance from quarterback Kevin Riley.
Riley, now a junior, has started all 12 games this year and completed the regular season 189-of-346 for 2,636 yards and 17 touchdowns, with just six interceptions. His passing yardage is the ninth most in school history and he can move into fourth place on the Cal season list with a 200-yard effort in the bowl game.
Riley's favorite target has been sophomore Marvin Jones, who has 38 catches for 607 yards and six scores. Jones had his first career 100-yard game at Washington last Saturday, finishing with six receptions for 107 yards.
In the backfield, Cal runners have combined to rush for 2,107 yards, the seventh straight year the Bears have accumulated at least 2,000 yards after not hitting the mark the previous 11 seasons.
Cal finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record and tied for fifth place in the Pac-10 with a 5-4 mark. The Bears own a 5-1 bowl record during their current run under head coach Jeff Tedford, including last year's 24-17 win over Miami in the Emerald Bowl.
Overall, Cal will be making its 20th bowl appearance, with the Bears owning a 10-8-1 postseason record. Cal has twice played in bowl games in San Diego in recent years, having participated in the Holiday Bowl in 2004 and '06.
"We are looking forward to going to San Diego and playing in the Poinsettia Bowl," Tedford said.
"We've had great experiences in bowl games in San Diego in the past. We've always been treated very well, and the hospitality has been outstanding. We are looking forward to playing a quality opponent from the Mountain West Conference."The Bears are 2-0 vs. Mountain West Conference schools in bowls. Cal defeated BYU, 35-28, in the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl and downed Air Force, 42-36, in the 2007 Armed Forced Bowl behind an MVP performance from quarterback Kevin Riley.
Riley, now a junior, has started all 12 games this year and completed the regular season 189-of-346 for 2,636 yards and 17 touchdowns, with just six interceptions. His passing yardage is the ninth most in school history and he can move into fourth place on the Cal season list with a 200-yard effort in the bowl game.
Riley's favorite target has been sophomore Marvin Jones, who has 38 catches for 607 yards and six scores. Jones had his first career 100-yard game at Washington last Saturday, finishing with six receptions for 107 yards.
In the backfield, Cal runners have combined to rush for 2,107 yards, the seventh straight year the Bears have accumulated at least 2,000 yards after not hitting the mark the previous 11 seasons.
Junior Jahvid Best, who has missed the last three games after being injured against Oregon State Nov. 7, continues to pace the team with 867 yards (96.3 ypg). His replacement in the starting lineup, sophomore Shane Vereen, has 830 yards (69.2 ypg) and has averaged 148.0 ypg since taking over the lead role.Defensively, junior linebacker Mike Mohamed tops the Pac-10 with 105 total tackles (8.75 per game), in addition to having picked off a team-high three interceptions.
"The University of California is excited to be a participant in the Poinsettia Bowl for the first time," Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. "The Golden Bears and all our fans are thrilled for the opportunity to continue our run of bowl-game success in a way that represents the excellence of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, as well as the loyalty of our program's supporters."
Utah enters the Poinsettia Bowl with a 9-3 overall record, finishing third in the MWC behind TCU and BYU with a 6-2 league mark. The Utes have the longest active bowl win streak in the nation, having claimed their last eight bowl games dating back to 1999. Last year, they upended Alabama, 31-17, in the Sugar Bowl to complete a 13-0 campaign and finish with a No. 2 national ranking. This year, the Utes are ranked 23rd in the Associated Press poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today ratings, and feature both a 1,000-yard rusher (Eddie Wide, 1,032 yards) and receiver (David Reed, 1,085 yards).
Cal owns a 4-2 series lead over Utah, but the teams haven't met since the Utes prevailed, 31-24, in Salt Lake City in 2003. The Poinsettia Bowl is celebrating its fifth year this December. Navy defeated Colorado State, 51-30, in the inaugural game in 2005, and other results are: 2006 - TCU 37, Northern Illinois 7; 2007 - Utah 35, Navy 32; 2008 - TCU 17, Boise State 16. latimes.com
CHRIS DUFRESNE / ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Bowl picks, predictions and a few downright guesses
The 'want to be there' factor could come into play in several of this season's games.
CHRIS DUFRESNE / ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Bowl picks, predictions and a few downright guesses
The 'want to be there' factor could come into play in several of this season's games.
December 17, 2009
The best luck I've had with bowl picks, other than randomly drawing out of Bear Bryant's hat, is selecting winners based on the "want to be there" factor. Roses and poinsettias are both flowers, true, but which stem would you pick?Be attuned to programs that have an overinflated sense of entitlement and self. Consider the emotional states of 19-year-old sophomores who didn't sign letters of intent intending to play Dec. 26 in Detroit, no matter how you slice it (the title pizza sponsor). In 2004, UCLA thought it was going to play Notre Dame in the Insight Bowl -- (hey, not a bad matchup) until Texas knocked Cal out of the Rose Bowl, sending UCLA to Las Vegas to play Wyoming (not where the Bruins thought they should be). Wyoming won, 24-21. Last season presented a textbook case when Utah walloped Alabama in the Sugar Bowl after the Crimson Tide was knocked out of the national title game by Florida. The science behind this is, well, there is no science behind it. It doesn't work for all matchups, yet it's probably as effective as crunching third-down conversion ratios. When all else fails, try rock-paper-scissors, or do what most of us "experts" do: guess.
The best luck I've had with bowl picks, other than randomly drawing out of Bear Bryant's hat, is selecting winners based on the "want to be there" factor. Roses and poinsettias are both flowers, true, but which stem would you pick?Be attuned to programs that have an overinflated sense of entitlement and self. Consider the emotional states of 19-year-old sophomores who didn't sign letters of intent intending to play Dec. 26 in Detroit, no matter how you slice it (the title pizza sponsor). In 2004, UCLA thought it was going to play Notre Dame in the Insight Bowl -- (hey, not a bad matchup) until Texas knocked Cal out of the Rose Bowl, sending UCLA to Las Vegas to play Wyoming (not where the Bruins thought they should be). Wyoming won, 24-21. Last season presented a textbook case when Utah walloped Alabama in the Sugar Bowl after the Crimson Tide was knocked out of the national title game by Florida. The science behind this is, well, there is no science behind it. It doesn't work for all matchups, yet it's probably as effective as crunching third-down conversion ratios. When all else fails, try rock-paper-scissors, or do what most of us "experts" do: guess.
Chris Dufresne
Saturday
New Mexico: Fresno State (8-4) vs. Wyoming (6-6) -- Pat Hill just received the mother of all pick-me-uppers: a contract extension. Winner: Fresno State St. Petersburg: Central Florida (8-4) vs. Rutgers (8-4) -- The Big Ten was 1-6 in bowls last year and might invite Rutgers to become its 12th member. Winner: Central Florida.
Sunday
New Orleans: Middle Tennessee (9-3) vs. Southern Miss (7-5) -- Sun Belt wins unless it blows a fan belt. The Blue Raiders are led by reindeer-fast quarterback Dwight Dasher. Winner: Middle Tennessee
Tuesday
Las Vegas: Brigham Young (10-2) vs. Oregon State (8-4) -- Call this game a "push." BYU is making its fifth straight appearance and has no players left to marry. Oregon State is disappointed not to be playing in the Rose Bowl. Winner: Oregon State \
Wednesday
Poinsettia: Utah (9-3) vs. California (8-4) -- Cal hoped to dethrone USC and play in the Rose Bowl but ends up playing the team that beat the Trojans in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl. Winner: Utah
Jahvid Best to miss bowl game for Cal
Dec 16, 11:52 pm EST
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP)—California star tailback Jahvid Best will not play in the Poinsettia Bowl as he continues his recovery from a frightening fall and concussion that sidelined him last month.
Coach Jeff Tedford said Wednesday that Best is feeling better since the injury against Oregon State that knocked him out and left him with a sore back on Nov. 7. But Tedford says there’s not enough time to get him back into “game-ready form” before the game next Wednesday against Utah.
Best missed the final three games of the regular season and has not practiced since the injury.
Best is one of the most dynamic running backs in the country. He finished the season with 16 touchdowns and 867 yards rushing. He has not decided whether to return to Cal for his senior season.
Updated: December 17, 2009, 12:14 AM ET
Best hasn't practiced since injury
Associated Press
BERKELEY, Calif. -- California star tailback Jahvid Best will not play in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl as he continues his recovery from a frightening fall and concussion that sidelined him last month.
Coach Jeff Tedford said Wednesday that Best is feeling better since the injury against Oregon State that knocked him out and left him with a sore back on Nov. 7. But Tedford says there's not enough time to get him back into "game-ready form" before the game next Wednesday against Utah.
Best missed the final three games of the regular season and has not practiced since the injury.
Best is one of the most dynamic running backs in the country. He finished the season with 16 touchdowns and 867 yards rushing. He has not decided whether to return to Cal for his senior season.
Best done at Cal?
December, 17, 2009
Dec 17 9:12 am ET
By Ted Miller
That spectacular and then terrifying dive, flip and fall that California running back Jahvid Best took against Oregon State on Nov. 7 might be the junior's final play in a Bears uniform. Best has been ruled out of playing in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23 against Utah because he's not yet fully recovered from the concussion and back injuries he suffered against the Beavers. Best, a potential NFL first-round draft pick this spring, has submitted his paperwork to the NFL draft advisory committee. The deadline for early entry is Jan. 15.
"Right now, I sent that in just to get information," Best told the Contra Costa Times. "After the bowl game, I'll sit down with my family and coaches and make a decision. As of now, I'm completely on top of the fence."Cal coach Jeff Tedford said Best hasn't had any setbacks and his rehab is going smoothly. He might have played had the Bears' bowl game been scheduled after Christmas. Shane Vereen, a sophomore, has been a more than capable replacement for Best, rushing for 444 yards and four touchdowns in three games as the starter. He likely will step into the starting role next fall if Best opts to enter the draft.
December, 17, 2009
Dec 17 9:12 am ET
By Ted Miller
That spectacular and then terrifying dive, flip and fall that California running back Jahvid Best took against Oregon State on Nov. 7 might be the junior's final play in a Bears uniform. Best has been ruled out of playing in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23 against Utah because he's not yet fully recovered from the concussion and back injuries he suffered against the Beavers. Best, a potential NFL first-round draft pick this spring, has submitted his paperwork to the NFL draft advisory committee. The deadline for early entry is Jan. 15.
"Right now, I sent that in just to get information," Best told the Contra Costa Times. "After the bowl game, I'll sit down with my family and coaches and make a decision. As of now, I'm completely on top of the fence."Cal coach Jeff Tedford said Best hasn't had any setbacks and his rehab is going smoothly. He might have played had the Bears' bowl game been scheduled after Christmas. Shane Vereen, a sophomore, has been a more than capable replacement for Best, rushing for 444 yards and four touchdowns in three games as the starter. He likely will step into the starting role next fall if Best opts to enter the draft.
The Underrated Players of the Year
December, 16, 2009
Dec 16
By Ted Miller
Not everybody gets invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony or earns All-America or all-conference honors. While stars -- playmakers on both sides of the ball -- are important, a team often thrives because of the lunch pail guys, players who do their jobs quietly and reliably off to the side and away from media and fan adulation. Who played well in the shadows this season? Here's a team-by-team list with their "Underrated Player of the Year."
California RB Shane Vereen: Vereen, a sophomore, rushed for 830 yards and 10 touchdowns as Jahvid Best's backup and then the Bears' starter when Best went down with a concussion. He rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns in the Big Game against Stanford. He also caught 22 passes for 224 yards, ranking third on the Bears, with two touchdowns.
Davis shines as Simi Valley rolls
By Sean Ceglinsky
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
For those who don’t follow Ventura County basketball very closely, Jonathan Davis might be an unfamiliar name. If he continues playing well, similar to the way did on Tuesday night, the 6-foot-7 junior from Simi Valley High will be about as well-known as they come.
In an opening-round game of the 25th annual Simi Valley Tip-off Classic, Davis did a little bit of everything for the Pioneers in their 94-34 victory over San Fernando, scoring 13 of his game-high 19 points in the first half to go along with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“We need him to be the guy for us,’’ said Simi Valley coach Christian Aurand, who lost his top two players, Lorne Jackson and Michael Meza, from a season ago to graduation. “Jonathan understands that there’s going to be times when we need him to put us on his back.’’
Davis did just that in the opening minutes against the Tigers (0-1), converting a pair of layups to give Simi Valley an 8-4 lead with 5:21 left in the first quarter.
Minutes later, he did something that won’t show up in any box score, harassing Margarito Pelayo at midcourt to create a turnover that led to a C.J. Faulwell layup. Davis added a rebound and a basket to extend the lead to 15-7 with 3:16 left in the first quarter.
“Whatever it takes to win,’’ Davis said.
He was just getting warmed up. With seconds left in the first quarter, Davis dribbled the ball the length of the floor for the Pioneers (1-0) and drew the defense toward him before passing to an open Nick Bruen, who knocked down a 3-pointer to give Simi Valley a 22-point lead at the end of one quarter.
“What can I say? Jonathan makes plays all over the court,’’ Pioneers assistant coach Ryan Moore said. “During practice, he plays all five positions for us. You saw it tonight, he can do everything. There’s a reason why 20 to 30 colleges call us on a weekly basis about him.’’
Pepperdine, Penn and UC Riverside were a few of the schools in attendance on Tuesday night.
And Davis didn’t do anything to disappoint the scouts during the second quarter. San Fernando had no answer for him as his back-to-back layups increased the lead to 45-13 with 4:57 left before intermission. Another easy bucket made it a 37-point lead with 2:43 left before halftime.
Make no mistake, Davis had help. The Pioneers defense was stifling, limiting the Tigers to three baskets during the second quarter. Football standout Matt Matulatis even got in on the act, converting a layup to give Simi Valley a 59-17 lead at the break.
It was more of the same in the second half. Davis made a layup, followed it with a nice pass to Bruen, then got to work underneath the basket. Davis scored on a left-handed bank shot and used his off hand to make a nice hook shot to give the Pioneers a 69-19 lead with 5:21 left in the third quarter.
“I came out tonight, I think we all came out tonight to show that we mean business,’’ said Davis, who sat out the entire fourth quarter. “We’re not here to play any games or mess around. We wanted to come out and get that first win underneath our belts.’’
Everyone who played for Simi Valley scored.
Faulwell and Bruen had each finished with 14 points. Grant Keller and Austin Hawk had nine points apiece. Brandon Behne and Joey Brinton had eight apiece. Anthony Mullinax had five and Danny Cox finished with six points and eight steals.
“Jonathan was a spark for us. He got after things tonight and that was nice to see,’’ Aurand said. “We wanted him to come out and be aggressive and he was. If he keeps that up, he’s going to give teams fits this year. We’re going to go as far as he can take us.”
By Sean Ceglinsky
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
For those who don’t follow Ventura County basketball very closely, Jonathan Davis might be an unfamiliar name. If he continues playing well, similar to the way did on Tuesday night, the 6-foot-7 junior from Simi Valley High will be about as well-known as they come.
In an opening-round game of the 25th annual Simi Valley Tip-off Classic, Davis did a little bit of everything for the Pioneers in their 94-34 victory over San Fernando, scoring 13 of his game-high 19 points in the first half to go along with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“We need him to be the guy for us,’’ said Simi Valley coach Christian Aurand, who lost his top two players, Lorne Jackson and Michael Meza, from a season ago to graduation. “Jonathan understands that there’s going to be times when we need him to put us on his back.’’Davis did just that in the opening minutes against the Tigers (0-1), converting a pair of layups to give Simi Valley an 8-4 lead with 5:21 left in the first quarter.
Minutes later, he did something that won’t show up in any box score, harassing Margarito Pelayo at midcourt to create a turnover that led to a C.J. Faulwell layup. Davis added a rebound and a basket to extend the lead to 15-7 with 3:16 left in the first quarter.
“Whatever it takes to win,’’ Davis said.
He was just getting warmed up. With seconds left in the first quarter, Davis dribbled the ball the length of the floor for the Pioneers (1-0) and drew the defense toward him before passing to an open Nick Bruen, who knocked down a 3-pointer to give Simi Valley a 22-point lead at the end of one quarter.
“What can I say? Jonathan makes plays all over the court,’’ Pioneers assistant coach Ryan Moore said. “During practice, he plays all five positions for us. You saw it tonight, he can do everything. There’s a reason why 20 to 30 colleges call us on a weekly basis about him.’’
Pepperdine, Penn and UC Riverside were a few of the schools in attendance on Tuesday night.
And Davis didn’t do anything to disappoint the scouts during the second quarter. San Fernando had no answer for him as his back-to-back layups increased the lead to 45-13 with 4:57 left before intermission. Another easy bucket made it a 37-point lead with 2:43 left before halftime.
Make no mistake, Davis had help. The Pioneers defense was stifling, limiting the Tigers to three baskets during the second quarter. Football standout Matt Matulatis even got in on the act, converting a layup to give Simi Valley a 59-17 lead at the break.
It was more of the same in the second half. Davis made a layup, followed it with a nice pass to Bruen, then got to work underneath the basket. Davis scored on a left-handed bank shot and used his off hand to make a nice hook shot to give the Pioneers a 69-19 lead with 5:21 left in the third quarter.
“I came out tonight, I think we all came out tonight to show that we mean business,’’ said Davis, who sat out the entire fourth quarter. “We’re not here to play any games or mess around. We wanted to come out and get that first win underneath our belts.’’
Everyone who played for Simi Valley scored.
Faulwell and Bruen had each finished with 14 points. Grant Keller and Austin Hawk had nine points apiece. Brandon Behne and Joey Brinton had eight apiece. Anthony Mullinax had five and Danny Cox finished with six points and eight steals.
“Jonathan was a spark for us. He got after things tonight and that was nice to see,’’ Aurand said. “We wanted him to come out and be aggressive and he was. If he keeps that up, he’s going to give teams fits this year. We’re going to go as far as he can take us.”
latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-plaschke13-2009dec13,0,2972258.column
latimes.com
UCLA's Tyler Trapani brings the John Wooden legacy home
The great-grandson of the legendary coach is a walk-on who rarely plays for the Bruins, but his attitude and actions reflect the principles that made Wooden, and his teams, so great.
Bill Plaschke
December 13, 2009
Bill Plaschke
December 13, 2009
Thirty-seven seconds remaining, UCLA down by 20, the coach stares at the far end of the bench, calls for the passing of the torch. "Tyler!" Ben Howland shouts. And here he comes, scurrying to the scorer's table and sprinting onto the court, never mistaking activity for achievement, a little thing making a big thing happen. Wooden's kid, playing basketball for UCLA in the Wooden Classic. John Wooden's great-grandson, the only relative of the great coach ever to suit up for Bruins, playing for his "Pa-Pa." "This is my heritage," says 19-year-old Tyler Trapani. "That's my boy," whispers 99-year-old John Wooden. It happened Saturday at the Honda Center, at the end of UCLA's 72-54 loss to Mississippi State, a brief but dazzling slant of light across a darkened afternoon. For a second consecutive year, the Wooden Classic game ended with an appearance by Wooden's living legacy, a sophomore guard known for his -- surprise -- work ethic and wisdom. For two years, this has been the only game in which Trapani has played. For two years, this has been his entire season in one minute. He is a non-scholarship player, the last guy on the bench, a 6-foot, stubbly-bearded plug of a kid from Simi Valley who shows up early and stays late and takes every hit. "I came to college to learn, and that's what I'm doing," Trapani says. He has learned he is not good enough to play big minutes for a big-time college basketball team, but that there's no shame in trying. "Every day, I just try to get better," he says. He has learned that the burden of a famous relative is not a burden at all, but an inspiration. "All these years watching my great-grandfather's films, now maybe he'll get to watch mine," he says. And he has learned timing is everything. Last year he played the final minute of a blowout victory over DePaul, but Wooden was being taken downstairs for the trophy ceremony and didn't see it. "It sounded good," Wooden recalls with a smile. On Saturday, Coach isn't strong enough for the trophy ceremony, so he remains in his wheelchair in his midcourt suite as the margin grows and the clock ticks and the family wonders. And then it happens, Trapani is summoned into the game, 37 seconds remaining, the arena barely half full, his energy filling the joint. He makes a good pass. He grabs a loose ball. He starts a fastbreak. And, in the final seconds, only when he is wide open and there are no other options, he throws up a three-point attempt. It barely catches the front of the rim, just misses, the remaining fans erupting in a giant sigh that nearly drowns out the buzzer. Trapani doesn't wince, doesn't even frown, simply turns to jump in line to congratulate Mississippi State. "The experience of a lifetime," he says. Upstairs, his great-grandfather was saying its about more than just the minute. "He is not the best athlete out there, but he is getting an education, he is growing and learning, and I'm so very proud of him for that," Wooden, his voice dulled by time, says softly.In the locker room later, for the first time all afternoon -- all season? -- Howland smiles. "Putting Tyler in the game there, it was the right thing to do," says the man who has nurtured Wooden's legacy as well as any UCLA coach. "The kid plays hard all year, he deserves a chance, and this is a great day to give it to him. "In the stands, his parents, Paul and Cathleen Trapani, are saying that the torch burns with more than basketball. "He's carrying on his great-grandfather's character," Paul says. "Even when times aren't so great, he's showing that character. "Indeed, Trapani could have played more minutes for a lower-division school, maybe even received a scholarship, but he chose UCLA anyway. Instead of running from the legend, he embraced it. "I figured this would be the best place for my education," he says. "I don't care what anybody says. "And when they do say something? "I tell them, 'Think what you want, I'm here to learn. "Once Trapani arrived, he told only Howland about his background. Not even the assistant coaches knew, and they initially marveled at this hustling walk-on before being informed of his heritage. "I know I'm representing my great-grandfather," Trapani says. "But I've got to do that while being me. "As an 8-year-old, Trapani once scoffed at some backyard basketball advice from his great-grandfather, telling Wooden, "I know that already. "His father was so embarrassed, he ushered the child inside and scolded him. "Don't you know that's the greatest coach in basketball history?" his father said. "No, that's just Pa-Pa," the son said. They were together again Saturday, handing off history, two lifetimes linked by one minute, the most splendid of minutes, quick but not hurried. bill.plaschke@latimes.comtwitter.com/billplaschke
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
Cal Poly Rallies Past Pepperdine, 83-77
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 12/05/2009
Pepperdine-Cal Poly Box Score
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - A 19-point first-half lead turned out not to be enough as the Pepperdine men's basketball team suffered an 83-77 loss at Cal Poly in Mott Gymnasium on Saturday night.
The Waves (3-5) jumped out to a 28-9 lead after 12 minutes but the Mustangs (2-5) battled back with a big second half. Junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) scored a career-high 19 points and pulled down a team-high-tying seven rebounds. He went 7-for-11 from the field. Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) had 18 points and five assists.
Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) scored a season-high 12 points and also had seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) contributed 11 points.
The Waves got off to an enormously successful start, as Dupre' had six points in a 9-0 run that gave Pepperdine a double-digit lead at 14-4 with 13:04 left. A 10-0 run was capped by a steal and a dunk by Bell that upped the lead to 24-7 with 9:36 to go. Bell later fed sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) for a lay-up that gave Pepperdine its largest lead of the half of 19 points at 28-9 with 8:10 to go.
Cal Poly picked things up offensively late in the half, however, and capitalized on a couple of Pepperdine mistakes. Still, the Waves set a season high for points in the first half and went into the break with a 41-31 lead. Dupre' led the way with 12 points in the first half, and he was one of five Waves that scored at least six points.
The Mustangs continued to chip away at the lead early in the second half, though the Waves still led by five at 59-54 with 10:25 to go after Bell scored on a lay-up.
Over the next four minutes, however, it was all Cal Poly as the Mustangs went from five points down to five points up at 64-59 with a 10-0 run. Dupre' finally put a stop to it with a three-pointer, but Cal Poly scored six more points to pull ahead 70-62 with less than four minutes left.
The Waves got as close as three points in the final minute but the Mustangs hit enough of their free throws to seal the win. The Mustangs had a slight edge in shooting percentage for the game (46.6%-45.3%), but they made 18 of their 31 second-half shots (58.1%). They got a game-high 22 points from Shawn Lewis.
Freshman guard Joshua Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS), who started the first seven games, was out of the lineup for the first time and did not play after spraining an ankle during practice this week. Dupre' made his first start of the season and second of his career.
After five straight games away from Malibu, the Waves begin a four-game homestand this Tuesday (Dec. 8) against Fresno State at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the game and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 12/05/2009
Pepperdine-Cal Poly Box Score
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - A 19-point first-half lead turned out not to be enough as the Pepperdine men's basketball team suffered an 83-77 loss at Cal Poly in Mott Gymnasium on Saturday night.
The Waves (3-5) jumped out to a 28-9 lead after 12 minutes but the Mustangs (2-5) battled back with a big second half. Junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) scored a career-high 19 points and pulled down a team-high-tying seven rebounds. He went 7-for-11 from the field. Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) had 18 points and five assists.
Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) scored a season-high 12 points and also had seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) contributed 11 points.
The Waves got off to an enormously successful start, as Dupre' had six points in a 9-0 run that gave Pepperdine a double-digit lead at 14-4 with 13:04 left. A 10-0 run was capped by a steal and a dunk by Bell that upped the lead to 24-7 with 9:36 to go. Bell later fed sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) for a lay-up that gave Pepperdine its largest lead of the half of 19 points at 28-9 with 8:10 to go.
Cal Poly picked things up offensively late in the half, however, and capitalized on a couple of Pepperdine mistakes. Still, the Waves set a season high for points in the first half and went into the break with a 41-31 lead. Dupre' led the way with 12 points in the first half, and he was one of five Waves that scored at least six points.
The Mustangs continued to chip away at the lead early in the second half, though the Waves still led by five at 59-54 with 10:25 to go after Bell scored on a lay-up.Over the next four minutes, however, it was all Cal Poly as the Mustangs went from five points down to five points up at 64-59 with a 10-0 run. Dupre' finally put a stop to it with a three-pointer, but Cal Poly scored six more points to pull ahead 70-62 with less than four minutes left.
The Waves got as close as three points in the final minute but the Mustangs hit enough of their free throws to seal the win. The Mustangs had a slight edge in shooting percentage for the game (46.6%-45.3%), but they made 18 of their 31 second-half shots (58.1%). They got a game-high 22 points from Shawn Lewis.
Freshman guard Joshua Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS), who started the first seven games, was out of the lineup for the first time and did not play after spraining an ankle during practice this week. Dupre' made his first start of the season and second of his career.
After five straight games away from Malibu, the Waves begin a four-game homestand this Tuesday (Dec. 8) against Fresno State at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the game and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Dec 29, 2008
Pepperdine Snaps Losing Streak, Beats Coppin State
Pepperdine Snaps Losing Streak, Beats Coppin State
HONOLULU (AP) ― Lorne Jackson made a driving layup with six seconds left to lead Pepperdine to a 58-56 win over Coppin State Monday in a consolation game at the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic. The Waves (2-12) snapped a 12-game losing streak dating back to Nov. 16 and will play in Tuesday's fifth-place game. The Eagles (1-10) dropped their 10th straight and will play in the seventh-place game. Coppin State's Tywain McKee made the second of two free throws to tie it at 56 with 42 seconds left. Jackson missed a 16-foot jumper with 19 seconds to play, but the Waves kept possession after the a Coppin State player knocked the ball out of bounds. Jackson then drove the lane, splitting a pair of defenders to lay it in with his right hand. Mychel Thompson led Pepperdine with 18 points, Dane Suttle Jr. added 15 points and Jackson had 10. McKee led all scorers with 21 points.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Varsity Times Insider
Times reporters blog about high school sports across the Southland
Basketball: Pepperdine making push for Simi Valley's Jackson
April 13, 2008
Simi Valley point guard Lorne Jackson is down to Pepperdine and George Mason with just a couple days left before Wednesday's signing day.
Jackson said Pepperdine had a slight edge before he took the court for Sunday's Battle of the Valley all-star game at Cal State Northridge.
I make Pepperdine the favorite because Waves assistant Marty Wilson is a former Simi Valley player who isn't about to lose out on a Pioneer player.
-- Eric Sondheimer
Jackson said Pepperdine had a slight edge before he took the court for Sunday's Battle of the Valley all-star game at Cal State Northridge.
I make Pepperdine the favorite because Waves assistant Marty Wilson is a former Simi Valley player who isn't about to lose out on a Pioneer player.
-- Eric Sondheimer
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
BALL TIME?...BUTTERBALL & JIVE TURKEY!
Men's Hoops Wins Tourney, Falls in OT
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information Release: 11/29/2009
Pepperdine-Wyoming Box Score
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Freshman guard Joshua Lowery hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left to send the game to overtime, but the Pepperdine men's basketball team ended up falling to host Wyoming, 86-82, on Sunday in the final game of the World Vision Challenge.
Pepperdine (3-4) had already earned the tournament title before the game tipped off, but had hoped to go through the event undefeated after earlier wins over Hampton and Monmouth. Wyoming improved to 3-4.
Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS), the tournament MVP, scored a game-high 28 points and averaged 26.7 over the three games.
Junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) had 16 points, sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) had 11 points and Lowery added 10.
The Waves overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half and still trailed by 11 with less than five minutes to play when they began their comeback. Bell had a couple of baskets and Lowery also hit a three-pointer with 1:20 to play. Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) made a lay-up with 25 seconds left to cut the Cowboy lead to 79-76, and after a Wyoming turnover, Lowery's three-pointer tied the game. Both teams missed shots in the final seconds of regulation.
In overtime, a jumper by Bell tied the score at 81-81, but the Cowboys scored five of the game's final six points.
Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) also made the all-tournament team after averaging 15.3 points over the three games.
Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury was making his first-ever appearance at his alma mater as a visiting coach.
The Waves play their fifth straight game away from Firestone Fieldhouse next Saturday (Dec. 5) at Cal Poly at 7 p.m. Fans can listen to Al Epstein's broadcasts at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Nov 30, 2009 2:32 am US/Pacific
Latest California Sports:
PEPPERDINE-WYOMING Davis, Wyoming turn back Pepperdine 86-82 in OTLARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — A.J. Davis scored 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for the Waves (3-4), who won the event with victories over Hampton and Monmouth.The Cowboys led by 11 with 4:49 to play. But Pepperdine tied it on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 9 seconds left.Davis' steal and layup with 2:33 left in overtime put the Cowboys in front for good at 83-81.Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 each for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.Jonathan Dupre (doo-PRAY') scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10.
Davis, Wyoming turn back Pepperdine 86-82 in OT
Nov 29, 8:02 pm EST
Preview Box Score Recap
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP)—A.J. Davis scored 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.
The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.
Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for the Waves (3-4), who won the event with victories over Hampton and Monmouth.
The Cowboys led by 11 with 4:49 to play. But Pepperdine tied it on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 9 seconds left.
Davis’ steal and layup with 2:33 left in overtime put the Cowboys in front for good at 83-81.
Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 each for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.
Jonathan Dupre scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10.
Davis, Wyoming turn back Pepperdine 86-82 in OT
The Associated Press
Posted: 11/29/2009 05:00:17 PM PST
Updated: 11/29/2009 05:55:20 PM PST
LARAMIE, Wyo.—A.J. Davis scored a career-high 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.
The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.
"I thought it was a really good win for our guys, to come back after three tough days and to bounce back short-handed and gut it out for a win against a really good team," Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said.
"I couldn't be happier for my guys."
Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for Pepperdine (3-4), which won the tournament based on victories over Hampton and Monmouth.
The Cowboys appeared to be in control in the second half, leading by 11 with 4:25 to play. But Pepperdine chipped away and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 11 seconds left.
Wyoming's JayDee Luster missed an off-balance jumper with 2 seconds left, and Bell had a chance to win it in regulation but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Davis, who scored five of Wyoming's seven overtime points, got a steal and jumper with 2:23 left in OT to put the Cowboys in front for good 83-81.
"I just trusted my teammates, and they just trusted me," Davis said. "Coach emphasizes trust, and he just wants us to come out and play as one, whether it's as a coaching staff or as a team, and that's what we did."
Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 points each
for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.
Jonathan Dupre scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10. "We made too many mistakes to win the game," Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury said. "We put them on the foul line too many times. I think we may have been a little tired. Three games in three days is a grind, but we all had to do it. "Overall, I'm happy with my young team's performance."
The Cowboys shot just 41 percent and hit only 4 of 18 3-pointers, but Wyoming had only three 3-pointers in 39 attempts in its previous three games, all losses. Two early 3-pointers by Ryan Dermody and Davis gave them a boost, Schroyer said. "I think the difference was just making a couple of shots from the perimeter in the first half," Schroyer said. "I could sense that the guys were more relaxed
Recap: Wyoming vs. Pepperdine
By Sports Network; The Sports Network
Published: 11/29/09 5:46 pm
A.J. Davis tallied 20 points as the Wyoming Cowboys held on for an 86-82 overtime victory over the Pepperdine Waves as part of the World Vision Basketball Challenge at Arena Auditorium in Laramie.
Adam Waddell netted 15 points for Wyoming (3-4), which got 10 points from Djibril Thiam.
Keion Bell, the MVP of the tournament, racked up 28 points in defeat for Pepperdine (3-4). Jonathan Dupre finished with 16 points for the Waves, and Lorne Jackson added 11 points.
The Cowboys, who surrendered just 37.9 percent shooting from the floor in the game, led 36-31 at intermission.
Wyoming led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but Pepperdine fought back and forced overtime with a three-pointer by Joshua Lowery with nine seconds remaining. That clutch shot tied the score at 79-79.
A layup by Davis midway through the low-scoring extra session put the Cowboys up for good.
LARAMIE, Wyo. -
The Wyoming Cowboy Basketball team will host the 2009 World Vision Challenge over Thanksgiving weekend. The tournament will be played at the Arena-Auditorium from Friday through Sunday and will feature two games each day. The Cowboys will welcome Pepperdine, Hampton and Monmouth to the tournament.
The Cowboys will open the tournament against Monmouth on Friday at 7:30 p.m., will then play Hampton on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and will finally play Pepperdine on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Schedule/Tie-Breaker Info
Multimedia coverage of each game is listed below...
Friday, Nov. 27 - Hampton vs. Pepperdine (H), 4:30 p.m. MTLive Stats Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format
Friday, Nov. 27 - Monmouth vs. Wyoming (H), 7:30 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format , Game Recap
Saturday, Nov. 28 - Pepperdine vs. Monmouth (H), 4:30 p.m. MTLive Stats Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format
Saturday, Nov. 28 - Hampton vs. Wyoming (H), 7:30 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format , Game Recap
Sunday, No. 29 - Monmouth vs. Hampton (H), 12 p.m. MTLive Stats Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format
Sunday, No. 29 - Pepperdine vs. Wyoming (H), 3 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference
The naming rights to the tournament were donated to World Vision by Basketball Travelers, Inc
Davis, Wyoming turn back Pepperdine 86-82 in OT
The Associated Press
Posted: 11/29/2009 05:00:17 PM PST
Updated: 11/29/2009 05:55:20 PM PST
LARAMIE, Wyo.—A.J. Davis scored a career-high 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.
The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.
"I thought it was a really good win for our guys, to come back after three tough days and to bounce back short-handed and gut it out for a win against a really good team," Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said.
"I couldn't be happier for my guys."
Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for Pepperdine (3-4), which won the tournament based on victories over Hampton and Monmouth.
The Cowboys appeared to be in control in the second half, leading by 11 with 4:25 to play. But Pepperdine chipped away and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 11 seconds left.
Wyoming's JayDee Luster missed an off-balance jumper with 2 seconds left, and Bell had a chance to win it in regulation but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Davis, who scored five of Wyoming's seven overtime points, got a steal and jumper with 2:23 left in OT to put the Cowboys in front for good 83-81.
"I just trusted my teammates, and they just trusted me," Davis said. "Coach emphasizes trust, and he just wants us to come out and play as one, whether it's as a coaching staff or as a team, and that's what we did."
Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 points each
for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.
Jonathan Dupre scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10.
"We made too many mistakes to win the game," Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury said. "We put them on the foul line too many times. I think we may have been a little tired. Three games in three days is a grind, but we all had to do it.
"Overall, I'm happy with my young team's performance."
The Cowboys shot just 41 percent and hit only 4 of 18 3-pointers, but Wyoming had only three 3-pointers in 39 attempts in its previous three games, all losses. Two early 3-pointers by Ryan Dermody and Davis gave them a boost, Schroyer said.
"I think the difference was just making a couple of shots from the perimeter in the first half," Schroyer said. "I could sense that the guys were more relaxed and were not as uptight. We were able to knock down shots, and we guarded pretty well."
A.J. Davis scored 20 points in Wyoming's 86-82 win over Pepperdine on Sunday.
Men's Basketball Home
Nov. 29, 2009
LARAMIE, Wyo.(AP) -- A.J. Davis scored 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.
The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.
Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for the Waves (3-4), who won the event with victories over Hampton and Monmouth.
The Cowboys led by 11 with 4:49 to play. But Pepperdine tied it on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 9 seconds left.
Davis' steal and layup with 2:33 left in overtime put the Cowboys in front for good at 83-81.
Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 each for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.
Jonathan Dupre scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10.
HAWKS FALL 82-73 TO PEPPERDINE IN WORLD VISION CHALLENGE
Courtesy: Monmouth Sports Information
Boxscore: Pepperdine 82, Monmouth 73
LARAMIE, WYO. - Despite 20 points from Whitney Coleman, Travis Taylor's second straight double-double and five three-pointers from Justin Sofman, the Monmouth men's basketball team fell to Pepperdine University 82-73, in its second contest in the 2009 World Vision Challenge, at the Arena-Auditorium on Saturday. Coleman, who scored a team-high 24 points in the Hawks' victory over host Wyoming the night before, went 6-for-12 from the field for his second straight 20-point outing.
Taylor, who added 13 points and 10 rebounds recorded his third career double-double, while Sofman tied a season-best with his five treys, and eight rebounds. Ed Waite added 10 points for the Blue and White, while James Hett (who has played all 80 minutes in the two games so far) notched eight assists and four boards. Mike Myers Keitt chipped in nine points and three rebounds off the bench for the Hawks.Monmouth snared an early 6-3 edge as Sofman drained consecutive three-pointers within a minute, but the Waves responded with a 10-2 spurt - five of which came from the free throw line - to take a 13-8 lead with 13:50 remaining. Sofman's third trifecta off an inbounds play, pulled the Hawks within 13-11 with 9:25 showing and Myers Keitt's traditional three-point play made the score 15-14 at 8:02. Pepperdine took a 19-16 advantage on Keion Bell's offensive rebound and putback, but the Hawks answered with a Taylor basket off a feed from Coleman to tie the score at 19-19 and took a 22-21 lead on Sofman's wing trey with 4:05 left until the break. Monmouth extended its lead to 23-21 on a Taylor free throw, but the Waves outscored the Hawks 8-4 to end the stanza, and take a 29-27 lead at the half.
Pepperdine went ahead 28-23, after back-to-back three-pointers, but a Taylor dunk, and Coleman's long two-pointer with 2.0 seconds left, pulled the Hawks within a pair at the break. Both teams hit three's out of the break, and Coleman's second trey of the half trimmed the lead to 34-33 with 18:55 on the clock. The Waves then scored the next seven points to grab a 41-33 advantage with 17:11 showing.Pepperdine put together a 12-5 run to grab a 15-point advantage with 11:52 remaining, as the Waves took a 53-38 lead on Mychel Thompson's three-point play.Six points from Sofman, including his fifth three-pointer, and a layup from Myers Keitt pulled Monmouth within 55-46 with just under nine minutes to play. After Myers Keitt's two free throws trimmed the lead to 57-48 with 8:11 left, back-to-back Bell baskets reclaimed a 61-48 advantage for the Waves. Coleman netted the next five points for the Hawks, as Monmouth climbed within 61-53 with 5:52 left in the game.Taylor, who was fouled after tracking down an offensive rebound, connected on a pair of free throws to make the score 63-56 with 4:36 showing. Coleman's three-pointer with 1:50 on the clock pulled the Hawks within 72-65, and a Waite lay-in made the tally 78-73 with 21.0 ticks left, but Pepperdine made four free throws in the final seconds to hold on for the 82-73 win. Bell, who scored 24 second-half points, netted a game-high 34 points for the Waves (3-3).Monmouth (2-4) returns to action in the 2009 World Vision Basketball Challenge, on Sunday, when the Hawks face Hampton at noon. The naming rights to the tournament were donated to World Vision by Basketball Travelers, Inc. As a Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision aims to contribute to a 75 percent reduction in malaria cases, with the end goal of nearly zero preventable malaria deaths by 2015. World Vision works in 62 malaria-endemic countries, 23 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Bell's 34 Points Lead Waves Past Monmouth
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/28/2009
Pepperdine-Monmouth Box Score
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Behind a career-high 34 points from sophomore guard Keion Bell, the Pepperdine men's basketball team won for the second day in a row with an 82-73 victory over Monmouth at Wyoming's World Vision Challenge on Saturday.
Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) hit 11 of 16 shots from the field and went 1-for-2 on three-pointers and 11-for-12 on free throws. He surpassed his previous career high of 32 points, set last year at San Francisco. Bell also had nine rebounds, four assists and four steals today.
Pepperdine improved to 3-3 overall and is 2-0 in the tournament.
Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) contributed 16 points, one day after scoring a game-high 22 points in a 75-66 victory over Hampton. He hit four three-pointers today, bringing his two-day total to nine.
Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) added 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Waves committed just four turnovers while forcing 14, leading to a 24-6 edge in points off turnovers. Pepperdine also outshot Monmouth (2-4), 46.3% to 40.0%.
Three-pointers by Suttle and Bell toward the end of the first half gave the Waves a 28-23 lead, one they would never relinquish. Pepperdine went into the break with a 29-27 lead.
A three-pointer by junior forward Jonathan
Waves Shoot Down Hampton, 75-66
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/27/2009
Pepperdine-Hampton Box Score
(LARAMIE, Wyo. - Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. scored a career-high 22 points and made all five of his three-pointers to help lead the Pepperdine men's basketball team to a 75-66 victory over Hampton on Friday at Wyoming's World Vision Challenge.
The Waves (2-3) also got 18 points from sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS), who narrowly missed his fifth straight 20-point game.
Suttle scored 18 of his points in the first half, including all five three-pointers, as Pepperdine rallied from an early eight-point deficit to take a 31-28 lead at halftime.
Hampton (0-5) tied the game just once in the second half at 42-42 with 10:56 left, but Bell scored the game's next seven points on a three-pointer, a steal and lay-up and another lay-up to put the Waves in front to stay. Bell scored 15 of his 18 in the second half.
Hampton got as close as three points at 53-50 with under seven minutes to play, but sophomore center Corbin Moore (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) scored five quick points, helping the Waves go up by 10 for the first time when Bell hit a free throw with 4:25 left, making it 65-55.
The Waves shot a season-best 51.0% and held the Pirates to 30.9% shooting, a low this season by a Pepperdine opponent. The Waves' bench, led by Suttle, outscored Hampton's 39-10.
Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury is making his first-ever appearance at his alma mater as a visiting coach.
This was the first of three games that Pepperdine will play in the World Vision Challenge. The Waves take on Monmouth on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. PT, and host Wyoming on Sunday at 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT. Fans can listen to Al Epstein's broadcasts at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Pepperdine wins 75-66 over Hampton. Monmouth schocks Wyoming 75-73 in night cap.
Pepperdine was led by Dane Suttle Jr's 5 threes and career high 22 points along with star guard Keion Bell's 18,6 and 5. Hampton again failed to win a game down the stretch, but was led by Darriem Pullem's 16.In the nightcap, it was an affair of two teams devastated by missing key players. Wyoming was missing star forward Adam Muojoke (20.8 ppg), and Monmouth was missing starting center Dutch Gaitley and 6th man/2nd leading scorer Will Campbell (12.3 ppg) due to the flu. Also, forward Mike Myers-Keitt went down in the second half to an ankle injury and did not return. Wyoming was led by 22 points by Desmar Jackson. Monmouth relied mostly on 6 players, with Travis Taylor going for a double double (10/10), Ed Waite offerring up 11 points and 8 boards in his first career start, MMK hit for 11 before leaving with the ankle injury, James Hett had a solid floor game (3 pts, 6 rbs, 6 assts), Justin Sofman poured in 16 including 5 threes and 5th year senior guard Whitney Coleman broke out of his early season slump for 24 points, including the game winning jumper with 3.6 seconds left. MU looks to continue this momentum tomorrow against Pepperdine, and Wyoming looks to get back on track for their home fans as they host Hampton in Day 2 of the World Vision Challenge. I couldn't be happier for Whitney Coleman. A great leader and a class act. As a team the Hawks showed some mettle and I love to see mental toughness and a will to win despite being short handed.
latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-southland28-2009nov28,0,2649252.story
latimes.com
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Pepperdine beats Hampton, 75-66
November 28, 2009
MEN Pepperdine 75, Hampton 66: Dane Suttle scored a career-high 22 points for the Waves in the World Vision Challenge at Laramie, Wyo. Pepperdine (2-3) overcame an early eight-point deficit and rode hot outside shooting by Suttle, who made all five of his three-point attempts in the first half. Keion Bell scored 18 points for the Waves, who made six free throws in the final 1:23 to seal the win. Darrion Pellum and Michael Freeman each scored 16 points for the Pirates (0-4).
2009 World Vision Challenge
Four-team tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming, Nov. 27-29.
Men's Basketball Home
LARAMIE, Wyo. -
The Wyoming Cowboy Basketball team will host the 2009 World Vision Challenge over Thanksgiving weekend. The tournament will be played at the Arena-Auditorium from Friday through Sunday and will feature two games each day. The Cowboys will welcome Pepperdine, Hampton and Monmouth to the tournament.
The Cowboys will open the tournament against Monmouth on Friday at 7:30 p.m., will then play Hampton on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and will finally play Pepperdine on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Schedule/Tie-Breaker Info
Multimedia coverage of each game is listed below...
Friday, Nov. 27 - Hampton vs. Pepperdine (H), 4:30 p.m. MTLive Stats
Friday, Nov. 27 - Monmouth vs. Wyoming (H), 7:30 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference
Saturday, Nov. 28 - Pepperdine vs. Monmouth (H), 4:30 p.m. MTLive Stats
Saturday, Nov. 28 - Hampton vs. Wyoming (H), 7:30 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference
Sunday, No. 29 - Monmouth vs. Hampton (H), 12 p.m. MTLive Stats
Sunday, No. 29 - Pepperdine vs. Wyoming (H), 3 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference
The naming rights to the tournament were donated to World Vision by Basketball Travelers, Inc. As a Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision aims to contribute to a 75 percent reduction in malaria cases, with the end goal of nearly zero preventable malaria deaths by 2015. World Vision works in 62 malaria-endemic countries, 23 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Suttle scores 22 as Pepperdine tops Hampton 75-66
7 hours, 24 minutes ago
Preview Box Score Recap
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP)—Dane Suttle scored a career-high 22 points as Pepperdine pulled away from Hampton 75-66 Friday in the World Vision Challenge.
Pepperdine (2-3) overcame an early eight-point deficit to ride hot outside shooting by Suttle, who hit all five of his 3-point attempts in the first half.
Darrion Pellmum and Michael Freeman both scored 16 points for Hampton (0-4). Charles Funches finished with 11 points and Vincent Simpson had 10 for the Pirates.
Keion Bell scored 18 points for Pepperdine, which led 31-28 at halftime and only 53-50 with 6:54 to go. Corbin Moore then scored five points and the Waves hit six free throws in the final 1:23 to seal the win.
The Waves shot 51 percent from the field (26 of 51), to just 31 percent for Hampton (17 of 55).
11/23/2009 11:12:46 PM
HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s and women’s basketball teams will have a busy week, as the Pirates and Lady Pirates take to the road for games before Thanksgiving and tournaments after the holiday.
The Pirates will head to Laramie, Wyo. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the World Vision Basketball Challenge. On top of playing the host Cowboys of the University of Wyoming, Hampton will also take on Monmouth (1-2) and Pepperdine (2-2). The Pirates will face Pepperdine on Friday at 6:30 p.m. EST, before facing Wyoming on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. EST and Monmouth on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST.The Pirates have never faced Wyoming (3-1) or Pepperdine, but are 0-2 all-time against Monmouth. The Hawks won the first meeting between the two teams on Nov. 24, 2003, beating Hampton 64-52, before taking a 71-49 win on March 14, 2006 in the opening round game in the NCAA Tournament.For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at http://www.hamptonpirates.com/.
Waves Prepare for World Vision Challenge
Click on the above video player for an interview with Jonathan Dupre'.
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes (PDF)
November 25, 2009
THE FACTS - Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury returns to his alma mater as the Waves take part in the World Vision Challenge, hosted by Wyoming, this weekend. The four-team, round-robin tournament also includes Hampton and Monmouth. Pepperdine is in the midst of a five-game stretch away from Firestone Fieldhouse.
GAME #5 - Friday (Nov. 27) at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo.: Pepperdine (1-3) vs. Hampton (0-3) at 4:30 p.m MT/3:30 p.m. PT.
GAME #6 - Saturday (Nov. 28) at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo.: Pepperdine vs. Monmouth (1-3) at 4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m PT.
GAME #7 - Sunday (Nov. 29) at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo.: Pepperdine (1-2) at Wyoming (2-1) at 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT.
ON THE WEB - Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men's basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 25th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team's website when the Waves are on the road.
WORLD VISION - The naming rights to the tournament were donated to World Vision by Basketball Travelers, Inc. As a Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision aims to contribute to a 75 percent reduction in malaria cases, with the end goal of nearly zero preventable malaria deaths by 2015. World Vision works in 62 malaria-endemic countries, 23 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. For more information, visit www.endmalaria.org.
HAMPTON - This is the first meeting between Pepperdine and Hampton. The Pirates were picked fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason coaches poll.
MONMOUTH - Monmouth earned a 56-54 win in Malibu during the 1989-90 season, the only previous meeting between the two schools. The Hawks' Alex Blackwell scored on a putback with one second left for the game-winner. It was Tom Asbury's second year as head coach. Monmouth was picked ninth out of 12 teams in the Northeast Conference's preseason coaches poll.
WYOMING - Pepperdine and Wyoming have split their two previous meetings, both of which took place in Laramie. The Cowboys won 75-68 in December 1959 and the Waves won 72-69 in March 2001 in an NIT first-round matchup. Assistant coach Will Kimble appeared briefly in that game and the Waves were led by Brandon Armstrong's 29 points. Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury graduated from Wyoming in 1968 and was a three-year letterman on the men's basketball team, and was team captain his senior year when the Cowboys advanced to the NCAA Tournament. This is Asbury's first trip back to his alma mater as an opposing coach. Wyoming, which took part in the College Basketball Invitational last season, was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West Conference's preseason media poll.
LAST GAME - Keion Bell continued his exceptional start, but UCLA pulled away in the final eight minutes as the Waves lost in Pauley Pavilion, 71-52, on Monday night. Bell had a game-high 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half, for his fourth straight game with 20 or more points. Unfortunately, no one else on Pepperdine had more than six points as UCLA outshot the Waves 54.3% to 41.3%. UCLA led by eight at halftime (28-20) but Bell's big second half helped Pepperdine stay close for a while. It was still just a five-point game (48-43) with a little more than eight minutes left before UCLA went on a 12-1 run to break away.
SUPER SOPHS - Last season, Pepperdine's eight-man freshman class scored more than half of the Waves' points (57.4%). After four games, the now-sophomore class has contributed 74.0% of Pepperdine's scoring.
BELL'S BIG START - Keion Bell scored 20 points against Pacific, 21 against Long Beach State and 22 against both Cal State San Bernardino and UCLA. Last year as a freshman, despite being Pepperdine's leading scorer (12.9 ppg), he had a total of only three 20-point games the entire season (none that were back-to-back). The last Pepperdine player to score 20 or more points in four straight games was Glen McGowan in January 2005. The last to do in in five straight was Terrance Johnson in February/March 2003. The last member of the Waves to start a season with four 20-point games was Dane Suttle Sr. in 1982-83 (his streak ended at six).
MORE ABOUT BELL - Keion Bell is saving his best for last. He's averaged 5.3 points in the first half and 16.0 points after halftime ... He needs just three points for 500 in his career ... In the WCC's statistical rankings, he is #2 in scoring (21.3), tied for #6 in assists (3.8), tied for #7 in steals (1.8) and tied for #10 in rebounding (6.5).
TEAM CAPTAIN - Mychel Thompson was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. The junior forward is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. Now in his third year as a starter, he is averaging 8.7 points for his career and made 91 three-pointers.
YOUTUBE SENSATION - Keion Bell, a preseason All-WCC first team selection, got Pepperdine a ton of publicity in mid-October. At Blue & Orange Madness, Pepperdine's event to kick off the start of practice, the sophomore guard finished up the dunk contest by leaping over five teammates and slamming it home. A Pepperdine fan happened to record the dunk on his iPhone and uploaded it onto YouTube. It quickly spread around the internet and at last check had nearly 1.1 million hits. ESPN's SportsCenter picked up the video and made the dunk the #2 Play of the Day.
WCC PRESEASON POLL - According to the WCC's coaches, the Waves are predicted to finish seventh in the conference. Their poll went in the following order: Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara (tied), San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Several national publications and websites have differing opinions on the Waves, including fourth (The Sporting News), fifth (The Sports Network), sixth (Athlon and Lindy's) and seventh (Rivals.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net).
ROSTER - Pepperdine returns 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). There are also five newcomers, bringing the roster total to 16. There are no seniors on the squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Twelve are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
RETURNERS - Four of the five starters from last year's team return (Keion Bell, Taylor Darby, Corbin Moore and Mychel Thompson). Pepperdine's returning players account for 82.5% percent of last year's scoring (1629/1974), 88.3% of the rebounds (919/1041), 65.4% of the assists (223/341), 95.0% of the blocked shots (96/101) and 77.2% of the steals (166/215).
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - Tom Asbury believes in preparing his team for league play with a difficult non-conference slate of games, and so that's what the Waves are in the midst of. The Waves play six games against non-conference teams that took part in the postseason last year: Portland State, UCLA and Utah made the NCAA Tournament, Miami (Fla.) was in the NIT, Wyoming was in the College Basketball Invitational and Pacific was in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Nine of the 16 non-conference games are at home.
TELEVISION - The Waves are slated to appear on television several times once again in 2009-10. Six games will be shown locally - Nov. 23 at UCLA on Fox Sports West, Jan. 14 vs. Santa Clara on ESPNU, Jan. 21 at Gonzaga on Prime Ticket (delayed), Jan. 30 vs. San Diego on Prime Ticket, Feb. 18 vs. Portland on Prime Ticket and Feb. 20 vs. Gonzaga on Fox Sports West.
TOM ASBURY - Now in his second stint in charge of the Waves is coaching great Tom Asbury. He returned to Malibu prior to the 2008-09 campaign to become the Waves' head coach again after 14 seasons away. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for nine years as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He went on to serve as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first head coaching job at Pepperdine and took the Waves to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, '92, '94) and two in the NIT (1989, '93). Pepperdine won three regular-season WCC titles and the school's only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, his seven-year record at Pepperdine was 134-82 (.620) and his 13-year record as a head coach was 219-170 (.563).
ASSISTANTS - Upon his return, Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It's believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
LAST SEASON - Tom Asbury's return to Pepperdine brought much-needed stability to the program in his first season back. With only five players returning, Asbury and his new staff brought in 10 newcomers well after the regular letter-of-intent signing period. The young Waves posted a 9-23 overall record but got much better as the year went on, placing sixth in the WCC with a 5-9 record and winning a first-round game at the WCC Tournament. Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY - This is the 72nd season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2009-10 with an all-time record of 1,111-910 (.550). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST - Pepperdine has long been one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Over the 31-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2008-09 campaign, of the 32 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2009-10 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (525) and winning percentage (.565) over the past 31 years.
WAVES IN THE PROS - This is the 34th consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his fourth season overall and his second with the Miami Heat. A total of 16 former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Alex Acker (Italy), Tezale Archie (Netherlands), Brandon Armstrong (Venezuela), Gerald Brown (Poland), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Finland.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports - one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
Classic Cowboy returns for World Vision Classic
By BOB HAMMOND Boomerang Sports EditorPublished:
There once was a time when basketball was considered to be mostly a finesse game. As players grew bigger, stronger and faster over the years, physical was added to the equation. Now it is a game that blends physicality with finesse. The University of Wyoming has had a number of players over the years where the physical side of the game was a big part of their repertoire.Among the first Cowboy players to receive a considerable amount of media attention for the physical part of the game was current Pepperdine head basketball coach Tom Asbury, whose Waves are among three other teams competing with Wyoming in the World Vision Basketball Classic today through Sunday in the Arena-Auditorium.
The round-robin tournament will feature two games a day in the A-A. Hampton and Monmouth are also taking part. Asbury’s physicality and non-stop hustle, along with the red shade his skin would turn during a game, made the former Denver George Washington High School star a Cowboy crowd favorite during his playing days in the mid-1960s. “I guess I considered myself a reasonably physical player. I played with a lot of guys who were more finesse players,” said Asbury, whose Cowboy teammates included UW Hall of Famers Flynn Robinson and Dick Sherman in his early years, and the likes of Harry Hall, Mike Eberle, Cliff Nelson, Bobby Wilson and Gary Van Krosigk in his senior campaign. “I don’t think I quite get as red anymore … that was kind of the way I played. Now that I’m not playing and just coaching, I probably still get a little pink in the face,”
Asbury added with a laugh. Asbury, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound forward, was recruited to Wyoming by and played under then Cowboy coach Bill Strannigan. He lettered three years (1965-67) at UW. The Cowboys posted a combined record of 48-33 in the years that he lettered.In his senior year at UW, Asbury was a team captain and earned All-Western Athletic Conference honors while leading the Cowboys to the WAC championship and into the NCAA Tournament.During that final season, center Ken Collins was suspended from the team early and the Cowboys had to make a nice run at the end to finish the year at 15-14 overall. The Cowboys won nine of their last 11 games, including the last seven, to win the WAC and get into the NCAA Tournament.One of those victories was a 65-64 win over New Mexico and former Lobo great Mel Daniels in The Pit. “That was a great moment in my Cowboy career,” Asbury said. “I think it was the first game they ever lost in The Pit when Daniels was playing. If we hadn’t upset New Mexico we wouldn’t have won the WAC or went to the NCAAs that year.”
Asbury finished his Cowboy career with 630 points and 530 rebounds in 78 games.“We had some great years … great years in football and basketball,” Asbury recalled. “My last two years there, the football team was 10-1 (and played in the Sun Bowl and Sugar Bowl).“All the athletes were close and both programs were very successful. We had a great time. My senior year we won the championship and went on to play UCLA (and Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in the NCAAs.“ It was a great era for Wyoming athletics,” he added. That wasn’t the end of Asbury’s stint at Wyoming. He later returned as an assistant coach under Don DeVoe (1976-78) and then Jim Brandenburg (1978-79). Asbury also interviewed for the head basketball coaching position at Wyoming — in 1977 and again in 1993.He wasn’t offered the job in 1977 … it went to Jim Brandenburg. In 1993 he was offered the job, but turned it down. The job eventually went to Joby Wright.“
The timing wasn’t right either time,” Asbury said. Now, Asbury will be returning to Laramie this weekend for the first time in more than two decades.“I’m really looking forward to it,” Asbury said. “I haven’t been back to Laramie in a long time. I’m from Denver and I very rarely get back there anymore either. My parents are gone and so is my brother. I don’t have a lot of relatives left in the Denver area.” Still, he expects one of his nephews — his brother’s son — and a number of friends from the Denver area as well as some of his friends from school to be in town this weekend for the tournament.“It won’t be a huge crew because it’s not a very good weekend (Thanksgiving),” he added.
Asbury is in his second year and the second time around at Pepperdine. In his first stint (1988-94) he guided the Waves to an overall record of 125-59. He was the conference coach of the year twice and took Pepperdine to three NCAA Tournaments and two NIT appearances.“We kind of were where Gonzaga is now,” Asbury said. “The reason we left is that we kind of got bored. We had it pretty easy. That’s when I went to Kansas State.” Things didn’t go as well at Kansas State. The Wildcats went 85-88 in his six seasons before he was let go. After a few years in private business and then four years (2003-07) as an assistant at Alabama, he returned to Pepperdine.“We were gone 14 years and they had seven head coaches. The program was at rock-bottom when I got back,” Asbury said.
In his first season lat year, the Waves went 9-23. They are 1-3 so far this season.“We’re still a young team with two freshmen point guards, and they are 1-2. That’s like having two freshmen quarterbacks,” Asbury said. “We are primarily a freshman and sophomore team with no seniors. As young as we were last year, we really haven’t got much older.“ We are trying to rebuild this program from the grass roots up. We’re young and inexperienced although I think we may be a little better than last year. We are still one or two years away from being even remotely close to where we were when I left in 1994,” he added.
With the joyous feelings of the Big Game win and Thanksgiving break now officially over, the Bears get back to work this week in preparation for the regular season finale against Washington 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Seattle. Earlier this week, Cal running back Shane Vereen -- who has become the toast of the town after his magnificent performance against Stanford
One year is a fluke. Two years might be a little luck. Three years is a great mini-streak. But eight years? How do you explain that?
With now almost a full decade of stellar play out of the running backs, it is clear that a big reason for Cal's success on the ground has to do with position coach Ron Gould.
The list of athletes who have excelled under his tutelage stretch deep, as well as the realization that pretty much all of them buy into the "team" concept. The latest standout athlete to make waves is sophomore Shane Vereen, who put on a performance of a lifetime last week against Stanford.
BearTerritory caught up with Cal's outstanding assistant coach earlier this week to get his take on the season to date.
Chris NguonBear Territory.net Senior Writer
Vereen has been spectacular is replacement of Best
BearTerritory: In your career, have you ever had a RB carry 42 times?
COACH GOULD: It was an amazing game for Shane. I've never had a running back during my entire coaching career carry the ball 42 times. When somebody mentioned that to me? I was shocked. If I had known, I wouldn't have given him that many carries.
What does that say about Shane?
COACH GOULD: He has a tremendous work ethic. His preparation is great. I've been so fortunate because Shane is a vocal guy, who is also a leader. Just watching him out here throughout the week and throughout practice has been unbelievable.
How was Vereen's psyche leading up to the game?
COACH GOULD: When I can look into a kid's eyes and see his heart beat, that's a great thing. I was able to see that with Shane (leading up to the Stanford game). I saw how hungry he was.
Did you say anything to Shane before the game?
COACH GOULD: I told him before the game that I wanted him to play with a chip on his shoulder. After the game, we had a chance to talk and he said, "Coach, that was something I needed to do."
Where does Vereen rank in the hierarchy of D-I ball carriers?
COACH GOULD: He's one of the better 'backs in the country in my humble opinion.
Shane seems a like a "team-first" guy. True?
COACH GOULD: He's one of the most unselfish young men I've been around. Obviously, he can be playing a lot of places throughout the country because he's such a good 'back.
Why does it seem like the backup here is always ready to play?
COACH GOULD: One thing I never promise any young man is that they are going to start. I tell them that they'll get a chance to compete and if they are the best guy, they'll play. I've been fortunate because I view Shane as a starter. I don't view him as a backup. He's been a starter ever since he's been here. He's done a fabulous job.
True that your group accepts their roles on the team for the sake of the team?
COACH GOULD: There are going to be games where one guy is going to get more carries than the others. The bottom line though is that whoever goes into the game, he must be productive. That's the bottom line. Those guys do a great job of helping each other and fostering that kind of mentality and attitude. Their positive attitude is infectious. That kind of stuff permeates and spreads throughout a team because they see that this guy or that guy is so unselfish. They say, "Wow, this guy is a talent, but he never complains and always comes to work." It's amazing. I'm definitely very blessed to have those type of kids.
How about an individual player's attitude?
COACH GOULD: I want guys that want to play. If you are not a competitor and that something inside you is saying, "I can do more," then something is wrong.
COACH GOULD: One of the things that kids do is that when I'm on their butt all the time, sometimes they go in the tank. Mentally, Covaughn now understands that I'm trying to help him get better. He's really done a great job mentally and also understanding the game from a conceptual point of view.
What were your initial feelings when you saw Jahvid go down?
COACH GOULD: Very first thing I did was pray. I went over there and saw him laying down on the field, I said a prayer for him. Every one of these kids are like my surrogate sons. I do care about them and care more about them than just what happens on the football field. The first and only thing I was thinking about was Jahvid's health. The most important thing is that I just want him to be healthy from a physical, mental and emotional standpoint.
Monday, November 23, 2009
TAA DAA!
Preview of the Pepperdine Game
By Rob Carpentier Date: Nov 23, 2009
The 1-1 Bruins take on still-rebuilding Pepperdine tonight and, while the Waves have some talent, they're young, undisciplined and sloppy (sound familiar?), which should make it easier on the Bruins...
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The UCLA Bruins return to action Monday night when they host the Waves of Pepperdine, in what is the last of the “lightweight” opponents before the Bruins step up in competition over the Thanksgiving weekend.
UCLA is coming off its first win of the season, a 75-64 victory over Cal State Bakersfield, while Pepperdine is coming off its first win of the year, a two-point victory over Cal State San Bernardino. The Waves sit at 1-2 on the young season, with two home losses to Pacific and Long Beach State. The Bruins are 1-1, having suffered a somewhat surprising loss to Cal State Fullerton in UCLA’s season-opener. To put the competition in perspective, it appears that Fullerton is better than the preseason predictions would have people believe, so much so that the Titans are probably better than Pacific and roughly equal to preseason Big West Conference favorite LBSU.
Pepperdine head coach Tom Asbury, who is in his second stint as coach of the Waves, has brought a sense of stability to a program that truly was a mess the last few seasons before Asbury returned. Although the Waves finished 9-23 last season, they were a much better squad at the end of the year than they were at the beginning. A lot of the growth of Asbury’s squad was simply the maturation of many players that were either freshmen or sophomores, which even this season makes up the bulk of Pepperdine’s roster.
The best player on the Pepperdine roster, and one that will give the Bruins problems is sophomore guard Keion Bell (6’3”, 200 lbs.). Bell is the Waves’ leading scorer at 21 PPG, and tied for the team lead in rebounds at 7.7 RPG. Bell isn’t a great shooter but he finds ways to score. He is quick and is always a threat to take the ball into the paint. Statistically he is shooting less than 50% from the floor and only 27% from behind the arc, but he’s been to the foul line 23 times, hitting on 70% of those attempts. The real weakness of Bell, and generally the weakness of the entire Pepperdine squad, is his propensity to turn over the ball. Bell has 12 turnovers on the year, while the squad has a whopping 47 in 3 games, even counting the win against San Bernardino. Contrast that with the only 31 assists the Waves have as a team (of which Bell has 12), and the picture of a team that gives up a lot of buckets in transition becomes clearer. In terms of defending Bell, Coach Ben Howland should instruct Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee to play off Bell and force him to shoot from outside. Bell is by far the leading assist man for the Waves and most of those assists come from Bell dishing off once he gets into the lane. If the Bruins cut off Bell’s ability to penetrate then they’ll cut off much of Pepperdine’s offense.Bell’s backcourt mate is freshman Joshua Lowery (6’2”, 190 lbs.). Lowery hasn’t proven to be much of an offensive threat, averaging only 3.7 PPG and having only hit one shot from the floor. Lowery has been automatic from the free-throw line though, (8-8), so the Bruins would be much better off letting him shoot from outside rather than letting him get into the paint.
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Lowery averages less than 20 MPG, though, as Asbury has gone to sophomore Lorne Jackson (6’2”, 205 lbs.), who is much more of an offensive weapon. Jackson averages 7 PPG and is clearly the Waves’ best outside threat, having hit on 6-of-9 shots from behind the arc. Jackson is the complete opposite of Bell, as he likes to float around the three-point line and rarely ventures into the lane.The frontcourt is anchored by the most senior player on Asbury’s squad, junior forward Mychal Thompson (6’7”, 200 lbs.), the son of former Laker and namesake Mychal Thompson. Thompson is better than his stats are showing to this point; He is averaging only 7.3 PPG and 5 RPG, but he is a better player than that. He has enough quickness to be a threat inside and he will pull his defender out to the arc. Thompson’s offensive problems so far this season stem mostly from his cold outside shooting to begin the season, going 0-8 from long distance. Thompson is the defensive anchor in the paint for the Waves and getting him into any sort of foul trouble would be a real problem for Pepperdine.
The low post if manned by sophomore Taylor Darby (6’8”, 220 lbs.), who averages 8 PPG and is tied with Bell for the team lead at 7.7 RPG. He is strictly an inside player, having not attempted a three-point shot and having been to the foul line 15 times. Darby is, however, only hitting on 53% of his foul shots (which would actually make him one of UCLA’s better foul shooters). UCLA’s frontcourt players shouldn’t have as much trouble guarding Darby as they did in the first half of the CSUB game against the Roadrunners’ Satwon Latunde. Lutunde is a wide-body while Darby is built more like a ‘3’ than a power forward or center.
The final starting spot will be filled primarily by either junior Gus Clardy (6’8”, 225 lbs.) or sophomore Corbin Moore (6’10”, 240 lbs.). Although they both are bigger bodies than anyone else that Asbury plays, they collectively average only 32 MPG, 5.7 PPG and 5 RPG. Their modest combined minutes are more than likely the result of Pepperdine having played smaller, quicker teams in their first three games. Expect to see more minutes on Monday for one or both players in matching up against UCLA, especially if the Bruins get a lot of their offense in the paint.
Asbury plays a ten-man rotation because he’s still trying to figure out his best rotation and because Asbury will try and pressure the ball at times. Having fresh bodies helps on the defensive end in trying to achieve Asbury’s goals. In fact, only Bell, Thompson and Darby are averaging over 20 MPG, although all three are averaging at least 29 MPG. Barring foul trouble, expect to see those three on the court for at least 32 minutes.
Of Asbury’s bench players, the biggest threat is sophomore Dane Suttle (6’6”, 210 lbs.). Suttle is a true inside-out threat, averaging 9 PPG on 53% shooting from the floor and 44% from behind the arc. Suttle provides the Waves another offensive option, however, he is a defensive liability. When Suttle is in the game expect the Waves to be in some sort of zone defense.Asbury is a good coach with a solid philosophy and he surely will have looked at game tape of the Bruins’ first two games. He is much like Ben Howland in that he preaches defense and rebounding first. The Waves are outrebounding their opponents by more than 9 RPG, although that is partly a result of the shorter competition they’ve faced so far. Rebounding, however, has been a cause for concern for UCLA coming out of the preseason and although the Bruins rebounded better than expected in their first two games, Pepperdine will present a test on the boards. Because of UCLA’s difficulties in attacking zone defenses, expect to see the Waves in a variety of zones. The good news for the Bruins is that they looked good in attacking CSUB’s active zone in the second half last Friday night. UCLA can also expect to see some full- and ¾-court pressure from Pepperdine.
Because of Pepperdine’s style and their tendency to turn over the ball, this is a perfect opportunity for UCLA’s Anderson to play a more relaxed game, as he did in the second half Friday night. Any mistakes at the point by Anderson will more than likely be offset by the fact that Pepperdine is just as likely to give the ball right back to the Bruins.
While there is a talent difference between the two squads, what could really turn this game into an easy victory for the Bruins is Pepperdine’s turnover situation. Unless that suddenly changes, and to this point they’ve shown nothing to lead anyone to believe that will happen, the Bruins will be able to get easy points. UCLA has had very few transition points in its two games, but Pepperdine’s penchant for turnovers should boost those numbers in this game. Add to that the fact that Thompson is the only Wave who has played in Asbury’s system for more than one year and you have the makings of a team that will make a lot of mistakes. If the Bruins can play as they did in the second half of the CSUB game, then this game will be one of the few easy victories the Bruins have on their schedule, even though Pepperdine does have a team at least as talented as many of their West Coast Conference brethren.
UCLA 77 Pepperdine 60
UCLA Downs Men's Hoops, 71-52
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/23/2009
Pepperdine-UCLA Box Score
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Pepperdine sophomore guard Keion Bell continued to show why he is a rising star on the West Coast, but the UCLA men's basketball team rallied late to put away the visiting Waves, 71-52, on Monday night.
UCLA's lead was just five with a little more than eight minutes to play, but the Bruins (2-1) then went on a 12-1 run and continued to increase their lead in the final minutes.
Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) kept up his strong play with a game-high 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half. He's scored 20 or more points in each of Pepperdine's four games this season. Bell also had four steals, three assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes.
The last Pepperdine player to score 20-plus points in four consecutive games was Glen McGowan in January 2005, and the last Wave player to start a season on a stretch like this was Dane Suttle Sr. in 1982-83.
Unfortunately, no one else on Pepperdine (1-3) had more than six points, and the Bruins outshot the Waves 54.3% to 41.3%.
The Waves and Bruins were tied 14-14 with 8:45 to play in the first half after a couple of Pepperdine baskets. Sophomore center Corbin Moore (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) and freshman guard Caleb Willis (Stockbridge, Ga./Stockbridge HS) worked a pick-and-roll that resulted in a lay-up for Moore, and junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) drove in for a reverse lay-up.
But UCLA went on an 8-0 run over the next five minutes to go up 22-14. The Waves got it back to four points at 24-20 after a jumper by junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) and a tip-in by Moore, but the Bruins scored the half's final four points and went into the break with a 28-20 advantage.
After scoring three first-half points, Bell heated up early in the second half and scored 12 of the Waves' first 15 points. The Bruins had also picked things up offensively, however, and quickly built a double-digit lead.
Another spurt by Bell got the Waves right back into it, however. He made a driving lay-up, then stole the ball at the other end and went all the way for a dunk, cutting UCLA's lead to 46-41 with less than 10 minutes to play.
It was still a five-point game at 48-43 when Bell fed junior forward Gus Clardy (Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches HS) for a short jumper with 8:25 left.
But UCLA's Drew Gordon, who had a team-high 18 points, scored the final seven of a 12-1 run that pushed UCLA's lead up to 16 at 60-44 with less than five minutes to go.
Michael Roll added 17 points for UCLA, which included five three-pointers.
The Waves are now in the midst of a five-game stretch away from Malibu. They next travel to Wyoming this weekend for the World Vision Challenge, where they will face Hampton, Monmouth and the host Cowboys. Fans can listen to Al Epstein's broadcasts at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
UCLA Defeats Pepperdine, 71-52
The Bruins improve to 2-1.
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Nov. 23, 2009
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Forward Drew Gordon scored 18 points and guard Michael Roll added 17 as UCLA overcame Pepperdine 71-52 Monday night.
The Bruins (2-1) were up by only five points midway through the second half when they went on a 16-4 run to pull away from the Waves.
UCLA guard Michael Roll (20) and Pepperdine forward Mychel Thompson (15) watch a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, in Los Angeles.
The Bruins were playing their second consecutive game without suspended forward Nikola Dragovic, their only returning starter. Gordon added nine rebounds and Roll, who hit five 3-pointers, had five assists. Guard Malcolm Lee added 13 points for the Bruins.
Pepperdine (1-3) was led by guard Keion Bell?s 22 points, but no other Wave reached double figures in scoring.
latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ucla-basketball24-2009nov24,0,2255926.story
latimes.com
UCLA BASKETBALL
Bruins take (baby) steps forward in 71-52 win over Pepperdine
A week after shocking loss to Cal State Fullerton in season opener, UCLA gets its second straight win and exhibits at least a few signs of progress.
By David Wharton
November 24, 2009
The Bruins improve to 2-1.
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UCLA Defeats Pepperdine, 71-52
UCLA Hosts Pepperdine on Monday Night
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Nov. 23, 2009
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Forward Drew Gordon scored 18 points and guard Michael Roll added 17 as UCLA overcame Pepperdine 71-52 Monday night.
The Bruins (2-1) were up by only five points midway through the second half when they went on a 16-4 run to pull away from the Waves.
UCLA guard Michael Roll (20) and Pepperdine forward Mychel Thompson (15) watch a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, in Los Angeles.
The Bruins were playing their second consecutive game without suspended forward Nikola Dragovic, their only returning starter. Gordon added nine rebounds and Roll, who hit five 3-pointers, had five assists. Guard Malcolm Lee added 13 points for the Bruins.
Pepperdine (1-3) was led by guard Keion Bell?s 22 points, but no other Wave reached double figures in scoring.
latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ucla-basketball24-2009nov24,0,2255926.story
latimes.com
UCLA BASKETBALL
Bruins take (baby) steps forward in 71-52 win over Pepperdine
A week after shocking loss to Cal State Fullerton in season opener, UCLA gets its second straight win and exhibits at least a few signs of progress.
By David Wharton
November 24, 2009
For now, at least, the UCLA basketball team will have to suffice with small improvements, glimmers of progress.Baby steps. Still looking to work their way back from a season-opening loss, the Bruins kept moving in the right direction with a 71-52 victory over Pepperdine on Monday night. "I'm sure losing that game hurt everybody," Coach Ben Howland said of the opener. "It should hurt. And that's motivation."Playing before another small crowd at Pauley Pavilion, his team finally showed hints of the pressure defense for which Howland's program has been known over the last few seasons.The Bruins prevailed with better shooting from Malcolm Lee and Michael Roll, and with Drew Gordon's continued development at center. "I think it's just that our team is starting to click," said Gordon, who scored 18 points. "I think everybody's starting to feel more confident on the floor."The Waves (1-3) are a rebuilding project under Coach Tom Asbury, their lone victory this season coming against Cal State San Bernardino Howland expected to face a young but athletic opponent that might reach as deep as 10 players down the bench.
The Bruins (2-1) wanted to pay particular attention to defending the wings against guard Keion Bell, who entered the game averaging 21 points, and forward Mychel Thompson, son of the former Laker. Toward that end, UCLA came out pressuring Bell into an early turnover, Gordon jumping out to block a Thompson jumper on the perimeter.It took a while for the offense to get moving -- again, the Bruins seemed confused about how to attack a zone defense.But Gordon and Lee eventually found a rhythm and, when forward James Keefe flashed to the high post and hit a jumper, UCLA led, 28-20, after the first half.
That lead stretched to 11 points early in the second half and only a flurry of plays by Bell, on his way to 22 points, kept the Waves within striking distance. Pepperdine inched back but only for a while, eventually falling by the wayside as Gordon, Roll (17) and Lee (13) combined for 48 points. The Bruins shot 54% from the field and made 87% of their free throws." Teams are definitely going to have trouble covering all three of us," Roll said. "We all had open shots."Still, the Bruins have plenty of room for improvement. They have yet to enforce their will on the boards, allowing Pepperdine to stay even in rebounds. And another concern -- point guard Jerime Anderson missed most of the second half because of cramps, prompting Howland to say: "We're going to force bananas down his throat every meal."Anderson's absence forced the thin UCLA backcourt to go with former walk-on Mustafa Abdul-Hamid, who responded with 10 points.But now the learning curve gets significantly steeper in the 76 Classic tournament at Anaheim Convention Center over the Thanksgiving holiday. First up? A Portland squad that recently upset wobbly Oregon."Day by day we're going to get better," Gordon said. "We'll see where that takes us."david.wharton@latimes.com twitter.com/LATimes WhartonCopyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Pepperdine (1-2) at U-C-L-A (1-1)
By Sports Network Last updated: November 23rd, 2009 07:43 AM (PST)
GAME NOTES: The Pepperdine Waves will hit the road for the first time this season when they come crashing down at Pauley Pavilion to take on the UCLA Bruins.The Waves opened their new season with back-to-back losses to Pacific (67-64 2OT) and Long Beach State (67-58). However, the team finally tasted victory for the first time this season with a win in its last matchup, as the Waves slipped past CS San Bernardino, 72-70. After this contest the Waves will head to Laramie to take part in the Wyoming World Vision Challenge.
The Bruins' season began in heartbreaking fashion, as UCLA fell to Cal State Fullerton, 68-65, in double-overtime. The Bruins were able to bounce back however, as the team posted a 75-64 decision over CS-Bakersfield. UCLA will take part in the 76 Classic in Anaheim after this outing.
The Bruins have won 15 of the 19 meetings against Pepperdine, and 14 of those wins have come at Pauley Pavilion.
The Waves have been unable to find a groove offensively in the early stages of this season and come into this matchup averaging just 64.7 ppg, behind an equally poor 38.4 percent shooting effort. Keion Bell has been the only bright spot thus far for Pepperdine, as the guard is leading the team with 21.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 12 assists. The last time the Waves were on the court the team put forth its best effort on the year, netting 72 points en route to a win over CS San Bernardino. Bell led the way once again for Pepperdine, scoring 22 points, to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds. Lorne Jackson added 12 points, while Taylor Darby and Muchel Thompson contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.
After scoring only 65 points in a double-overtime loss to CS Fullerton in their opener, the Bruins put forth a slightly better effort against CS Bakersfield to grab a victory. UCLA shot a sizzling 59.3 percent from the floor, but the team made only 4-of-13 shots from long range, and also committed 21 turnovers. All five players finished in double-figures, beginning with Drew Gordon, who netted 19 points and also collected six caroms. Michael Roll added 12 points and six assists, while James Keefe, Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee each tallied 10 points in the win. It was the second consecutive game Lee finished in double-figures, as the guard led the team against Fullerton with 17 points. Roll also tallied 17 points in the opener, and also dished out five assists.The Bruins have not been dominating this season, but look for UCLA to really pick up its play this evening. The Bruins are simply too strong for Pepperdine and should have no trouble surfing the Waves.
Originally published: November 23rd, 2009 07:43 AM (PST)
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UCLA 71, Pepperdine 52
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- Forward Drew Gordon scored 18 points and guard Michael Roll added 17 as UCLA overcame Pepperdine 71-52 Monday night.
The Bruins (2-1) were up by only five points midway through the second half when they went on a 16-4 run to pull away from the Waves.
The Bruins were playing their second consecutive game without suspended forward Nikola Dragovic, their only returning starter. Gordon added nine rebounds and Roll, who hit five 3-pointers, had five assists. Guard Malcolm Lee added 13 points for the Bruins.
Pepperdine (1-3) was led by guard Keion Bell's 22 points, but no other Wave reached double figures in scoring.
Bell has scored at least 20 points in each of Pepperdine's four games. He reached the 20 mark only three times last season despite being the Waves' leading scorer
UCLA trailed 6-4 early, but never again. The Bruins offense started slowly, but they shot 54.3 percent by the night's end and ran away with the game in the closing minutes. UCLA was also 13 of 15 from the free-throw line.
Dragovic was on the UCLA bench in street clothes. He was suspended for a second game following his arrest for assault last Friday.
UCLA also played without starting guard Jerime Anderson for most of the second half, losing him to leg cramps. Mustafa Abdul-Hamid came off the bench in his place and added a career-high 10 points for the Bruins.
LOS ANGELES -- Forward Drew Gordon scored 18 points and guard Michael Roll added 17 as UCLA overcame Pepperdine 71-52 Monday night.
The Bruins (2-1) were up by only five points midway through the second half when they went on a 16-4 run to pull away from the Waves.The Bruins were playing their second consecutive game without suspended forward Nikola Dragovic, their only returning starter. Gordon added nine rebounds and Roll, who hit five 3-pointers, had five assists. Guard Malcolm Lee added 13 points for the Bruins.
Pepperdine (1-3) was led by guard Keion Bell's 22 points, but no other Wave reached double figures in scoring.
Bell has scored at least 20 points in each of Pepperdine's four games. He reached the 20 mark only three times last season despite being the Waves' leading scorerUCLA trailed 6-4 early, but never again. The Bruins offense started slowly, but they shot 54.3 percent by the night's end and ran away with the game in the closing minutes. UCLA was also 13 of 15 from the free-throw line.
Dragovic was on the UCLA bench in street clothes. He was suspended for a second game following his arrest for assault last Friday.
UCLA also played without starting guard Jerime Anderson for most of the second half, losing him to leg cramps. Mustafa Abdul-Hamid came off the bench in his place and added a career-high 10 points for the Bruins.
Recap: U-C-L-A vs. Pepperdine
By Sports Network; The Sports Network
Published: 11/23/09 11:16 pm Updated: 11/23/09 11:16 pm
Drew Gordon scored 18 points and collected nine rebounds to lead the UCLA Bruins to a 71-52 victory over the Pepperdine Waves in a non-conference battle at Pauley Pavilion.
Michael Roll added 17 points and five assists for UCLA (2-1), while Malcolm Lee posted 13 points. Mustafa Abdul-Hamid contributed 10 points off the bench in the win.
Keion Bell was the only player to post double-figures for Pepperdine (1-3), as the guard scored 22 points in the loss.
The Bruins held Pepperdine to a mere 34.6 percent shooting effort from the floor in the opening half and went into the break with a 28-20 lead.
In the second stanza the Bruins shot a staggering 63.6 percent from the field, en route to the 19-point win.
UCLA made 8-of-19 attempts from behind the arc, while the Waves connected on just 2-of-8 shots from long range.
By Sports Network; The Sports Network
Published: 11/23/09 11:16 pm Updated: 11/23/09 11:16 pm
Drew Gordon scored 18 points and collected nine rebounds to lead the UCLA Bruins to a 71-52 victory over the Pepperdine Waves in a non-conference battle at Pauley Pavilion.
Michael Roll added 17 points and five assists for UCLA (2-1), while Malcolm Lee posted 13 points. Mustafa Abdul-Hamid contributed 10 points off the bench in the win.
Keion Bell was the only player to post double-figures for Pepperdine (1-3), as the guard scored 22 points in the loss.
The Bruins held Pepperdine to a mere 34.6 percent shooting effort from the floor in the opening half and went into the break with a 28-20 lead.
In the second stanza the Bruins shot a staggering 63.6 percent from the field, en route to the 19-point win.
UCLA made 8-of-19 attempts from behind the arc, while the Waves connected on just 2-of-8 shots from long range.
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UCLA Improves, With An Asterisk
UCLA took another step forward in beating Pepperdine Monday, 71-52.
Of course, UCLA’s progress this season isn’t going to be a bar graph with a line going up diagonally. You can probably expect it be pretty jagged. A kind of thing where you see a step forward, a step back, two steps forward. There are probably going to be some pretty ugly steps back, in fact.
And, you have to maybe put a bit of an asterisk next to the step forward against Pepperdine since, as we said in the season preview, the Waves simply aren’t very good.
But all in all, UCLA played significantly better than their first two outings. And they did it with their point guard, Jerime Anderson, sitting for pretty much the entire second half with severe cramps, and shooting guard, Malcolm Lee, sitting because of foul trouble.
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(UCLA ended up even with Pepperdine with 26 boards each.) In the second half, with Anderson and Lee on the bench, Pepperdine had cut the lead to 46-41 with just about 10 minutes remaining. For whatever reason, the Waves dropped their zone defense, which was fairly effective, and went back to a man, and UCLA took advantage, particularly with Gordon. Howland, recognizing Gordon’s scoring advantage inside, called a number of successive plays that got Gordon the ball in the low block and he converted. UCLA’s good execution on the offensive end inspired a stronger defensive effort, and the Bruins went on a 16-4 run over the next five minutes or so that iced the game. It was not only because UCLA settled down, executed its offense, and played strong defense, it was because they actually had a good low-post scoring option; Gordon scored 9 points in that run.
Lee also played a more under-control game, only taking one ill-advised shot, shooting 4 for 8 for 13 points, and leading the charge at the free-throw line, going 4 for 4. Defensively, he truly limited Pepperdine’s quick, scoring guard, Keion Bell, in the first half, when Bell had just 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting. With Lee playing less minutes in the second half, and Pepperdine doing everything it could to switch defenders on Bell, he found his scoring groove. But Lee played well overall, with no turnovers and a few jump stops mixed in.
Roll started off a bit shaky, with some turnovers and missed open looks, but then righted the ship and played well. After missing those two initial three-pointers, he then went 5 for 7 the rest of the way from behind the three-point arc, ending with 17 points and five assists against 2 turnovers. He hit a very big three with 6:34 left and UCLA up by just 7 that seemed to deflate the Wave.
UCLA struggled a bit against the zone, again, but (again) once it perceived the weaknesses in Pepperdine’s version it started to execute against it better. UCLA made its run mostly against Pepperdine’s man, executing Howland’s sets very well. It’s interesting that Howland has continued to call for motion many times this season when it seems that this team is better offensively when it’s executing his sets.
The fact that UCLA executed the sets so well will probably further encourage future opponents to use a zone predominantly.
It’s interesting that UCLA held its first two opponents to 40% shooting, and held Pepperdine to 41%. Those are stats that show an effective defense, even though, on the court, it doesn’t look nearly as effective as the defensive field goal stats indicate. UCLA’s on-ball defense has seemingly improved, but is still not great. Again, UCLA hasn’t exactly faced an offensive powerhouse yet, so it is yet to be seen how this defense will fare against a team-full of guys who can take you off the dribble.
Where this team definitely needs to develop is in its transition scoring. It got 13 fast-break points against Pepperdine, which was considerably more than it got against Bakersfield or Fullerton. But it’s still not getting as many opportunities in transition, seemingly needing a guy to leak out more and get behind the defense (Malcolm Lee?). If UCLA is going to continue to struggle in its halfcourt, against all the zone variations it’s going to see, it has to be able to get more easy baskets in transition.
Another step forward: We’ll see if the line on the graph continues to move upward Thursday in the first round of the loaded 76 Classic against a very good and experienced Portland team.
Lawyer: UCLA's Dragovic to plead not guilty; Bruins defeat Pepperdine
By Jon Gold, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/23/2009 11:22:39 PM PST
LOS ANGELES --
From baby steps to a full stride, the young UCLA Bruins believe they are on the move.
Forward Drew Gordon had 18 points and nine rebounds, and guard Michael Roll added 17 points and five assists as the Bruins overwhelmed Pepperdine 71-52 Monday night.
It was UCLA's second consecutive victory after a disappointing double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton in its season opener.
"We're starting to improve and learn each other's tendencies," Roll said. "We're going to get better."
UCLA (2-1) trailed 6-4 at the game's start before slowly taking control. The Bruins' lead was down to five points 10 minutes into the second half when they went on a 16-4 run to pull away from the Waves (1-3).
"We got a couple of stops and them Michael hit some big shots for us," said UCLA coach Ben Howland.
Roll knocked down 5-of-9 from 3-point range. UCLA, which hit only 33.3 percent of its field goals in its opening loss to Fullerton, shot 54.3 percent from the field against the Waves.
Pepperdine (1-3) was led by guard Keion Bell's 22 points, but no other Wave reached double figures in scoring.
Bell has scored at least 20 points in each of Pepperdine's four games. He reached the 20 mark only three times last season despite being the Waves' leading scorer.
"We played very good, but we broke down defensively in the second half," said Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury. "We will learn from this. We are young. We have no seniors, no leadership, but it will evolve."
UCLA played its second consecutive game without suspended forward Nikola Dragovic since he was arrested for assault Friday. Dragovic was dressed in street clothes on the team bench.
Howland said he had no update on when Dragovic might rejoin the team. Dragovic is UCLA's only returning starter.
Without him, the Bruins played seven underclassmen Monday, including sophomore starters Malcolm Lee, Jerime Anderson and Gordon. Anderson played only the opening minute of the second half before leaving with leg cramps.
Lee added 13 points for the Bruins. Mustafa Abdul-Hamid, getting extensive time in the second half in place of Anderson, scored a career-high 10 points off the bench.
With Roll, Lee and Abdul-Hamid hitting from outside, the Bruins frequently were able to find Gordon open inside.
"We all have to keep contributing," Roll said. "Drew is a great presence inside, which just opens it up outside for me."
UCLA kept the pressure on at the end, outscoring Pepperdine 25-11 in the final minutes.
"Day by day, we're getting better," Gordon said. "We're just going to see where this takes us."
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Varsity Times Insider
Times reporters blog about high school sports across the Southland
Boys' basketball: Simi Valley in the spotlight
November 24, 2009 6:44 am
The Simi Valley alumni game is this week, but it looked like Monday night at Pauley Pavilion the game was already being played when UCLA was facing Pepperdine.
Among the Simi Valley graduates were Pepperdine's Lorne Jackson and UCLA's Tyler Trapani. Pepperdine assistant coach Marty Wilson is a Simi Valley grad. Announcing the game for Prime Ticket was Don MacLean, the best player in Simi Valley history. And one of the officials was Mike Scyphers, the former Simi Valley baseball coach.
Now, if only Simi Valley Coach Christian Aurand could have found a way to get into the conversation.
-- Eric Sondheimer
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Nov. 23, 2009
WALNUT CREEK - Cal junior linebacker Mike Mohamed was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, winning the award for the third time in his career and on the second occasion in 2009. Mohamed is one of five Cal players to be honored with a Pac-10 Player of the Week selection this season, joining Offensive Player of the Week picks of Kevin Riley (Sept. 5) and Jahvid Best (Sept. 19), and Special Teams Player of the Week selections Bryan Anger (Oct. 17) and Giorgio Tavecchio (Nov. 14).
SHANE VEREEN speaks …
… on whether he thought he would carry the ball 42 times: "Never. I was just taking it play-by-play."
… on the O-line: "They were amazing. Each play, they got off the ball and did their jobs. They gave Kevin time and opened up nice holes for me. They played their best game tonight."
… on getting down 14-0: "We stopped ourselves the first couple drives. Once we calmed down and relaxed, we knew what we needed to do."
Of course, UCLA’s progress this season isn’t going to be a bar graph with a line going up diagonally. You can probably expect it be pretty jagged. A kind of thing where you see a step forward, a step back, two steps forward. There are probably going to be some pretty ugly steps back, in fact.
And, you have to maybe put a bit of an asterisk next to the step forward against Pepperdine since, as we said in the season preview, the Waves simply aren’t very good.But all in all, UCLA played significantly better than their first two outings. And they did it with their point guard, Jerime Anderson, sitting for pretty much the entire second half with severe cramps, and shooting guard, Malcolm Lee, sitting because of foul trouble.
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(UCLA ended up even with Pepperdine with 26 boards each.) In the second half, with Anderson and Lee on the bench, Pepperdine had cut the lead to 46-41 with just about 10 minutes remaining. For whatever reason, the Waves dropped their zone defense, which was fairly effective, and went back to a man, and UCLA took advantage, particularly with Gordon. Howland, recognizing Gordon’s scoring advantage inside, called a number of successive plays that got Gordon the ball in the low block and he converted. UCLA’s good execution on the offensive end inspired a stronger defensive effort, and the Bruins went on a 16-4 run over the next five minutes or so that iced the game. It was not only because UCLA settled down, executed its offense, and played strong defense, it was because they actually had a good low-post scoring option; Gordon scored 9 points in that run.
Lee also played a more under-control game, only taking one ill-advised shot, shooting 4 for 8 for 13 points, and leading the charge at the free-throw line, going 4 for 4. Defensively, he truly limited Pepperdine’s quick, scoring guard, Keion Bell, in the first half, when Bell had just 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting. With Lee playing less minutes in the second half, and Pepperdine doing everything it could to switch defenders on Bell, he found his scoring groove. But Lee played well overall, with no turnovers and a few jump stops mixed in.
Roll started off a bit shaky, with some turnovers and missed open looks, but then righted the ship and played well. After missing those two initial three-pointers, he then went 5 for 7 the rest of the way from behind the three-point arc, ending with 17 points and five assists against 2 turnovers. He hit a very big three with 6:34 left and UCLA up by just 7 that seemed to deflate the Wave.UCLA struggled a bit against the zone, again, but (again) once it perceived the weaknesses in Pepperdine’s version it started to execute against it better. UCLA made its run mostly against Pepperdine’s man, executing Howland’s sets very well. It’s interesting that Howland has continued to call for motion many times this season when it seems that this team is better offensively when it’s executing his sets.
The fact that UCLA executed the sets so well will probably further encourage future opponents to use a zone predominantly.
It’s interesting that UCLA held its first two opponents to 40% shooting, and held Pepperdine to 41%. Those are stats that show an effective defense, even though, on the court, it doesn’t look nearly as effective as the defensive field goal stats indicate. UCLA’s on-ball defense has seemingly improved, but is still not great. Again, UCLA hasn’t exactly faced an offensive powerhouse yet, so it is yet to be seen how this defense will fare against a team-full of guys who can take you off the dribble.
Where this team definitely needs to develop is in its transition scoring. It got 13 fast-break points against Pepperdine, which was considerably more than it got against Bakersfield or Fullerton. But it’s still not getting as many opportunities in transition, seemingly needing a guy to leak out more and get behind the defense (Malcolm Lee?). If UCLA is going to continue to struggle in its halfcourt, against all the zone variations it’s going to see, it has to be able to get more easy baskets in transition.
Another step forward: We’ll see if the line on the graph continues to move upward Thursday in the first round of the loaded 76 Classic against a very good and experienced Portland team.
Lawyer: UCLA's Dragovic to plead not guilty; Bruins defeat PepperdineBy Jon Gold, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/23/2009 11:22:39 PM PST
In Monday's game, Malcolm Lee took care of the penetration. Michael Roll handled the outside game. Drew Gordon did the rest.
Lee had 13 points, including nine in the first half, Roll had 17 points and five 3-pointers, and Gordon had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as the Bruins (2-1) defeated the Waves (1-3).
"We all have to keep contributing," Roll said. "Drew is a great presence down low, which opens it up for me and Malcolm. Malcolm and I complement each other, as well. Teams are definitely going to have trouble covering all three of us."
With sophomore point guard Jerime Anderson sidelined early in the second half with a right leg cramp, Lee took over the role of primary penetrator. Lee got into the lane and slashed through Pepperdine's young backcourt trio of sophomores Keion Bell - who led all scorers with 22 points - and Lorne Jackson and freshman Joshua Lowery.
Gordon had seven points in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting, including a monster dunk on a putback, and was a force in the paint, hauling in six rebounds as the Bruins built an eight-point halftime lead.
"If I can establish myself as someone who looks like they can play basketball, everybody kind of kicks back on their heels," Gordon said. "But at this level, everybody tries to play strong. I hope it doesn't intimidate them too bad."
With the win, UCLA moves closer to erasing the horrid memories of its season-opening 68-65 double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton.
"We're a young team, and it was kind of expected to test out the waters," Gordon said. "It's a good look at how bad we could be. We're picking it up now, and by the end of the season, hopefully we can look back on the preseason and say, `Wow, we were terrible."'
Lee had 13 points, including nine in the first half, Roll had 17 points and five 3-pointers, and Gordon had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as the Bruins (2-1) defeated the Waves (1-3).
"We all have to keep contributing," Roll said. "Drew is a great presence down low, which opens it up for me and Malcolm. Malcolm and I complement each other, as well. Teams are definitely going to have trouble covering all three of us."With sophomore point guard Jerime Anderson sidelined early in the second half with a right leg cramp, Lee took over the role of primary penetrator. Lee got into the lane and slashed through Pepperdine's young backcourt trio of sophomores Keion Bell - who led all scorers with 22 points - and Lorne Jackson and freshman Joshua Lowery.
Gordon had seven points in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting, including a monster dunk on a putback, and was a force in the paint, hauling in six rebounds as the Bruins built an eight-point halftime lead."If I can establish myself as someone who looks like they can play basketball, everybody kind of kicks back on their heels," Gordon said. "But at this level, everybody tries to play strong. I hope it doesn't intimidate them too bad."
With the win, UCLA moves closer to erasing the horrid memories of its season-opening 68-65 double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton.
"We're a young team, and it was kind of expected to test out the waters," Gordon said. "It's a good look at how bad we could be. We're picking it up now, and by the end of the season, hopefully we can look back on the preseason and say, `Wow, we were terrible."'
UCLA pulls away from Pepperdine, 71-52
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES --
From baby steps to a full stride, the young UCLA Bruins believe they are on the move.
Forward Drew Gordon had 18 points and nine rebounds, and guard Michael Roll added 17 points and five assists as the Bruins overwhelmed Pepperdine 71-52 Monday night.
It was UCLA's second consecutive victory after a disappointing double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton in its season opener.
"We're starting to improve and learn each other's tendencies," Roll said. "We're going to get better."
UCLA (2-1) trailed 6-4 at the game's start before slowly taking control. The Bruins' lead was down to five points 10 minutes into the second half when they went on a 16-4 run to pull away from the Waves (1-3).
"We got a couple of stops and them Michael hit some big shots for us," said UCLA coach Ben Howland.
Roll knocked down 5-of-9 from 3-point range. UCLA, which hit only 33.3 percent of its field goals in its opening loss to Fullerton, shot 54.3 percent from the field against the Waves.
Pepperdine (1-3) was led by guard Keion Bell's 22 points, but no other Wave reached double figures in scoring.
Bell has scored at least 20 points in each of Pepperdine's four games. He reached the 20 mark only three times last season despite being the Waves' leading scorer."We played very good, but we broke down defensively in the second half," said Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury. "We will learn from this. We are young. We have no seniors, no leadership, but it will evolve."
UCLA played its second consecutive game without suspended forward Nikola Dragovic since he was arrested for assault Friday. Dragovic was dressed in street clothes on the team bench.
Howland said he had no update on when Dragovic might rejoin the team. Dragovic is UCLA's only returning starter.
Without him, the Bruins played seven underclassmen Monday, including sophomore starters Malcolm Lee, Jerime Anderson and Gordon. Anderson played only the opening minute of the second half before leaving with leg cramps.
Lee added 13 points for the Bruins. Mustafa Abdul-Hamid, getting extensive time in the second half in place of Anderson, scored a career-high 10 points off the bench.
With Roll, Lee and Abdul-Hamid hitting from outside, the Bruins frequently were able to find Gordon open inside.
"We all have to keep contributing," Roll said. "Drew is a great presence inside, which just opens it up outside for me."
UCLA kept the pressure on at the end, outscoring Pepperdine 25-11 in the final minutes.
"Day by day, we're getting better," Gordon said. "We're just going to see where this takes us."
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Varsity Times Insider
Times reporters blog about high school sports across the Southland
Boys' basketball: Simi Valley in the spotlight
November 24, 2009 6:44 am
The Simi Valley alumni game is this week, but it looked like Monday night at Pauley Pavilion the game was already being played when UCLA was facing Pepperdine.
Among the Simi Valley graduates were Pepperdine's Lorne Jackson and UCLA's Tyler Trapani. Pepperdine assistant coach Marty Wilson is a Simi Valley grad. Announcing the game for Prime Ticket was Don MacLean, the best player in Simi Valley history. And one of the officials was Mike Scyphers, the former Simi Valley baseball coach.Now, if only Simi Valley Coach Christian Aurand could have found a way to get into the conversation.
-- Eric Sondheimer
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Nov. 23, 2009
WALNUT CREEK - Cal junior linebacker Mike Mohamed was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, winning the award for the third time in his career and on the second occasion in 2009. Mohamed is one of five Cal players to be honored with a Pac-10 Player of the Week selection this season, joining Offensive Player of the Week picks of Kevin Riley (Sept. 5) and Jahvid Best (Sept. 19), and Special Teams Player of the Week selections Bryan Anger (Oct. 17) and Giorgio Tavecchio (Nov. 14).
Mohamed, who earned the first national honor of his career Sunday when he was named a College Football Performance Awards Linebacker Honorable Mention Performer of the Week, preserved a 34-28 Cal victory in the Big Game at Stanford on Saturday when he intercepted Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck at the Cal 3-yard line with 1:36 remaining in the contest. Mohamed also had a team-high 10 tackles.
Mohamed leads the Pac-10 with a career-high 100 tackles in 2009 and ranks No. 35 nationally with an average of 9.09 stops per contest. He has five double-digit tackle games this season, while recording at least seven tackles in 10 of 11 games and at least nine stops in eight of those contests. His three interceptions lead the Bears and his 0.27 picks per game rank tied for sixth in the Pac-10.
Cal sophomore tailback Shane Vereen, who earned multiple national honors Sunday (Walter Camp Football Foundation BCS National Offensive Player of the Week, AT&T All-America Player of the Week Award Nominee, CFPA Honorable Mention Running Back Performer of the Week), was also nominated for Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week.
Cal sophomore tailback Shane Vereen, who earned multiple national honors Sunday (Walter Camp Football Foundation BCS National Offensive Player of the Week, AT&T All-America Player of the Week Award Nominee, CFPA Honorable Mention Running Back Performer of the Week), was also nominated for Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week.
Vereen rushed 42 times for 193 yards (both career highs) and three touchdowns (tied career-high) in the Big Game victory over Stanford. The 42 rushing attempts tied for the most in the nation in 2009 along with Central Florida's Brynn Harvey, who had 42 carries against Memphis on Oct. 3.
Cal will enjoy a bye week before traveling to Washington (3-7, 2-5 Pac-10) for the final regular season game of the 2009 campaign for both teams on Saturday
Cal will enjoy a bye week before traveling to Washington (3-7, 2-5 Pac-10) for the final regular season game of the 2009 campaign for both teams on Saturday
SHANE VEREEN speaks …
… on whether he thought he would carry the ball 42 times: "Never. I was just taking it play-by-play."
… on the O-line: "They were amazing. Each play, they got off the ball and did their jobs. They gave Kevin time and opened up nice holes for me. They played their best game tonight."
… on getting down 14-0: "We stopped ourselves the first couple drives. Once we calmed down and relaxed, we knew what we needed to do."
Vereen was the star of stars Saturday evening
… on the final Stan drive: "You get a little nervous but I had complete confidence in our defense."
… on the final Stan drive: "You get a little nervous but I had complete confidence in our defense."
SYD'QUAN THOMPSON speaks …
… on the win: "I've been through three Big Games before and each one means more each year. This one meant a lot. If we lost, I can't come back to redeem myself because this was my last one."
… on getting picked up by fans after the game: "He asked me if I wanted to be picked up? I said, 'Sure.' I hoped he would carry me to the locker room. But it felt good to have that fan support. Me being up there on his shoulders looking down, it was a heck of an experience. The Berkeley fans really appreciate what we do for this program. It just feels good to bring the Axe back home."
MIKE MOHAMED speaks …
… on the defense performance: "Overall we were playing downhill, being physical. There were a couple big runs in there, but other than that, I thought we did a pretty good job."
… on getting down 14-0: "We didn't panic. We knew we just had to stick in there and keep fighting."
… on the surprise that the ball came right to him: "It's hard to believe. But I'm glad it did."
… on why Cal won: "It was about X's and O's and who wanted it more. Stanford plays a real physical game and the past two weeks they've beaten Oregon and USC because they play discipline. We did a good job."
… on adjusting to Luck's scrambles: "We didn't put a spy on him or anything. The 'backers just became more aware of it. We got used to it and came downhill a little bit faster. We just tried to hit the guy."
… on the win: "I've been through three Big Games before and each one means more each year. This one meant a lot. If we lost, I can't come back to redeem myself because this was my last one."
… on getting picked up by fans after the game: "He asked me if I wanted to be picked up? I said, 'Sure.' I hoped he would carry me to the locker room. But it felt good to have that fan support. Me being up there on his shoulders looking down, it was a heck of an experience. The Berkeley fans really appreciate what we do for this program. It just feels good to bring the Axe back home."
MIKE MOHAMED speaks …
… on the defense performance: "Overall we were playing downhill, being physical. There were a couple big runs in there, but other than that, I thought we did a pretty good job."
… on getting down 14-0: "We didn't panic. We knew we just had to stick in there and keep fighting."
… on the surprise that the ball came right to him: "It's hard to believe. But I'm glad it did."
… on why Cal won: "It was about X's and O's and who wanted it more. Stanford plays a real physical game and the past two weeks they've beaten Oregon and USC because they play discipline. We did a good job."
… on adjusting to Luck's scrambles: "We didn't put a spy on him or anything. The 'backers just became more aware of it. We got used to it and came downhill a little bit faster. We just tried to hit the guy."
Emotions were running high after the Bears took down the Cardinal Saturday evening on The Farm. In a game that went back-and-forth, Cal capped off a memorable night with a feel-good postgame locker room celebration, highlighted by the traditional "Bear Territory" chant, which was led by head coach Jeff Tedford and a handful of other players. Check out video of the jubilation
PEPPERDINE vs UCLA & CAL vs WASHINGTON
UCLA Hosts Pepperdine on Monday Night
The Bruins are 15-4 all-time against the Waves, who make their first visit to Pauley Pavilion since 2004.
Men's Basketball Home
Nov. 22, 2009
LOS ANGELES -
Complete Release in PDF Format
GAMEDAY CENTRAL DATE: Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 SITE: Pauley Pavilion (12,819)TIP-OFF: 8:06 p.m. PTTELEVISION: FS West TALENT: Bill Macdonald (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst) and Courtney Jones (sideline)RADIO: AM 570 KLAC TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
BRUIN INJURY REPORT Freshman forward Tyler Honeycutt is out 1-2 more weeks with a stress reaction in his right tibia. It was announced on Nov. 8, 2009 that Honeycutt had the injury. He is the only Bruin slated to miss UCLA's contest with Pepperdine (Nov. 22) due to injury. However, the Bruins have missed plenty of practice time this year with seven different scholarship players missing at least one week of practice due to injuries.
POLLING UCLA UCLA finished the 2008-09 season ranked No. 18 in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press poll. The Bruins are unranked in both polls to start the 2009-10 campaign, snapping a streak of 75 straight weeks (since the 2005-06 preseason) in the Top 25 in the AP poll and a streak of 78 consecutive weeks in the Coaches Poll (since 2004-05 final poll), which was the longest streak in the nation. The Bruins are receiving votes in both polls and are No. 29 in the Coaches Poll and No. 36 in the AP Poll.
SERIES VERSUS PEPPERDINE This is the 20th meeting all-time against Pepperdine with UCLA leading the series 15-4. The last 15 games of the series have all been contested in Pauley Pavilion (since 1945-46). The Bruins are 14-3 all-time against the Waves at home. UCLA won the last meeting, an 85-83 win at home in head coach Ben Howland's second season (2004-05), which is the only time he has faced Pepperdine.
latimes.com
UCLA BASKETBALL
Dragovic's status remains unclear
His suspension is day to day after his arrest on suspicion of felony assault, and Coach Ben Howland says more information is coming to the appropriate people at the university.
By David Wharton
November 23, 2009
Nikola Dragovic could be on the UCLA bench tonight, but he won't be in uniform.Not only does the senior forward remain suspended for the matchup against Pepperdine, it remains unclear whether he will return for any of the four games the Bruins play over a tough seven-day stretch. Dragovic was arrested Friday and faces a felony assault charge stemming from an altercation at a Hollywood concert last month.Coach Ben Howland said Dragovic's suspension is day to day, adding: "We have to get more information that's going to be given to the appropriate people here on campus."Dragovic was expected to attend UCLA's practice Sunday afternoon but would not be allowed to participate. Similarly, Howland said he would watch tonight's game in street clothes. Team officials knew about the incident for weeks but seemingly did not expect formal charges. The coach and the player spoke Friday night, Howland saying that Dragovic "was obviously very apologetic and felt terrible about this whole situation."This is a second brush with the law for Dragovic, who was arrested last year and accused of shoving his former girlfriend during an argument. The city attorney decided not to prosecute but left open the possibility of revisiting the case within a year. It was not known if the current charge would affect his previous case, though a city attorney's spokesman said Sunday that with a felony involved, his office usually defers to the district attorney.
At UCLA, Howland said he now feels confident that he knows all the details of the incident but declined to elaborate."This is a legal case," he said. "This is a case that is obviously pending."Depth perceptionSenior James Keefe will remain in the starting lineup at Dragovic's power forward spot.Keefe made five of six shots against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds."We don't know what the situation is," he said of his sudden promotion and Dragovic's legal case."We don't know how long he's going to be out."The reshuffling also nudged freshman Brendan Lane into a backup role. Against Bakersfield, he had four points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.Another newcomer, Reeves Nelson, played 16 minutes at backup center, scoring eight points."All these freshmen are going to make mistakes," Howland said. "As long as they're trying their hardest and playing with their hearts, that's something we have to deal with."
Scouting report A tough field awaits at the 76 Classic over Thanksgiving, but first UCLA must deal with Pepperdine, a program trying to rebuild under Coach Tom Asbury. Howland expects an opponent that will play both zone and man-to-man defense, an opponent that will show different offensive looks with Keion Bell and Mychel Thompson on the wings. Bell became something of a YouTube hit this fall by leaping over five teammates to dunk at the Waves' preseason Blue & Orange scrimmage.
Updated: November 22, 2009, 5:05 PM ET
UCLA suspends Dragovic for 2nd game
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA will extend Nikola Dragovic's suspension for at least another game following his arrest and subsequent charge of felony assault.
Coach Ben Howland said Sunday that Dragovic won't play Monday against Pepperdine, although he will be allowed to sit on the bench in street clothes.
The 21-year-old senior from Belgrade, Serbia, was arrested Friday and charged by the Los Angeles district attorney's office for his involvement in an undisclosed incident last month at a concert in Hollywood.
Howland declined to provide any details on the incident, saying it would be inappropriate for him to comment on a pending legal case. Dragovic has hired an attorney.
The starter was suspended for Friday's victory over Cal State Bakersfield after playing in UCLA's season-opening, double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton.
Dragovic was set to attend practice Sunday, but not participate in his first reunion with the team since being arrested.
Howland said he met with Dragovic after Friday's game.
"He was obviously very apologetic and felt terrible about this entire situation," the coach said.
James Keefe will make his second start in Dragovic's place Monday.
Waves Begin Road Swing at UCLA on Monday
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/21/2009
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes
THE FACTS - After three games at home to start the season, the Pepperdine men's basketball team now plays five straight away from Firestone Fieldhouse. The stretch begins on Monday night just down the road at UCLA. The Waves are coming off their first win of the season.
GAME #4 - Monday (Nov. 23) at Pauley Pavilion: Pepperdine (1-2) at UCLA (1-1) at 8 p.m.
TELEVISION - The Pepperdine-UCLA game will be shown live on FOX Sports West. Bill Macdonald and Don MacLean are the announcers.
ON THE WEB - Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men's basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 25th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team's website when the Waves are on the road.
UCLA - Pepperdine trails the all-time series with UCLA, 15-4. The Waves won three times in the 1940s early in the series, but the the Bruins won 12 straight between 1949 and 1999. Tom Asbury was 0-2 against UCLA during his first stint as head coach. The streak ended with perhaps the Waves' signature win of this decade, a memorable 85-78 victory at Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 28, 2001 against the #10-ranked Bruins. That was the last time Pepperdine beat a top 25 team on the road and was victorious against a top 10 team. The only meeting since then was an 85-83 UCLA home victory in December 2004, when Jordan Farmar made a lay-up with 4.7 seconds left and Alex Acker missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
LAST GAME - Keion Bell helped rescue Pepperdine by scoring the team's final 12 points of a 72-70 comeback victory over Cal State San Bernardino on Friday. He scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, including 12 in the final three minutes. CSUSB, traditionally a strong team at the NCAA Division II level, led by as many as 12 points in the second half before the Waves rallied. Bell's putback with 40 seconds left put Pepperdine ahead 70-69 with 40 seconds left, and he added two free throws with 19.8 seconds left. CSUSB made one of two free throws with 12.1 seconds left, got an offensive rebound, but missed a potential game-tying jumper at the buzzer.
SUPER SOPHS - Last season, Pepperdine's eight-man freshman class scored more than half of the Waves' points (57.4%). After three games, the now-sophomore class has contributed 73.7% of Pepperdine's scoring.
BELL'S BIG START - Keion Bell scored 20 points against Pacific, 21 against Long Beach State and 22 against Cal State San Bernardino. Last year as a freshman, despite being Pepperdine's leading scorer (12.9 ppg), he had a total of only three 20-point games the entire season (none that were back-to-back). The last Pepperdine player to score 20 or more in three straight games in Tyrone Shelley in March 2008. The last to do it four games in a row was Glen McGowan in January 2005. The last member of the Waves to start the season with three 20-point games was Tom Lewis in 1987-88. The last to start a season with more than three was Dane Suttle Sr. with six in 1982-83.
MORE BELL - Keion Bell is saving his best for last. He's averaged 6.0 points in the first half and 15.0 points after halftime ... His eight assists against Cal State San Bernardino were a career high.
TEAM CAPTAIN - Mychel Thompson was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. The junior forward is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. Now in his third year as a starter, he is averaging 8.8 points for his career and made 91 three-pointers.
YOUTUBE SENSATION - Keion Bell, a preseason All-WCC first team selection, got Pepperdine a ton of publicity in mid-October. At Blue & Orange Madness, Pepperdine's event to kick off the start of practice, the sophomore guard finished up the dunk contest by leaping over five teammates and slamming it home. A Pepperdine fan happened to record the dunk on his iPhone and uploaded it onto YouTube. It quickly spread around the internet and at last check had nearly 1.1 million hits. ESPN's SportsCenter picked up the video and made the dunk the #2 Play of the Day.
WCC PRESEASON POLL - According to the WCC's coaches, the Waves are predicted to finish seventh in the conference. Their poll went in the following order: Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara (tied), San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Several national publications and websites have differing opinions on the Waves, including fourth (The Sporting News), fifth (The Sports Network), sixth (Athlon and Lindy's) and seventh (Rivals.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net).
ROSTER - Pepperdine returns 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). There are also five newcomers, bringing the roster total to 16. There are no seniors on the squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Twelve are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
RETURNERS - Four of the five starters from last year's team return (Keion Bell, Taylor Darby, Corbin Moore and Mychel Thompson). Pepperdine's returning players account for 82.5% percent of last year's scoring (1629/1974), 88.3% of the rebounds (919/1041), 65.4% of the assists (223/341), 95.0% of the blocked shots (96/101) and 77.2% of the steals (166/215).
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - Tom Asbury believes in preparing his team for league play with a difficult non-conference slate of games, and so that's what the Waves are in the midst of. The Waves play six games against non-conference teams that took part in the postseason last year: Portland State, UCLA and Utah made the NCAA Tournament, Miami (Fla.) was in the NIT, Wyoming was in the College Basketball Invitational and Pacific was in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Nine of the 16 non-conference games are at home.
TELEVISION - The Waves are slated to appear on television several times once again in 2009-10. Six games will be shown locally - Nov. 23 at UCLA on Fox Sports West, Jan. 14 vs. Santa Clara on ESPNU, Jan. 21 at Gonzaga on Prime Ticket (delayed), Jan. 30 vs. San Diego on Prime Ticket, Feb. 18 vs. Portland on Prime Ticket and Feb. 20 vs. Gonzaga on Fox Sports West.
TOM ASBURY - Now in his second stint in charge of the Waves is coaching great Tom Asbury. He returned to Malibu prior to the 2008-09 campaign to become the Waves' head coach again after 14 seasons away. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for nine years as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He went on to serve as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first head coaching job at Pepperdine and took the Waves to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, '92, '94) and two in the NIT (1989, '93). Pepperdine won three regular-season WCC titles and the school's only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, his seven-year record at Pepperdine was 134-82 (.620) and his 13-year record as a head coach was 219-170 (.563).
ASSISTANTS - Upon his return, Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It's believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
LAST SEASON - Tom Asbury's return to Pepperdine brought much-needed stability to the program in his first season back. With only five players returning, Asbury and his new staff brought in 10 newcomers well after the regular letter-of-intent signing period. The young Waves posted a 9-23 overall record but got much better as the year went on, placing sixth in the WCC with a 5-9 record and winning a first-round game at the WCC Tournament. Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY - This is the 72nd season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2009-10 with an all-time record of 1,111-910 (.550). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST - Pepperdine has long been one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Over the 31-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2008-09 campaign, of the 32 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2009-10 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (525) and winning percentage (.565) over the past 31 years.
WAVES IN THE PROS - This is the 34th consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his fourth season overall and his second with the Miami Heat. A total of 16 former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Alex Acker (Italy), Tezale Archie (Netherlands), Brandon Armstrong (Venezuela), Gerald Brown (Poland), Jelani Gardner (Greece),
The Bruins are 15-4 all-time against the Waves, who make their first visit to Pauley Pavilion since 2004.
Men's Basketball Home
Nov. 22, 2009
LOS ANGELES -
Complete Release in PDF Format
GAMEDAY CENTRAL DATE: Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 SITE: Pauley Pavilion (12,819)TIP-OFF: 8:06 p.m. PTTELEVISION: FS West TALENT: Bill Macdonald (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst) and Courtney Jones (sideline)RADIO: AM 570 KLAC TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
BRUIN INJURY REPORT Freshman forward Tyler Honeycutt is out 1-2 more weeks with a stress reaction in his right tibia. It was announced on Nov. 8, 2009 that Honeycutt had the injury. He is the only Bruin slated to miss UCLA's contest with Pepperdine (Nov. 22) due to injury. However, the Bruins have missed plenty of practice time this year with seven different scholarship players missing at least one week of practice due to injuries.
POLLING UCLA UCLA finished the 2008-09 season ranked No. 18 in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press poll. The Bruins are unranked in both polls to start the 2009-10 campaign, snapping a streak of 75 straight weeks (since the 2005-06 preseason) in the Top 25 in the AP poll and a streak of 78 consecutive weeks in the Coaches Poll (since 2004-05 final poll), which was the longest streak in the nation. The Bruins are receiving votes in both polls and are No. 29 in the Coaches Poll and No. 36 in the AP Poll.SERIES VERSUS PEPPERDINE This is the 20th meeting all-time against Pepperdine with UCLA leading the series 15-4. The last 15 games of the series have all been contested in Pauley Pavilion (since 1945-46). The Bruins are 14-3 all-time against the Waves at home. UCLA won the last meeting, an 85-83 win at home in head coach Ben Howland's second season (2004-05), which is the only time he has faced Pepperdine.
latimes.com
UCLA BASKETBALL
Dragovic's status remains unclear
His suspension is day to day after his arrest on suspicion of felony assault, and Coach Ben Howland says more information is coming to the appropriate people at the university.
By David Wharton
November 23, 2009
Nikola Dragovic could be on the UCLA bench tonight, but he won't be in uniform.Not only does the senior forward remain suspended for the matchup against Pepperdine, it remains unclear whether he will return for any of the four games the Bruins play over a tough seven-day stretch. Dragovic was arrested Friday and faces a felony assault charge stemming from an altercation at a Hollywood concert last month.Coach Ben Howland said Dragovic's suspension is day to day, adding: "We have to get more information that's going to be given to the appropriate people here on campus."Dragovic was expected to attend UCLA's practice Sunday afternoon but would not be allowed to participate. Similarly, Howland said he would watch tonight's game in street clothes. Team officials knew about the incident for weeks but seemingly did not expect formal charges. The coach and the player spoke Friday night, Howland saying that Dragovic "was obviously very apologetic and felt terrible about this whole situation."This is a second brush with the law for Dragovic, who was arrested last year and accused of shoving his former girlfriend during an argument. The city attorney decided not to prosecute but left open the possibility of revisiting the case within a year. It was not known if the current charge would affect his previous case, though a city attorney's spokesman said Sunday that with a felony involved, his office usually defers to the district attorney.
At UCLA, Howland said he now feels confident that he knows all the details of the incident but declined to elaborate."This is a legal case," he said. "This is a case that is obviously pending."Depth perceptionSenior James Keefe will remain in the starting lineup at Dragovic's power forward spot.Keefe made five of six shots against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds."We don't know what the situation is," he said of his sudden promotion and Dragovic's legal case."We don't know how long he's going to be out."The reshuffling also nudged freshman Brendan Lane into a backup role. Against Bakersfield, he had four points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.Another newcomer, Reeves Nelson, played 16 minutes at backup center, scoring eight points."All these freshmen are going to make mistakes," Howland said. "As long as they're trying their hardest and playing with their hearts, that's something we have to deal with."
Scouting report A tough field awaits at the 76 Classic over Thanksgiving, but first UCLA must deal with Pepperdine, a program trying to rebuild under Coach Tom Asbury. Howland expects an opponent that will play both zone and man-to-man defense, an opponent that will show different offensive looks with Keion Bell and Mychel Thompson on the wings. Bell became something of a YouTube hit this fall by leaping over five teammates to dunk at the Waves' preseason Blue & Orange scrimmage.
Updated: November 22, 2009, 5:05 PM ET
UCLA suspends Dragovic for 2nd game
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA will extend Nikola Dragovic's suspension for at least another game following his arrest and subsequent charge of felony assault.
Coach Ben Howland said Sunday that Dragovic won't play Monday against Pepperdine, although he will be allowed to sit on the bench in street clothes.
The 21-year-old senior from Belgrade, Serbia, was arrested Friday and charged by the Los Angeles district attorney's office for his involvement in an undisclosed incident last month at a concert in Hollywood.
Howland declined to provide any details on the incident, saying it would be inappropriate for him to comment on a pending legal case. Dragovic has hired an attorney.The starter was suspended for Friday's victory over Cal State Bakersfield after playing in UCLA's season-opening, double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton.
Dragovic was set to attend practice Sunday, but not participate in his first reunion with the team since being arrested.
Howland said he met with Dragovic after Friday's game.
"He was obviously very apologetic and felt terrible about this entire situation," the coach said.
James Keefe will make his second start in Dragovic's place Monday.
Waves Begin Road Swing at UCLA on Monday
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/21/2009
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes
THE FACTS - After three games at home to start the season, the Pepperdine men's basketball team now plays five straight away from Firestone Fieldhouse. The stretch begins on Monday night just down the road at UCLA. The Waves are coming off their first win of the season.
GAME #4 - Monday (Nov. 23) at Pauley Pavilion: Pepperdine (1-2) at UCLA (1-1) at 8 p.m.
TELEVISION - The Pepperdine-UCLA game will be shown live on FOX Sports West. Bill Macdonald and Don MacLean are the announcers.
ON THE WEB - Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men's basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 25th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team's website when the Waves are on the road.
UCLA - Pepperdine trails the all-time series with UCLA, 15-4. The Waves won three times in the 1940s early in the series, but the the Bruins won 12 straight between 1949 and 1999. Tom Asbury was 0-2 against UCLA during his first stint as head coach. The streak ended with perhaps the Waves' signature win of this decade, a memorable 85-78 victory at Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 28, 2001 against the #10-ranked Bruins. That was the last time Pepperdine beat a top 25 team on the road and was victorious against a top 10 team. The only meeting since then was an 85-83 UCLA home victory in December 2004, when Jordan Farmar made a lay-up with 4.7 seconds left and Alex Acker missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
LAST GAME - Keion Bell helped rescue Pepperdine by scoring the team's final 12 points of a 72-70 comeback victory over Cal State San Bernardino on Friday. He scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, including 12 in the final three minutes. CSUSB, traditionally a strong team at the NCAA Division II level, led by as many as 12 points in the second half before the Waves rallied. Bell's putback with 40 seconds left put Pepperdine ahead 70-69 with 40 seconds left, and he added two free throws with 19.8 seconds left. CSUSB made one of two free throws with 12.1 seconds left, got an offensive rebound, but missed a potential game-tying jumper at the buzzer.
SUPER SOPHS - Last season, Pepperdine's eight-man freshman class scored more than half of the Waves' points (57.4%). After three games, the now-sophomore class has contributed 73.7% of Pepperdine's scoring.BELL'S BIG START - Keion Bell scored 20 points against Pacific, 21 against Long Beach State and 22 against Cal State San Bernardino. Last year as a freshman, despite being Pepperdine's leading scorer (12.9 ppg), he had a total of only three 20-point games the entire season (none that were back-to-back). The last Pepperdine player to score 20 or more in three straight games in Tyrone Shelley in March 2008. The last to do it four games in a row was Glen McGowan in January 2005. The last member of the Waves to start the season with three 20-point games was Tom Lewis in 1987-88. The last to start a season with more than three was Dane Suttle Sr. with six in 1982-83.
MORE BELL - Keion Bell is saving his best for last. He's averaged 6.0 points in the first half and 15.0 points after halftime ... His eight assists against Cal State San Bernardino were a career high.
TEAM CAPTAIN - Mychel Thompson was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. The junior forward is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. Now in his third year as a starter, he is averaging 8.8 points for his career and made 91 three-pointers.YOUTUBE SENSATION - Keion Bell, a preseason All-WCC first team selection, got Pepperdine a ton of publicity in mid-October. At Blue & Orange Madness, Pepperdine's event to kick off the start of practice, the sophomore guard finished up the dunk contest by leaping over five teammates and slamming it home. A Pepperdine fan happened to record the dunk on his iPhone and uploaded it onto YouTube. It quickly spread around the internet and at last check had nearly 1.1 million hits. ESPN's SportsCenter picked up the video and made the dunk the #2 Play of the Day.
WCC PRESEASON POLL - According to the WCC's coaches, the Waves are predicted to finish seventh in the conference. Their poll went in the following order: Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara (tied), San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Several national publications and websites have differing opinions on the Waves, including fourth (The Sporting News), fifth (The Sports Network), sixth (Athlon and Lindy's) and seventh (Rivals.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net).ROSTER - Pepperdine returns 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). There are also five newcomers, bringing the roster total to 16. There are no seniors on the squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Twelve are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
RETURNERS - Four of the five starters from last year's team return (Keion Bell, Taylor Darby, Corbin Moore and Mychel Thompson). Pepperdine's returning players account for 82.5% percent of last year's scoring (1629/1974), 88.3% of the rebounds (919/1041), 65.4% of the assists (223/341), 95.0% of the blocked shots (96/101) and 77.2% of the steals (166/215).
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - Tom Asbury believes in preparing his team for league play with a difficult non-conference slate of games, and so that's what the Waves are in the midst of. The Waves play six games against non-conference teams that took part in the postseason last year: Portland State, UCLA and Utah made the NCAA Tournament, Miami (Fla.) was in the NIT, Wyoming was in the College Basketball Invitational and Pacific was in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Nine of the 16 non-conference games are at home.TELEVISION - The Waves are slated to appear on television several times once again in 2009-10. Six games will be shown locally - Nov. 23 at UCLA on Fox Sports West, Jan. 14 vs. Santa Clara on ESPNU, Jan. 21 at Gonzaga on Prime Ticket (delayed), Jan. 30 vs. San Diego on Prime Ticket, Feb. 18 vs. Portland on Prime Ticket and Feb. 20 vs. Gonzaga on Fox Sports West.
TOM ASBURY - Now in his second stint in charge of the Waves is coaching great Tom Asbury. He returned to Malibu prior to the 2008-09 campaign to become the Waves' head coach again after 14 seasons away. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for nine years as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He went on to serve as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first head coaching job at Pepperdine and took the Waves to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, '92, '94) and two in the NIT (1989, '93). Pepperdine won three regular-season WCC titles and the school's only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, his seven-year record at Pepperdine was 134-82 (.620) and his 13-year record as a head coach was 219-170 (.563).ASSISTANTS - Upon his return, Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It's believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
LAST SEASON - Tom Asbury's return to Pepperdine brought much-needed stability to the program in his first season back. With only five players returning, Asbury and his new staff brought in 10 newcomers well after the regular letter-of-intent signing period. The young Waves posted a 9-23 overall record but got much better as the year went on, placing sixth in the WCC with a 5-9 record and winning a first-round game at the WCC Tournament. Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg.PEPPERDINE HISTORY - This is the 72nd season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2009-10 with an all-time record of 1,111-910 (.550). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST - Pepperdine has long been one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Over the 31-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2008-09 campaign, of the 32 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2009-10 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (525) and winning percentage (.565) over the past 31 years.WAVES IN THE PROS - This is the 34th consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his fourth season overall and his second with the Miami Heat. A total of 16 former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Alex Acker (Italy), Tezale Archie (Netherlands), Brandon Armstrong (Venezuela), Gerald Brown (Poland), Jelani Gardner (Greece),
Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Finland. 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports - one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
Prepping for Pepperdine
UCLA, which has allowed opposing guards to slash through the lane in its first two games, will have its hands full with the Waves' Keion Bell. Bell averages 21 points per game and in 29 minutes, and he's getting to the free-throw line almost eight times a game.
Playing the pupsWith a UCLA basketball roster that includes five freshmen, coach Ben Howland knew there would be growing pains. Now that he knows, though, he has to be OK with them.
After pulling freshman forward Reeves Nelson - who had 11 points and six rebounds - in the season-opening loss to Cal State Fullerton, Howland admitted his mistake and played Nelson along with fellow freshmen Brendan Lane and Mike Moser throughout Friday's win over Cal State Bakersfield.
"First of all, inside with Reeves - Reeves has played the most of the freshman - he's done a good job," Howland said. "It was my mistake not to play him more minutes. All these freshmen are going to make mistakes. As long as they're trying their hardest and really, really playing with their heart that's something you just have to deal with. The experience they get is going to help them."jon.gold@dailynews.com
PEPPERDINE: There is plenty returning for the Waves this year, including all five starters. The one problem however, is that Pepperdine only won nine games a year ago with its current roster. Getting the team to continue to strive forward is the task at hand for Tom Asbury. The leaders on this team include guard Keion Bell (12.9 ppg) and forward Mychel Thompson (9.6 ppg). Other key contributors include forward Taylor Darby (6.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Lorne Jackson. The Waves know how to play tight defense, they just lack scoring punch. A streak of four straight losing seasons may continue this year, unless everything goes right in Malibu.
Cal Holds On, Knocks Off No. 14 Stanford In Big Game, 34-28
Shane Vereen fills Jahvid Best's spot nicely with 193 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Tailback Shane Vereen posted career highs of 193 rushing yards on 42 carries and scored a career-high-tying three touchdowns in Saturday's Big Game at Stanford.
Nov. 21, 2009
Final Stats Quotes Notes Photo Gallery Gameday Sidebar: Vereen Powers California to 34-28 Big Game Victory
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Shane Vereen ran for a career-high 193 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries and Mike Mohamed intercepted a Andrew Luck pass at the Cal 3-yard line with 1:36 left in the game as California spoiled No. 14 Stanford's Rose Bowl hopes with a 34-28 victory in the Big Game on Saturday.
What was billed as the biggest Big Game in years lived up to the pregame hype, with Stanford's Heisman Trophy contender Toby Gerhart rushing for 136 yards, four touchdowns and carrying defenders on a 29-yard reception that set up Stanford (7-4, 6-3) at the Cal 13 with less than 2 minutes left.
Luck then threw an incompletion on first down and was intercepted by Mohamed on second with 1:36 to go, setting off a wild celebration on the Cal sideline. After Kevin Riley took three knees, the Cal students rushed the field and Stanford Stadium as the Golden Bears (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10) won the coveted Axe for the seventh time in eight years.
Stanford came into the game off two of its biggest wins in recent memory, scoring 106 points in the back-to-back victories over nationally ranked Oregon and Southern California that put the Cardinal in position to win the conference title.
Stanford looked poised for another big win after jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Golden Bears responded behind Vereen and a defense that flummoxed Luck.
The victory puts a bright spot on a mostly disappointing season for the Bears, who entered the season with hopes of a Rose Bowl bid or possible national title. That was dashed with blowout losses to Oregon and USC and the season looked lost when star tailback Jahvid Best was sidelined by a scary concussion in a loss two weeks ago against Oregon State.
Vereen has responded with the two best games of his career the past two weeks in wins over Arizona and Stanford. Running effectively off direct snaps in Cal's form of the wildcat, Vereen overpowered the Cardinal. The Bears drove more than 70 yards on three consecutive drives starting late in the second quarter, all ending with short runs by Vereen.
Riley added a 12-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones early in the fourth quarter to give the Bears a 31-21 lead, silencing Tiger Woods and the rest of the red-clad portion in the largest crowd of 50,510 in the fourth year at the remodeled Stanford Stadium. Riley went 17 for 31 for 235 yards with one touchdown.
After Gerhart cut Cal's lead to 31-28 on his fourth TD, Stanford got the ball back at its 21 with under 5 minutes to go. After two incompletions and a short run by Gerhart, coach Jim Harbaugh decided to go for it on fourth-and-8 despite having all three timeouts remaining. Luck badly missed his receiver on the fourth-down throw, giving Cal the ball back with 3:28 to go at the Stanford 23.
The Bears settled for a field goal to go up 34-28 with 2:42 to go, with coach Jeff Tedford calling for Riley to take a knee to center the ball on third down from the Stanford 9. Stanford drove down the field and was in position to win until Luck's interception. Harbaugh put his arm around his quarterback as they walked off the field following the key turnover.
Luck entered the game as the top-rated passer in the Pac-10 but finally looked like the redshirt freshman he is against a Cal defense that has played its best two games the past two weeks. Luck finished 10 for 30 for 157 yards, rarely finding open receivers and missing a few of them when he did have the chance to make a play.
Gerhart, who moved into the Heisman Trophy race with 401 yards rushing and six touchdowns the past two weeks, scored on a 61-yard run on the third play from scrimmage. Gerhart added three more short TD runs on the day, giving him a school-record 23 for the season and school-record 39 in his career. Gerhart scored again in the first quarter on a 2-yard run following a blocked punt.
This marked the third time this season that the Cardinal lost a game in which they led by at least 14 points. This one was especially painful because it came against Cal and ended the team's Rose Bowl hopes. Now Stanford could be looking at a possible bid to Sun Bowl or Emerald Bowl instead of the Rose.
Shane Vereen fills Jahvid Best's spot nicely with 193 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Tailback Shane Vereen posted career highs of 193 rushing yards on 42 carries and scored a career-high-tying three touchdowns in Saturday's Big Game at Stanford.
Nov. 21, 2009
Final Stats Quotes Notes Photo Gallery Gameday Sidebar: Vereen Powers California to 34-28 Big Game Victory
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Shane Vereen ran for a career-high 193 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries and Mike Mohamed intercepted a Andrew Luck pass at the Cal 3-yard line with 1:36 left in the game as California spoiled No. 14 Stanford's Rose Bowl hopes with a 34-28 victory in the Big Game on Saturday.What was billed as the biggest Big Game in years lived up to the pregame hype, with Stanford's Heisman Trophy contender Toby Gerhart rushing for 136 yards, four touchdowns and carrying defenders on a 29-yard reception that set up Stanford (7-4, 6-3) at the Cal 13 with less than 2 minutes left.
Luck then threw an incompletion on first down and was intercepted by Mohamed on second with 1:36 to go, setting off a wild celebration on the Cal sideline. After Kevin Riley took three knees, the Cal students rushed the field and Stanford Stadium as the Golden Bears (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10) won the coveted Axe for the seventh time in eight years.Stanford came into the game off two of its biggest wins in recent memory, scoring 106 points in the back-to-back victories over nationally ranked Oregon and Southern California that put the Cardinal in position to win the conference title.
Stanford looked poised for another big win after jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Golden Bears responded behind Vereen and a defense that flummoxed Luck.
The victory puts a bright spot on a mostly disappointing season for the Bears, who entered the season with hopes of a Rose Bowl bid or possible national title. That was dashed with blowout losses to Oregon and USC and the season looked lost when star tailback Jahvid Best was sidelined by a scary concussion in a loss two weeks ago against Oregon State.
Vereen has responded with the two best games of his career the past two weeks in wins over Arizona and Stanford. Running effectively off direct snaps in Cal's form of the wildcat, Vereen overpowered the Cardinal. The Bears drove more than 70 yards on three consecutive drives starting late in the second quarter, all ending with short runs by Vereen.Riley added a 12-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones early in the fourth quarter to give the Bears a 31-21 lead, silencing Tiger Woods and the rest of the red-clad portion in the largest crowd of 50,510 in the fourth year at the remodeled Stanford Stadium. Riley went 17 for 31 for 235 yards with one touchdown.
After Gerhart cut Cal's lead to 31-28 on his fourth TD, Stanford got the ball back at its 21 with under 5 minutes to go. After two incompletions and a short run by Gerhart, coach Jim Harbaugh decided to go for it on fourth-and-8 despite having all three timeouts remaining. Luck badly missed his receiver on the fourth-down throw, giving Cal the ball back with 3:28 to go at the Stanford 23.
The Bears settled for a field goal to go up 34-28 with 2:42 to go, with coach Jeff Tedford calling for Riley to take a knee to center the ball on third down from the Stanford 9. Stanford drove down the field and was in position to win until Luck's interception. Harbaugh put his arm around his quarterback as they walked off the field following the key turnover.Luck entered the game as the top-rated passer in the Pac-10 but finally looked like the redshirt freshman he is against a Cal defense that has played its best two games the past two weeks. Luck finished 10 for 30 for 157 yards, rarely finding open receivers and missing a few of them when he did have the chance to make a play.
Gerhart, who moved into the Heisman Trophy race with 401 yards rushing and six touchdowns the past two weeks, scored on a 61-yard run on the third play from scrimmage. Gerhart added three more short TD runs on the day, giving him a school-record 23 for the season and school-record 39 in his career. Gerhart scored again in the first quarter on a 2-yard run following a blocked punt.
This marked the third time this season that the Cardinal lost a game in which they led by at least 14 points. This one was especially painful because it came against Cal and ended the team's Rose Bowl hopes. Now Stanford could be looking at a possible bid to Sun Bowl or Emerald Bowl instead of the Rose.
Big Game Performance Earns Shane Vereen Multiple National Honors
Cal sophomore tailback rushed 42 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's 34-28 win Stanford.
Shane Vereen earned multiple national honors for his performance Saturday in Cal's 34-28 victory over Stanford in the 112th Big Game played at Stanford Stadium.
Football Home
HEADLINES
Cal No. 21 in Latest USA Today Poll/No. 22 in AP Rankings and BCS Standings
Cal Football Postgame Notes - at Stanford (Saturday, November 21)
Cal Holds On, Knocks Off No. 14 Stanford, 34-28
Nov. 22, 2009
BERKELEY - Cal sophomore tailback Shane Vereen earned multiple national honors for his performance Saturday in Cal's 34-28 victory over Stanford in the 112th Big Game played at Stanford Stadium. Vereen became the first Cal player this season to be honored with a Walter Camp Football Foundation national weekly award when he was named the organization's BCS National Offensive Player of the Week. He is also one of four nominees for the Week 12 AT&T All-America Player of the Week Award and was an honorable mention selection for the College Football Performance Awards Running Back Performer of the Week. The national honors are all the first of Vereen's career.
Vereen rushed 42 times for 193 yards (both career highs) and three touchdowns (tied career-high) to lead the Golden Bears to their fifth win in their last six games overall, and their seventh victory in their last eight games against the Cardinal. The 42 rushing attempts tied for the most in the nation in 2009 along with Central Florida's Brynn Harvey, who had 42 carries against Memphis on Oct. 3.
Vereen now has 738 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground this season on a team-high 147 carries (5.0 average) to rank seventh in the Pac-10 in rushing (67.1 ypg). He is also fifth in the conference in all-purpose running yards per game (136.18) with a team-high total of 1,498 (738 rush, 199 receive, 10 punt return, 551 kick return). In addition, he is sixth in the league in kick returns with an average of 23.0 (24 kick returns, 551 yards).
Fans can help Vereen win the Week 12 AT&T All-America Player of the Week honor by voting for him in the only college football honor determined by fan voting. Text VOTE to 345345 and then reply with your selection. Fans have until 8:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday to submit their votes. The winner will be announced during Thursday's ESPN College Football Primetime presented by Applebee's. Standard text messaging rates apply.
There is no limit on fan voting and each vote counts as one entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2010 Bowl Championship Series National Championship game in Pasadena. Full sweepstakes rules can be found at espnallamerica.com/rules.aspx.
In December, four finalists for the AT&T All-America Player of the Year Award will be announced during a one-hour special on ESPN in conjunction with the announcement of the
AT&T ESPN All-America Team as selected by the Football Writers Association of America. Fans will then get their chance to say who the best player in the nation is by voting for the AT&T All-America Player of the Year. Voting ends at 8:59 p.m. PT on Jan. 5, and the winner will be announced during the BCS National Championship game on ABC on Jan. 7.
Cal (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10, No. 21 USA Today/No. 22 AP/No. 22 BCS) will enjoy a bye week before traveling to Washington (3-7, 2-5 Pac-10) for the final regular season game of 2009 for both teams on Saturday, Dec. 5 (3:30 p.m. PT). The contest will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet California
Cal sophomore tailback rushed 42 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's 34-28 win Stanford.
Shane Vereen earned multiple national honors for his performance Saturday in Cal's 34-28 victory over Stanford in the 112th Big Game played at Stanford Stadium.
Football Home
HEADLINES
Cal No. 21 in Latest USA Today Poll/No. 22 in AP Rankings and BCS Standings
Cal Football Postgame Notes - at Stanford (Saturday, November 21)
Cal Holds On, Knocks Off No. 14 Stanford, 34-28
Nov. 22, 2009
BERKELEY - Cal sophomore tailback Shane Vereen earned multiple national honors for his performance Saturday in Cal's 34-28 victory over Stanford in the 112th Big Game played at Stanford Stadium. Vereen became the first Cal player this season to be honored with a Walter Camp Football Foundation national weekly award when he was named the organization's BCS National Offensive Player of the Week. He is also one of four nominees for the Week 12 AT&T All-America Player of the Week Award and was an honorable mention selection for the College Football Performance Awards Running Back Performer of the Week. The national honors are all the first of Vereen's career.
Vereen rushed 42 times for 193 yards (both career highs) and three touchdowns (tied career-high) to lead the Golden Bears to their fifth win in their last six games overall, and their seventh victory in their last eight games against the Cardinal. The 42 rushing attempts tied for the most in the nation in 2009 along with Central Florida's Brynn Harvey, who had 42 carries against Memphis on Oct. 3.
Vereen now has 738 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground this season on a team-high 147 carries (5.0 average) to rank seventh in the Pac-10 in rushing (67.1 ypg). He is also fifth in the conference in all-purpose running yards per game (136.18) with a team-high total of 1,498 (738 rush, 199 receive, 10 punt return, 551 kick return). In addition, he is sixth in the league in kick returns with an average of 23.0 (24 kick returns, 551 yards).
Fans can help Vereen win the Week 12 AT&T All-America Player of the Week honor by voting for him in the only college football honor determined by fan voting. Text VOTE to 345345 and then reply with your selection. Fans have until 8:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday to submit their votes. The winner will be announced during Thursday's ESPN College Football Primetime presented by Applebee's. Standard text messaging rates apply.
There is no limit on fan voting and each vote counts as one entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2010 Bowl Championship Series National Championship game in Pasadena. Full sweepstakes rules can be found at espnallamerica.com/rules.aspx.
In December, four finalists for the AT&T All-America Player of the Year Award will be announced during a one-hour special on ESPN in conjunction with the announcement of the
AT&T ESPN All-America Team as selected by the Football Writers Association of America. Fans will then get their chance to say who the best player in the nation is by voting for the AT&T All-America Player of the Year. Voting ends at 8:59 p.m. PT on Jan. 5, and the winner will be announced during the BCS National Championship game on ABC on Jan. 7.Cal (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10, No. 21 USA Today/No. 22 AP/No. 22 BCS) will enjoy a bye week before traveling to Washington (3-7, 2-5 Pac-10) for the final regular season game of 2009 for both teams on Saturday, Dec. 5 (3:30 p.m. PT). The contest will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet California
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
PEPPERDINE AND CAL - BALLIN' BROTHERS
Bell Helps Rally Waves Over CSUSB
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/20/2009
Pepperdine-CSUSB Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - Sophomore guard Keion Bell helped rescue the Pepperdine men's basketball team by scoring the team's final 12 points of a 72-70 comeback victory over Cal State San Bernardino in Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, including 12 in the final three minutes, as the Waves (1-2) won their first game of the season.
Cal State San Bernardino (0-1), traditionally a strong team at the NCAA Division II level, led by as many as 12 points in the second half before the Waves rallied. Pepperdine had a 39-37 lead with 17 minutes left in the second half, but recorded only one field goal over the next 9 1/2 minutes as the Coyotes pulled ahead 58-46.
Six points by sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) and three-pointers by sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) and freshman guard Joshua Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) helped the Waves to close the gap.
Bell began his game-ending run with a three-point play with 2:56 left that cut San Bernardino's lead to 64-63. His dunk off a teammate's miss tied the game at 66 with 2:10 remaining, and his putback with 40 seconds left gave Pepperdine a 70-69 advantage. He then hit two free throws with 19.8 seconds left to give the Waves a three-point lead.
On the Coyotes' final possession, Aaron Hill made one of two free throws with 12.1 seconds left. San Bernardino got the offensive rebound, but Lawrence Tyson's jumper at the buzzer was off the mark.
Bell, who also had game highs of eight assists and seven rebounds, was one of five Waves in double-figures. Sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) had 12 points, Darby scored 11 along with seven rebounds and both Suttle and junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) had 10 points apiece.
Bell has scored 20 or more points in each of his three games this season. Though he was Pepperdine's leading scorer last season at 12.9 ppg, he had only three 20-point games all last year.
Jackson hit all four of his three-pointers in the first half, helping Pepperdine rally back from as much as a six-point deficit. His third one tied the game at 27-27, and his fourth one gave the Waves their largest lead of the half at 32-29. Still, the teams went into the break tied at 34.
Pepperdine had advantages of 48.1%-40.7% in field goals and 38-27 in rebounding.
After three games at home to start the season, the Waves play their next five away from Firestone Fieldhouse, starting at UCLA on Monday (Nov. 23) at 8 p.m. The game will be televised by FOX Sports West. Fans can also listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/20/2009
Pepperdine-CSUSB Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - Sophomore guard Keion Bell helped rescue the Pepperdine men's basketball team by scoring the team's final 12 points of a 72-70 comeback victory over Cal State San Bernardino in Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, including 12 in the final three minutes, as the Waves (1-2) won their first game of the season.
Cal State San Bernardino (0-1), traditionally a strong team at the NCAA Division II level, led by as many as 12 points in the second half before the Waves rallied. Pepperdine had a 39-37 lead with 17 minutes left in the second half, but recorded only one field goal over the next 9 1/2 minutes as the Coyotes pulled ahead 58-46.
Six points by sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) and three-pointers by sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) and freshman guard Joshua Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) helped the Waves to close the gap.
Bell began his game-ending run with a three-point play with 2:56 left that cut San Bernardino's lead to 64-63. His dunk off a teammate's miss tied the game at 66 with 2:10 remaining, and his putback with 40 seconds left gave Pepperdine a 70-69 advantage. He then hit two free throws with 19.8 seconds left to give the Waves a three-point lead.
On the Coyotes' final possession, Aaron Hill made one of two free throws with 12.1 seconds left. San Bernardino got the offensive rebound, but Lawrence Tyson's jumper at the buzzer was off the mark.
Bell, who also had game highs of eight assists and seven rebounds, was one of five Waves in double-figures. Sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) had 12 points, Darby scored 11 along with seven rebounds and both Suttle and junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) had 10 points apiece.
Bell has scored 20 or more points in each of his three games this season. Though he was Pepperdine's leading scorer last season at 12.9 ppg, he had only three 20-point games all last year.
Jackson hit all four of his three-pointers in the first half, helping Pepperdine rally back from as much as a six-point deficit. His third one tied the game at 27-27, and his fourth one gave the Waves their largest lead of the half at 32-29. Still, the teams went into the break tied at 34.
Pepperdine had advantages of 48.1%-40.7% in field goals and 38-27 in rebounding.
After three games at home to start the season, the Waves play their next five away from Firestone Fieldhouse, starting at UCLA on Monday (Nov. 23) at 8 p.m. The game will be televised by FOX Sports West. Fans can also listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Anderson's 15-second half points pushes The Beach to a win at Pepperdine
LBSU gets first win in Malibu since 1986
Nov. 17, 2009
Box Score
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Larry Anderson had a huge second half to help Long Beach State break open a tight game en route to a 67-58 non-conference win in Firestone Fieldhouse Tuesday night.
Anderson scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and had three steals after the break to help LBSU (2-0) overcome a two-point halftime deficit. He finished the game with 20 points, five boards, four assists and five steals.
T.J. Robinson added his second consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Greg Plater added 11 points, nine in the second half, to help The Beach beat the Waves (0-2) in Malibu for the first time since Dec. 11, 1986. The 49ers were 0-5 on the road against the Waves since their last win at Pepperdine.
Long Beach State jumped on Pepperdine early in the second half. After falling behind 32-29 on a Taylor Darby free throw 13 seconds into the half, the 49ers outscored the Waves 25-9 over the next 11:21 to build a 13-point lead.
The Waves couldn't get closer than 10 points until Keion Bell, who had a game-high 21 points, scored with 2:17 left to cut the 49ers lead to nine. Pepperdine would get as close as seven, but Plater sealed the win with three 3-pointers in the last 6:11 of the game, including the back-breaker with 1:40 to play.
Long Beach State held Pepperdine to 30.8 percent shooting (20-of-65), including just 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from beyond the arc. The Waves committed 10 more turnovers, 18 to 8, than LBSU but pounded The Beach 54-33 on the boards. The rebounding advantage led to Pepperdine attempting 16 more shots than the 49ers, but Long Beach State made enough (42.9 percent) to come away with the win.
The first half was close throughout with eight ties and neither team leading by more than five. Pepperdine led 31-29 at the break thanks to a 24-13 advantage on the glass. The 11-rebound advantage led to a 10-6 advantage in second-chance points. The Waves finished the game with an 18-6 second-chance points advantage, but were still outscored in the paint 30-22 by Long Beach State. LBSU also outscored Pepperdine 10-4 in transition.
LBSU stayed in the game early at the free throw line and thanks to 10 Pepperdine turnovers in the first half. The Beach made 12-of-17 from the stripe before the break, including its last eight points of the half. The 49ers finished 20-of-31 (64.5 percent) from the line.
Robinson led LBSU in the first half scoring nine points and grabbing five of the team's 13 boards. Anderson added five points, while Eugene Phelps and Stephan Gilling had four points each. Phelps scored all of his points in the first 3:50 before picking up his second foul with 15:55 to play. He sat out the rest of the half. Phelps came back to play 14 minutes in the second half and scored four more points and grabbed seven of his eight rebounds. Casper Ware finished with a team-high six assists and three steals for the 49ers who travel to Notre Dame on Thursday and Green Bay on Saturday to finish a three-game, five-day, road trip.
Pacific outlasts Pepperdine for 67-64 ( 2 OT) victory
Long Beach, Pepperdine cross paths
MEN'S BASKETBALL: 49ers travel to face the Waves in nonconference matchup.
By Frank Burlison, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/16/2009 11:03:53 PM PST
A couple of men's basketball programs that seem to be on similar rebuilding paths hook up in a nonconference game today in Firestone Pavilion on the Pepperdine campus in Malibu at 7 p.m.
The visiting Long Beach State 49ers, who opened Season III under Coach Dan Monson with an 86-65 home victory over Alaska-Anchorage Saturday evening, are expected to start four sophomores with a freshman and another sophomore also expected to see action off the bench.
And the host Pepperdine Waves, who started Season II under Coach Tom Asbury (his second stint with the program) by losing a 67-64, double-overtime decision to Pacific Friday night in Malibu, are expected to start three sophomores and a freshman, with two other sophomores and a couple of other frosh likely to play as well.
Only two players (reserve posts Andrew Fleming and Arturas Lazdauskas) remain on the LBSU roster who played for the coach Monson replaced, Larry Reynolds, while there is just one current Wave - junior forward Mychel Thompson, the son of the former NBA player and now-Lakers' radio commentator - who played under Vance Walberg at Pepperdine.
The 49ers went from 6-25 to 15-15 in Monson's second season and, truth be told, Asbury would take a comparable improvement in his program and be something close to giddy over it in March after going 9-23 last season.
"Where we are right now," Asbury said Monday morning, "is really about where I hoped we would be right now.
"We have quality kids who are also good students. A lot of the kids that we had before (referring to the nine years he served as an assistant under Jim Harrick and then six as the head coach before departing for Kansas State) would have never gotten into school now. The curriculum is harder and it's a dramatically different school, academically, than when I was here before."
Asbury watched video of Long Beach's win Saturday "and I think they are pretty solid," he said.
"I think they are going to be a factor in the Big West. (Larry) Anderson is a nice player and (Casper) Ware is decent. They are going to be good. I'm not sure who in the Big West I would pick over them (the 49ers). I don't think Pacific is better."
Six-foot-three sophomore Keion Bell, who played at both Serra and Pasadena as a prep before leading the Waves in scoring last season, is projected to be an All-West Coast Conference selection this season.
"He's bigger and stronger than he was as a freshman," Asbury said of Bell, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds Friday night. "He's extremely athletic but he's a turnover machine right now. He's one of those guys that lives on a tight rope. He'll turn the ball over but go steal it and dunk. He can drive a coach a little crazy."
The 6-5 Anderson, the co-Big West Player of the Week for his 18-point and seven-assist performance Saturday, came off the bench to score four points and grab three rebounds when the 49ers beat the Waves, 80-61, last Dec. 3 in the Walter Pyramid.
Ware had one of his better performances (15 points, eight assists and five steals) as the 49ers beat a Pepperdine team for only the second time in a stretch of 11 meetings in as many seasons.
The Waves lead the all-time series, 16-7.
"I think they are a much improved team," Monson said, after watching video of the Waves' narrow loss to UOP.
"Their players are much more experienced and they've adjusted to his (Asbury's) system."
dailypress.com/sns-ap-bkc-long-beach-st-pepperdine,0,2973541.story
dailypress.com
Anderson, Robinson lead Long beach State to a 67-58 victory over Pepperdine
By Associated Press
12:31 AM EST, November 18, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Larry Anderson scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to lead visiting Long Beach State to a 67-58 victory over Pepperdine on Tuesday night.nderson also had five rebounds and five steals. T.J. Robinson provided 15 points and 10 rebounds for the 49ers (2-0).Pepperdine (0-2) was led by Keion Bell, who scored a game-high 21 points. Taylor Darby grabbed six offensive rebounds and 10 total Long Beach State's lead hit double-digits for the first time at 49-39 after Casper Ware's lay-up with 12:15 left. The 49ers led by as many as 13 while Pepperdine got no closer than seven.epperdine led 31-29 at halftime and was up 34-32 with less than 17 minutes to play, but Anderson then scored seven straight points, helping the 49ers take the lead for good. He drained a 3-pointer, then had two dunks following Pepperdine turnovers.
Men's Hoops Beaten by Long Beach State
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/17/2009
MALIBU, Calif. - An enormous rebounding advantage wasn't enough as the Pepperdine men's basketball team lost to visiting Long Beach State, 67-58, at Firestone Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
Pepperdine (0-2) had a 54-33 edge on the boards, including 25-6 in offensive rebounds, but the Waves couldn't find the mark on enough of their opportunities, as they shot 30.8% for the game.
Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) led the Waves again with 21 points and three assists, but he was the only Pepperdine player in double-figures. Sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) had eight points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) also had eight points.
Long Beach State (2-0), which shot 42.9% and forced 18 Wave turnovers, got 20 points from Larry Anderson and 15 points and 10 rebounds from T.J. Robinson.
The Waves trailed by as many as five points early in the first half, but came back to take a five-point lead of their own on a three-pointer by Bell, which made the score 25-20 with 6 1/2 minutes left. Another three-pointer by Bell and a free throw by Darby in the final minute of the half sent the Waves into the break with a 31-29 lead.
A jumper by junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) gave the
Waves their final lead at 34-32 with 17 1/2 minutes left in the game. Anderson took over the next few minutes for Long Beach State, scoring the game's next seven points on a three-pointer and two dunks.
Bell scored the next two baskets to get the Waves back within one point at 39-38 with a little less than 14 minutes left, but a 12-1 run by the 49ers over the next two minutes gave Long Beach State its first double-digit lead of the night. The 49ers maintained that lead the rest of the way, going up by as many as 13. Pepperdine got no closer than seven, and that was in the final minute.
Pepperdine concludes its three-game homestand to start the season on Friday (Nov. 20) against Cal State San Bernardino at 7 p.m. Fans that can't make the game can watch on-line and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Waves Continue Homestand vs. Long Beach State
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/16/2009
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes
THE FACTS - The Pepperdine men's basketball team looks to bounce back from a season-opening double-overtime loss as the Waves continue their three-game homestand to open the 2009-10 campaign. Pepperdine hosts Long Beach State on Tuesday and Cal State San Bernardino on Friday.
GAME #2 - Tuesday (Nov. 17) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (0-1) vs. Long Beach State (1-0) at 7 p.m.
GAME #3 - Friday (Nov. 20) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine vs. Cal State San Bernardino (0-0) at 7 p.m.
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PROMOTIONS - With a donation of a new children's book at Tuesday's Long Beach State game, adult general admission tickets will be just $5. This benefits Firstbook, a charity associated with Pepperdine's Pi Beta Phi sorority ... The first 300 students at the Long Beach State game will get a burrito from Lily's Cafe ... If the Waves score 75 points or more against Long Beach State or Cal State San Bernardino, certificates will be given out afterward for a free piece of grilled chicken at the KFC in Malibu.
TICKETS - Men's basketball single-game tickets cost $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (adult general admission) or $5 (children general admission). Call (866) WAVE-TIX to purchase tickets.
ON THE WEB - Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men's basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 25th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team's website when the Waves are on the road.
LONG BEACH STATE - Pepperdine is 16-7 all-time against Long Beach State. This is the 12th straight season that the schools have met (Pepperdine is 9-2 in this stretch). The Waves have won all five home games during this run. The 49ers were victorious in last year's meeting at the Pyramid, 80-61. Two years ago at home, the Waves won 92-81 in overtime.
LAST GAME - Pepperdine opened the season with an exciting second-half comeback that unfortunately ended in a 67-64 double-overtime loss to Pacific last Friday (Nov. 13) in Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves trailed by 10 with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation but scored 10 of the final 12 points, including a tip-in by Mychel Thompson with 4.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
In the first OT, Dane Suttle Jr.'s three-pointer tied it at 60-60 with 51.9 seconds left and both teams missed their final chances. In the second OT, Gus Clardy gave the Waves' a 64-62 lead with 1:34 left with a putback, but Pacific scored the final five points of the game. Keion Bell had 20 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the first overtime, and Suttle added 13 points.
FOR OPENERS - The loss to Pacific was Pepperdine's seventh in the last eight season openers. The exception was last year, when the Waves beat Cal State Monterey Bay in the first game. All-time in season openers, Pepperdine is now 40-32. When the season opener is at home, the Waves are now 28-10.
OVERTIME - Pepperdine has lost its last three overtime games since beating Portland at the 2008 WCC Tournament. The last time the Waves went to overtime in a season opener was in 2002-03 at Bradley (a 95-81 loss). The last double-overtime game the Waves played was also in 2002-03 against Arkansas-Little Rock (a 116-110 win).
DOUBLE-DOUBLES - Keion Bell had his fifth career double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) in the season opener against Pacific. His four last season all came in WCC play. The last Pepperdine player to record a double-double in the season opener was Kelvin Gibbs (14 points, 11 rebounds) in a loss to Indiana to start the 2000-01 season.
String of 1,000-Yard Rushers on the Line TB Jahvid Best's 1,580 yards rushing in 2008 ranked second all-time at Cal and marked the seventh consecutive season in which a Golden Bear running back has gained over 1,000 yards on the ground. Best is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark again in 2009 with a current nine-game total of 867 rushing yards, but is currently out of action and his timetable to return uncertain after suffering an injury against Oregon State on Nov. 7. TB Shane Vereen is more than halfway to the mark with 545 rushing yards but would need to average 155.0 yards per game over the final two regular season contests and a bowl to reach the mark. Cal is one of only three Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools to have current seven-year streaks, along with Missouri and New Mexico. The Golden Bears are also only three from USC's record 10-year run of 1,000-yard rushers from 1972-81. TB Joe Igber started the current trend in 2002 when he became the first Cal player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in nine years.
Cal's 1,000-Yard Rushers Since 2002
Year - Player (Yards) 2008 - Jahvid Best (1,580) 2007 - Justin Forsett (1,546) 2006 - Marshawn Lynch (1,356) 2005 - Marshawn Lynch (1,246) 2004 - J.J. Arrington (2,018) 2003 - Adimchinobe Echemandu (1,195) 2002 - Joe Igber (1,130)
LBSU gets first win in Malibu since 1986
Nov. 17, 2009
Box Score
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Larry Anderson had a huge second half to help Long Beach State break open a tight game en route to a 67-58 non-conference win in Firestone Fieldhouse Tuesday night.
Anderson scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and had three steals after the break to help LBSU (2-0) overcome a two-point halftime deficit. He finished the game with 20 points, five boards, four assists and five steals.
T.J. Robinson added his second consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Greg Plater added 11 points, nine in the second half, to help The Beach beat the Waves (0-2) in Malibu for the first time since Dec. 11, 1986. The 49ers were 0-5 on the road against the Waves since their last win at Pepperdine.
Long Beach State jumped on Pepperdine early in the second half. After falling behind 32-29 on a Taylor Darby free throw 13 seconds into the half, the 49ers outscored the Waves 25-9 over the next 11:21 to build a 13-point lead.
The Waves couldn't get closer than 10 points until Keion Bell, who had a game-high 21 points, scored with 2:17 left to cut the 49ers lead to nine. Pepperdine would get as close as seven, but Plater sealed the win with three 3-pointers in the last 6:11 of the game, including the back-breaker with 1:40 to play.Long Beach State held Pepperdine to 30.8 percent shooting (20-of-65), including just 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from beyond the arc. The Waves committed 10 more turnovers, 18 to 8, than LBSU but pounded The Beach 54-33 on the boards. The rebounding advantage led to Pepperdine attempting 16 more shots than the 49ers, but Long Beach State made enough (42.9 percent) to come away with the win.
The first half was close throughout with eight ties and neither team leading by more than five. Pepperdine led 31-29 at the break thanks to a 24-13 advantage on the glass. The 11-rebound advantage led to a 10-6 advantage in second-chance points. The Waves finished the game with an 18-6 second-chance points advantage, but were still outscored in the paint 30-22 by Long Beach State. LBSU also outscored Pepperdine 10-4 in transition.
LBSU stayed in the game early at the free throw line and thanks to 10 Pepperdine turnovers in the first half. The Beach made 12-of-17 from the stripe before the break, including its last eight points of the half. The 49ers finished 20-of-31 (64.5 percent) from the line.
Robinson led LBSU in the first half scoring nine points and grabbing five of the team's 13 boards. Anderson added five points, while Eugene Phelps and Stephan Gilling had four points each. Phelps scored all of his points in the first 3:50 before picking up his second foul with 15:55 to play. He sat out the rest of the half. Phelps came back to play 14 minutes in the second half and scored four more points and grabbed seven of his eight rebounds. Casper Ware finished with a team-high six assists and three steals for the 49ers who travel to Notre Dame on Thursday and Green Bay on Saturday to finish a three-game, five-day, road trip.
Nov 14 2009 1:17AM
Associated Press
Pacific outlasts Pepperdine for 67-64 ( 2 OT) victory
AP NewsNow.
(MALIBU, Calif. (AP) Pacific's Lavar Neufville scored the final three points of the second overtime, lifting the Tigers to a 67-64 victory at Pepperdine on Friday night.Pacific made the score 64-64 on a basket by Pat Eveland with 1:15 remaining in the second OT, and the Tigers (1-0) went ahead by two on Neufville's driving layup with 27.5 seconds left.Neufville added a free throw with 11 seconds remaining.The Waves (0-1) erased a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation. Mychel Thompson's tip-in with 4.7 seconds left sent the game to overtime.Pepperdine's Keion Bell had game highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the first overtime. Terrell Smith scored 14 points to lead Pacific.
Long Beach, Pepperdine cross paths
MEN'S BASKETBALL: 49ers travel to face the Waves in nonconference matchup.
By Frank Burlison, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/16/2009 11:03:53 PM PST
A couple of men's basketball programs that seem to be on similar rebuilding paths hook up in a nonconference game today in Firestone Pavilion on the Pepperdine campus in Malibu at 7 p.m.
The visiting Long Beach State 49ers, who opened Season III under Coach Dan Monson with an 86-65 home victory over Alaska-Anchorage Saturday evening, are expected to start four sophomores with a freshman and another sophomore also expected to see action off the bench.
And the host Pepperdine Waves, who started Season II under Coach Tom Asbury (his second stint with the program) by losing a 67-64, double-overtime decision to Pacific Friday night in Malibu, are expected to start three sophomores and a freshman, with two other sophomores and a couple of other frosh likely to play as well.
Only two players (reserve posts Andrew Fleming and Arturas Lazdauskas) remain on the LBSU roster who played for the coach Monson replaced, Larry Reynolds, while there is just one current Wave - junior forward Mychel Thompson, the son of the former NBA player and now-Lakers' radio commentator - who played under Vance Walberg at Pepperdine.The 49ers went from 6-25 to 15-15 in Monson's second season and, truth be told, Asbury would take a comparable improvement in his program and be something close to giddy over it in March after going 9-23 last season.
"Where we are right now," Asbury said Monday morning, "is really about where I hoped we would be right now.
"We have quality kids who are also good students. A lot of the kids that we had before (referring to the nine years he served as an assistant under Jim Harrick and then six as the head coach before departing for Kansas State) would have never gotten into school now. The curriculum is harder and it's a dramatically different school, academically, than when I was here before."
Asbury watched video of Long Beach's win Saturday "and I think they are pretty solid," he said.
"I think they are going to be a factor in the Big West. (Larry) Anderson is a nice player and (Casper) Ware is decent. They are going to be good. I'm not sure who in the Big West I would pick over them (the 49ers). I don't think Pacific is better."
Six-foot-three sophomore Keion Bell, who played at both Serra and Pasadena as a prep before leading the Waves in scoring last season, is projected to be an All-West Coast Conference selection this season.
"He's bigger and stronger than he was as a freshman," Asbury said of Bell, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds Friday night. "He's extremely athletic but he's a turnover machine right now. He's one of those guys that lives on a tight rope. He'll turn the ball over but go steal it and dunk. He can drive a coach a little crazy."The 6-5 Anderson, the co-Big West Player of the Week for his 18-point and seven-assist performance Saturday, came off the bench to score four points and grab three rebounds when the 49ers beat the Waves, 80-61, last Dec. 3 in the Walter Pyramid.
Ware had one of his better performances (15 points, eight assists and five steals) as the 49ers beat a Pepperdine team for only the second time in a stretch of 11 meetings in as many seasons.
The Waves lead the all-time series, 16-7.
"I think they are a much improved team," Monson said, after watching video of the Waves' narrow loss to UOP.
"Their players are much more experienced and they've adjusted to his (Asbury's) system."
dailypress.com/sns-ap-bkc-long-beach-st-pepperdine,0,2973541.story
dailypress.com
Anderson, Robinson lead Long beach State to a 67-58 victory over Pepperdine
By Associated Press
12:31 AM EST, November 18, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Larry Anderson scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to lead visiting Long Beach State to a 67-58 victory over Pepperdine on Tuesday night.nderson also had five rebounds and five steals. T.J. Robinson provided 15 points and 10 rebounds for the 49ers (2-0).Pepperdine (0-2) was led by Keion Bell, who scored a game-high 21 points. Taylor Darby grabbed six offensive rebounds and 10 total Long Beach State's lead hit double-digits for the first time at 49-39 after Casper Ware's lay-up with 12:15 left. The 49ers led by as many as 13 while Pepperdine got no closer than seven.epperdine led 31-29 at halftime and was up 34-32 with less than 17 minutes to play, but Anderson then scored seven straight points, helping the 49ers take the lead for good. He drained a 3-pointer, then had two dunks following Pepperdine turnovers.
Men's Hoops Beaten by Long Beach State
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/17/2009
MALIBU, Calif. - An enormous rebounding advantage wasn't enough as the Pepperdine men's basketball team lost to visiting Long Beach State, 67-58, at Firestone Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
Pepperdine (0-2) had a 54-33 edge on the boards, including 25-6 in offensive rebounds, but the Waves couldn't find the mark on enough of their opportunities, as they shot 30.8% for the game.
Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) led the Waves again with 21 points and three assists, but he was the only Pepperdine player in double-figures. Sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) had eight points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) also had eight points.
Long Beach State (2-0), which shot 42.9% and forced 18 Wave turnovers, got 20 points from Larry Anderson and 15 points and 10 rebounds from T.J. Robinson.
The Waves trailed by as many as five points early in the first half, but came back to take a five-point lead of their own on a three-pointer by Bell, which made the score 25-20 with 6 1/2 minutes left. Another three-pointer by Bell and a free throw by Darby in the final minute of the half sent the Waves into the break with a 31-29 lead.
A jumper by junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) gave the
Waves their final lead at 34-32 with 17 1/2 minutes left in the game. Anderson took over the next few minutes for Long Beach State, scoring the game's next seven points on a three-pointer and two dunks.Bell scored the next two baskets to get the Waves back within one point at 39-38 with a little less than 14 minutes left, but a 12-1 run by the 49ers over the next two minutes gave Long Beach State its first double-digit lead of the night. The 49ers maintained that lead the rest of the way, going up by as many as 13. Pepperdine got no closer than seven, and that was in the final minute.
Pepperdine concludes its three-game homestand to start the season on Friday (Nov. 20) against Cal State San Bernardino at 7 p.m. Fans that can't make the game can watch on-line and listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Waves Continue Homestand vs. Long Beach State
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/16/2009
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes
THE FACTS - The Pepperdine men's basketball team looks to bounce back from a season-opening double-overtime loss as the Waves continue their three-game homestand to open the 2009-10 campaign. Pepperdine hosts Long Beach State on Tuesday and Cal State San Bernardino on Friday.
GAME #2 - Tuesday (Nov. 17) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (0-1) vs. Long Beach State (1-0) at 7 p.m.
GAME #3 - Friday (Nov. 20) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine vs. Cal State San Bernardino (0-0) at 7 p.m.
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PROMOTIONS - With a donation of a new children's book at Tuesday's Long Beach State game, adult general admission tickets will be just $5. This benefits Firstbook, a charity associated with Pepperdine's Pi Beta Phi sorority ... The first 300 students at the Long Beach State game will get a burrito from Lily's Cafe ... If the Waves score 75 points or more against Long Beach State or Cal State San Bernardino, certificates will be given out afterward for a free piece of grilled chicken at the KFC in Malibu.
TICKETS - Men's basketball single-game tickets cost $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (adult general admission) or $5 (children general admission). Call (866) WAVE-TIX to purchase tickets.ON THE WEB - Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men's basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 25th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team's website when the Waves are on the road.
LONG BEACH STATE - Pepperdine is 16-7 all-time against Long Beach State. This is the 12th straight season that the schools have met (Pepperdine is 9-2 in this stretch). The Waves have won all five home games during this run. The 49ers were victorious in last year's meeting at the Pyramid, 80-61. Two years ago at home, the Waves won 92-81 in overtime.
LAST GAME - Pepperdine opened the season with an exciting second-half comeback that unfortunately ended in a 67-64 double-overtime loss to Pacific last Friday (Nov. 13) in Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves trailed by 10 with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation but scored 10 of the final 12 points, including a tip-in by Mychel Thompson with 4.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
In the first OT, Dane Suttle Jr.'s three-pointer tied it at 60-60 with 51.9 seconds left and both teams missed their final chances. In the second OT, Gus Clardy gave the Waves' a 64-62 lead with 1:34 left with a putback, but Pacific scored the final five points of the game. Keion Bell had 20 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the first overtime, and Suttle added 13 points.
FOR OPENERS - The loss to Pacific was Pepperdine's seventh in the last eight season openers. The exception was last year, when the Waves beat Cal State Monterey Bay in the first game. All-time in season openers, Pepperdine is now 40-32. When the season opener is at home, the Waves are now 28-10.OVERTIME - Pepperdine has lost its last three overtime games since beating Portland at the 2008 WCC Tournament. The last time the Waves went to overtime in a season opener was in 2002-03 at Bradley (a 95-81 loss). The last double-overtime game the Waves played was also in 2002-03 against Arkansas-Little Rock (a 116-110 win).
DOUBLE-DOUBLES - Keion Bell had his fifth career double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) in the season opener against Pacific. His four last season all came in WCC play. The last Pepperdine player to record a double-double in the season opener was Kelvin Gibbs (14 points, 11 rebounds) in a loss to Indiana to start the 2000-01 season.
TEAM CAPTAIN - Mychel Thompson was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. The junior forward is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. Now in his third year as a starter, he is averaging 8.8 points for his career and made 91 three-pointers.
YOUTUBE SENSATION - Keion Bell, a preseason All-WCC first team selection, got Pepperdine a ton of publicity in mid-October. At Blue & Orange Madness, Pepperdine's event to kick off the start of practice, the sophomore guard finished up the dunk contest by leaping over five teammates and slamming it home. A Pepperdine fan happened to record the dunk on his iPhone and uploaded it onto YouTube. It quickly spread around the internet and at last check had nearly 1.1 million hits. ESPN's SportsCenter picked up the video and made the dunk the #2 Play of the Day. Bell led the team in scoring last year as a freshman at 12.9 ppg.
WCC PRESEASON POLL - According to the WCC's coaches, the Waves are predicted to finish seventh in the conference. Their poll went in the following order: Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara (tied), San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Several national publications and websites have differing opinions on the Waves, including fourth (The Sporting News), fifth (The Sports Network), sixth (Athlon and Lindy's) and seventh (Rivals.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net).
ROSTER - Pepperdine returns 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). There are also five newcomers, bringing the roster total to 16. There are no seniors on the squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Twelve are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
RETURNERS - Four of the five starters from last year's team return (Keion Bell, Taylor Darby, Corbin Moore and Mychel Thompson). Pepperdine's returning players account for 82.5% percent of last year's scoring (1629/1974), 88.3% of the rebounds (919/1041), 65.4% of the assists (223/341), 95.0% of the blocked shots (96/101) and 77.2% of the steals (166/215).
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - Tom Asbury believes in preparing his team for league play with a difficult non-conference slate of games, and so that's what the Waves have ahead of them. The Waves play six games against non-conference teams that took part in the postseason last year: Portland State, UCLA and Utah made the NCAA Tournament, Miami (Fla.) was in the NIT, Wyoming was in the College Basketball Invitational and Pacific was in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Nine of the 16 non-conference games are at home.
TELEVISION - The Waves are slated to appear on television several times once again in 2009-10. Six games will be shown locally - Nov. 23 at UCLA on Fox Sports West, Jan. 14 vs. Santa Clara on ESPNU, Jan. 21 at Gonzaga on Prime Ticket (delayed), Jan. 30 vs. San Diego on Prime Ticket, Feb. 18 vs. Portland on Prime Ticket and Feb. 20 vs. Gonzaga on Fox Sports West.
TOM ASBURY - Now in his second stint in charge of the Waves is coaching great Tom Asbury. He returned to Malibu prior to the 2008-09 campaign to become the Waves' head coach again after 14 seasons away. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for nine years as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He went on to serve as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first head coaching job at Pepperdine and took the Waves to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, '92, '94) and two in the NIT (1989, '93). Pepperdine won three regular-season WCC titles and the school's only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, his seven-year record at Pepperdine was 134-82 (.620) and his 13-year record as a head coach was 219-170 (.563).
ASSISTANTS - Upon his return, Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It's believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
LAST SEASON - Tom Asbury's return to Pepperdine brought much-needed stability to the program in his first season back. With only five players returning, Asbury and his new staff brought in 10 newcomers well after the regular letter-of-intent signing period. The young Waves posted a 9-23 overall record but got much better as the year went on, placing sixth in the WCC with a 5-9 record and winning a first-round game at the WCC Tournament. Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY - This is the 72nd season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2009-10 with an all-time record of 1,111-910 (.550). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST - Pepperdine has long been one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Over the 31-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2008-09 campaign, of the 32 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2009-10 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (525) and winning percentage (.565) over the past 31 years.
WAVES IN THE PROS - This is the 34th consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his fourth season overall and his second with the Miami Heat. A total of 16 former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Alex Acker (Italy), Tezale Archie (Netherlands), Brandon Armstrong (Venezuela), Gerald Brown (Poland), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Finland. 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports - one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
Men's Hoops Rallies, But Falls in 2OT to Pacific
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/13/2009
Pepperdine-Pacific Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine men's basketball team made a spirited comeback to send its season opener into overtime, but Pacific eventually prevailed, 67-64, in double OT at Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday night.
The Waves (0-1) trailed by 10 with a little more than four minutes to play in regulation, but scored 10 of the half's final 12 points, including a tip-in by junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) with 4.7 seconds left, to even things up.
Pepperdine was hurt when sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) fouled out with 2:59 left in the first overtime period. He finished with game highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, good for his fifth career double-double. He scored 13 of his points in the final eight minutes of regulation, including a spectacular dunk and ensuing free throw with 1:24 left that pulled Pepperdine within two points.
The Tigers (1-0) took a 60-57 lead with a little more than a minute left in the first overtime, but sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) drained a three-pointer from the left baseline to tie it up at 60-60 with 51.9 seconds left. Both teams then missed their final chances of the period.
In the second overtime, Pepperdine took a couple of two-point leads, the last coming at 1:34 left at 64-62 on a fourth-chance opportunity when junior forward Gus Clardy (Nagocdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches HS) got an offensive rebound and a putback.
But the Tigers got driving lay-ups by Pat Eveland with 1:15 left and Lavar Neufville with 27.5 seconds left, putting Pacific back in front at 66-64. After a Waves' miss, Neufville hit one of two free throws with 11 seconds remaining. Pepperdine had a chance to tie it again and send the game to a third overtime, but couldn't get a three-point shot off before the buzzer.
Suttle scored 13 points and hit five of seven shots. Pacific was led by 14 points from Terrell Smith, 13 points from Sam Willard and 11 points from Joe Ford.
Both teams were harmed by their free throw shooting. Pepperdine went 19-for-33 (57.6%) while Pacific was 9-for-21 (42.9%).
The Tigers' biggest lead was 13 points at 35-22 in the second half. Pepperdine never led in regulation and never led by more than two points in overtime.
CAL 24 ASU 16
Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer
For all intents and purposes, the game was over. Shane Vereen had galloped into the end zone, giving the Bears a 24-16 lead. All that proceeded was a status quo extra point that has been practiced and performed time and time again. Every once in awhile however, even a simple task such as an extra point goes awry. Unfortunately for Cal, that "moment" came at the worst possible time, as the Bears botched the try, which gave Arizona one final chance to drive the field and possibly send the contest into overtime. But, as they had done the entire game however, the Cal defense stopped Arizona when it counted.
Wrapping up the win …
Reply
** All in all, a win is a win and you’ll take it.** Seeing the defense play well is a great sign as Cal heads to The Farm next week.** Here is the official recap of the game.** Here is the official statistics of the game.** Some game photos to take a look at.** The Cal offense came through when it needed.** The Cal defense stepped up time and time again.** Extra notes highlighting career highs by a couple Cal players.** Jahvid Best is back in a good sort of way.Additional quotes from the press conference …
November 14, 2009
WCC PRESEASON POLL - According to the WCC's coaches, the Waves are predicted to finish seventh in the conference. Their poll went in the following order: Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara (tied), San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Several national publications and websites have differing opinions on the Waves, including fourth (The Sporting News), fifth (The Sports Network), sixth (Athlon and Lindy's) and seventh (Rivals.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net).
ROSTER - Pepperdine returns 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). There are also five newcomers, bringing the roster total to 16. There are no seniors on the squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Twelve are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
RETURNERS - Four of the five starters from last year's team return (Keion Bell, Taylor Darby, Corbin Moore and Mychel Thompson). Pepperdine's returning players account for 82.5% percent of last year's scoring (1629/1974), 88.3% of the rebounds (919/1041), 65.4% of the assists (223/341), 95.0% of the blocked shots (96/101) and 77.2% of the steals (166/215).
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - Tom Asbury believes in preparing his team for league play with a difficult non-conference slate of games, and so that's what the Waves have ahead of them. The Waves play six games against non-conference teams that took part in the postseason last year: Portland State, UCLA and Utah made the NCAA Tournament, Miami (Fla.) was in the NIT, Wyoming was in the College Basketball Invitational and Pacific was in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Nine of the 16 non-conference games are at home.
TELEVISION - The Waves are slated to appear on television several times once again in 2009-10. Six games will be shown locally - Nov. 23 at UCLA on Fox Sports West, Jan. 14 vs. Santa Clara on ESPNU, Jan. 21 at Gonzaga on Prime Ticket (delayed), Jan. 30 vs. San Diego on Prime Ticket, Feb. 18 vs. Portland on Prime Ticket and Feb. 20 vs. Gonzaga on Fox Sports West.
TOM ASBURY - Now in his second stint in charge of the Waves is coaching great Tom Asbury. He returned to Malibu prior to the 2008-09 campaign to become the Waves' head coach again after 14 seasons away. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for nine years as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He went on to serve as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first head coaching job at Pepperdine and took the Waves to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, '92, '94) and two in the NIT (1989, '93). Pepperdine won three regular-season WCC titles and the school's only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, his seven-year record at Pepperdine was 134-82 (.620) and his 13-year record as a head coach was 219-170 (.563).
ASSISTANTS - Upon his return, Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It's believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
LAST SEASON - Tom Asbury's return to Pepperdine brought much-needed stability to the program in his first season back. With only five players returning, Asbury and his new staff brought in 10 newcomers well after the regular letter-of-intent signing period. The young Waves posted a 9-23 overall record but got much better as the year went on, placing sixth in the WCC with a 5-9 record and winning a first-round game at the WCC Tournament. Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg.PEPPERDINE HISTORY - This is the 72nd season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2009-10 with an all-time record of 1,111-910 (.550). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST - Pepperdine has long been one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Over the 31-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2008-09 campaign, of the 32 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2009-10 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (525) and winning percentage (.565) over the past 31 years.
WAVES IN THE PROS - This is the 34th consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his fourth season overall and his second with the Miami Heat. A total of 16 former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Alex Acker (Italy), Tezale Archie (Netherlands), Brandon Armstrong (Venezuela), Gerald Brown (Poland), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Finland. 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports - one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
Men's Hoops Rallies, But Falls in 2OT to Pacific
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/13/2009
Pepperdine-Pacific Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine men's basketball team made a spirited comeback to send its season opener into overtime, but Pacific eventually prevailed, 67-64, in double OT at Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday night.
The Waves (0-1) trailed by 10 with a little more than four minutes to play in regulation, but scored 10 of the half's final 12 points, including a tip-in by junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) with 4.7 seconds left, to even things up.
Pepperdine was hurt when sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) fouled out with 2:59 left in the first overtime period. He finished with game highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, good for his fifth career double-double. He scored 13 of his points in the final eight minutes of regulation, including a spectacular dunk and ensuing free throw with 1:24 left that pulled Pepperdine within two points.
The Tigers (1-0) took a 60-57 lead with a little more than a minute left in the first overtime, but sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) drained a three-pointer from the left baseline to tie it up at 60-60 with 51.9 seconds left. Both teams then missed their final chances of the period.
In the second overtime, Pepperdine took a couple of two-point leads, the last coming at 1:34 left at 64-62 on a fourth-chance opportunity when junior forward Gus Clardy (Nagocdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches HS) got an offensive rebound and a putback.But the Tigers got driving lay-ups by Pat Eveland with 1:15 left and Lavar Neufville with 27.5 seconds left, putting Pacific back in front at 66-64. After a Waves' miss, Neufville hit one of two free throws with 11 seconds remaining. Pepperdine had a chance to tie it again and send the game to a third overtime, but couldn't get a three-point shot off before the buzzer.
Suttle scored 13 points and hit five of seven shots. Pacific was led by 14 points from Terrell Smith, 13 points from Sam Willard and 11 points from Joe Ford.
Both teams were harmed by their free throw shooting. Pepperdine went 19-for-33 (57.6%) while Pacific was 9-for-21 (42.9%).
The Tigers' biggest lead was 13 points at 35-22 in the second half. Pepperdine never led in regulation and never led by more than two points in overtime.
CAL 24 ASU 16
Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer
For all intents and purposes, the game was over. Shane Vereen had galloped into the end zone, giving the Bears a 24-16 lead. All that proceeded was a status quo extra point that has been practiced and performed time and time again. Every once in awhile however, even a simple task such as an extra point goes awry. Unfortunately for Cal, that "moment" came at the worst possible time, as the Bears botched the try, which gave Arizona one final chance to drive the field and possibly send the contest into overtime. But, as they had done the entire game however, the Cal defense stopped Arizona when it counted.
Wrapping up the win …
Reply
** All in all, a win is a win and you’ll take it.** Seeing the defense play well is a great sign as Cal heads to The Farm next week.** Here is the official recap of the game.** Here is the official statistics of the game.** Some game photos to take a look at.** The Cal offense came through when it needed.** The Cal defense stepped up time and time again.** Extra notes highlighting career highs by a couple Cal players.** Jahvid Best is back in a good sort of way.Additional quotes from the press conference …
November 14, 2009
BEST BETTER, HOPES TO RETURN
Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer
For the first time since his scary fall last week, junior running back Jahvid Best talked publicly about the incident. In a pregame interview with Versus network, Best - who was an honorary captain during the pregame coin toss - updated his health status, thanked his supporters and gave an update as to when exactly he might be back on the field.
Best made his first public statement since his fall"I'm doing pretty well," Best said. "I mean, it was an unfortunate incident that happened, but I'm feeling good. I'm feeling a lot better and I'm just looking forward to getting back on the field with more of my guys."Best's touchdown to bring Cal to within 14-7 against Oregon State last week was the exclamation point on a furious, grinding down-field drive that Cal executed. What no one expected however, was what happened at the tail end of the final snap."I just tried to make a play and get in the end zone and then, unfortunately, a guy clipped me," Best said. "I lost my balance in the air and came down hard."Best, who was taken to the hospital right after the incident, said he has received tremendous support and love from everyone around the college football community."I'm been amazing, the amount of love and support I've been shown," Best said. "People came to visit me in the ER, I'm getting mail every day, I just got a lot of love. I want to say thank you to my family, my friends and all the fans around the world that have been showing me a lot of love."
Outside of Vereen, several other players on the offensive side of the ball came up big down the stretch as well.
Wide receiver Marvin Jones notched a career-high 5 catches for 65 yards.
Wide receiver Verran Tucker hauled in 3 balls for 58 yards, including a crucial catch in traffic down the stretch that set up Tavecchio's go-ahead field goal.
Running back Covaughn DeBoskie's only carry of the night was a big one, as the freshman scampered for a 12-yard gain deep into Arizona territory that gave Tavecchio the short kick.
Quarterback Kevin Riley, who didn't have his best game by any stretch, made two key throws in the fourth quarter to put his team in a position to win. Riley completed 13-of-22 passes for 181 yards and a score.
The Cal offensive line, while not great, made some crucial blocks - especially on Vereen's run - and gave Riley just enough time in the fourth quarter to make the necessary plays.
But, the most unsung hero of the evening was probably tight end Skylar Curran, who pulled in a very important 27-yard leaping touchdown in the end zone that put Cal up 15-10 in the third quarter. All in all, a satisfying effort for Tedford.
• Jeff Tedford has now compiled a 66-33 (.667) record as Cal's head coach, ranking him fourth on the school's all-time win list with only one more victory needed to equal the legendary Pappy Waldorf (67-32-4, 1947-56) for the most wins at Cal in the modern era and move into a tie for third on the all-time list behind Andy Smith (74, 1916-25) and James Schaeffer (73, 1909-15). Tedford is also only one game from becoming only the third coach in Cal history to coach 100 games for the Bears with Waldorf (103) and Stub Allison (102, 1935-44) the only two to have previously done so. Tedford now has a 40-26 (.606) mark against Pac-10 opponents.
• Today's win, the Bears' seventh of the year, clinched a winning season to tie a school record with eight consecutive winning seasons from 2002-09 (also accomplished 1918-25).
• Cal held the ball for 11:30 in the first quarter to mark the second-longest the Bears had possession in a quarter in 2009.
• Today's attendance of 53,347 marked the 37th game in a row of over 50,000 fans at Memorial Stadium over the past six seasons.
• Cal finished its 2009 home schedule with a 4-2 mark at Memorial Stadium, which was the Bears' eighth consecutive winning season at home.
• Cal has now won four of its last five games overall.
• Cal is now tied for fifth with USC in the updated Pac-10 standings (Oregon 6-1, Stanford 6-2, Oregon State 5-2, Arizona 4-2, Cal 4-3, USC 4-3, Arizona State 2-5, UCLA 2-5, Washington 2-5, Washington State 0-7).
• A total of 15 Cal players -- LB Tyson Alualu, DL Kevin Bemoll, LB Devin Bishop, WR Nyan Boateng, DB Jesse Brooks, TE Skylar Curran, DB Marcus Ezeff, FB Brian Holley, DB Brett Johnson, TE Tad Smith, OL Chet Teofilo, OL Mike Tepper, DB Syd'Quan Thompson, WR Verran Tucker and LB Eddie Young -- were honored in a pregame ceremony before suiting for the Golden Bears in a home game at Memorial Stadium for the final time in their collegiate career.
RB: LANGSTON JACKSON 6-1, 227 pounds, R-Fr. Jackson is one of the more compelling running backs on the roster because of his size and strength running between the tackles. Could Jackson be the short-yardage 'back Cal is searching for?
Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer
For the first time since his scary fall last week, junior running back Jahvid Best talked publicly about the incident. In a pregame interview with Versus network, Best - who was an honorary captain during the pregame coin toss - updated his health status, thanked his supporters and gave an update as to when exactly he might be back on the field.
Best made his first public statement since his fall"I'm doing pretty well," Best said. "I mean, it was an unfortunate incident that happened, but I'm feeling good. I'm feeling a lot better and I'm just looking forward to getting back on the field with more of my guys."Best's touchdown to bring Cal to within 14-7 against Oregon State last week was the exclamation point on a furious, grinding down-field drive that Cal executed. What no one expected however, was what happened at the tail end of the final snap."I just tried to make a play and get in the end zone and then, unfortunately, a guy clipped me," Best said. "I lost my balance in the air and came down hard."Best, who was taken to the hospital right after the incident, said he has received tremendous support and love from everyone around the college football community."I'm been amazing, the amount of love and support I've been shown," Best said. "People came to visit me in the ER, I'm getting mail every day, I just got a lot of love. I want to say thank you to my family, my friends and all the fans around the world that have been showing me a lot of love."
Outside of Vereen, several other players on the offensive side of the ball came up big down the stretch as well.
Wide receiver Marvin Jones notched a career-high 5 catches for 65 yards.
Wide receiver Verran Tucker hauled in 3 balls for 58 yards, including a crucial catch in traffic down the stretch that set up Tavecchio's go-ahead field goal.
Running back Covaughn DeBoskie's only carry of the night was a big one, as the freshman scampered for a 12-yard gain deep into Arizona territory that gave Tavecchio the short kick.
Quarterback Kevin Riley, who didn't have his best game by any stretch, made two key throws in the fourth quarter to put his team in a position to win. Riley completed 13-of-22 passes for 181 yards and a score.
The Cal offensive line, while not great, made some crucial blocks - especially on Vereen's run - and gave Riley just enough time in the fourth quarter to make the necessary plays.But, the most unsung hero of the evening was probably tight end Skylar Curran, who pulled in a very important 27-yard leaping touchdown in the end zone that put Cal up 15-10 in the third quarter. All in all, a satisfying effort for Tedford.
• Jeff Tedford has now compiled a 66-33 (.667) record as Cal's head coach, ranking him fourth on the school's all-time win list with only one more victory needed to equal the legendary Pappy Waldorf (67-32-4, 1947-56) for the most wins at Cal in the modern era and move into a tie for third on the all-time list behind Andy Smith (74, 1916-25) and James Schaeffer (73, 1909-15). Tedford is also only one game from becoming only the third coach in Cal history to coach 100 games for the Bears with Waldorf (103) and Stub Allison (102, 1935-44) the only two to have previously done so. Tedford now has a 40-26 (.606) mark against Pac-10 opponents.
• Today's win, the Bears' seventh of the year, clinched a winning season to tie a school record with eight consecutive winning seasons from 2002-09 (also accomplished 1918-25).
• Cal held the ball for 11:30 in the first quarter to mark the second-longest the Bears had possession in a quarter in 2009.• Today's attendance of 53,347 marked the 37th game in a row of over 50,000 fans at Memorial Stadium over the past six seasons.
• Cal finished its 2009 home schedule with a 4-2 mark at Memorial Stadium, which was the Bears' eighth consecutive winning season at home.
• Cal has now won four of its last five games overall.
• Cal is now tied for fifth with USC in the updated Pac-10 standings (Oregon 6-1, Stanford 6-2, Oregon State 5-2, Arizona 4-2, Cal 4-3, USC 4-3, Arizona State 2-5, UCLA 2-5, Washington 2-5, Washington State 0-7).
• A total of 15 Cal players -- LB Tyson Alualu, DL Kevin Bemoll, LB Devin Bishop, WR Nyan Boateng, DB Jesse Brooks, TE Skylar Curran, DB Marcus Ezeff, FB Brian Holley, DB Brett Johnson, TE Tad Smith, OL Chet Teofilo, OL Mike Tepper, DB Syd'Quan Thompson, WR Verran Tucker and LB Eddie Young -- were honored in a pregame ceremony before suiting for the Golden Bears in a home game at Memorial Stadium for the final time in their collegiate career.
RB: LANGSTON JACKSON 6-1, 227 pounds, R-Fr. Jackson is one of the more compelling running backs on the roster because of his size and strength running between the tackles. Could Jackson be the short-yardage 'back Cal is searching for?
String of 1,000-Yard Rushers on the Line TB Jahvid Best's 1,580 yards rushing in 2008 ranked second all-time at Cal and marked the seventh consecutive season in which a Golden Bear running back has gained over 1,000 yards on the ground. Best is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark again in 2009 with a current nine-game total of 867 rushing yards, but is currently out of action and his timetable to return uncertain after suffering an injury against Oregon State on Nov. 7. TB Shane Vereen is more than halfway to the mark with 545 rushing yards but would need to average 155.0 yards per game over the final two regular season contests and a bowl to reach the mark. Cal is one of only three Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools to have current seven-year streaks, along with Missouri and New Mexico. The Golden Bears are also only three from USC's record 10-year run of 1,000-yard rushers from 1972-81. TB Joe Igber started the current trend in 2002 when he became the first Cal player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in nine years.
Cal's 1,000-Yard Rushers Since 2002Year - Player (Yards) 2008 - Jahvid Best (1,580) 2007 - Justin Forsett (1,546) 2006 - Marshawn Lynch (1,356) 2005 - Marshawn Lynch (1,246) 2004 - J.J. Arrington (2,018) 2003 - Adimchinobe Echemandu (1,195) 2002 - Joe Igber (1,130)
Friday, November 06, 2009
1st BBALL GAME - EXHIBITION TIME - CAL VS OSU
The Bears will look to make it four in a row when the Beavers come into town. Cal has never beat Oregon State at home during the Tedford era. BeaverBlitz.com publisher Angie Machado was kind enough to answer some questions about the squad that Cal will line up against 4 p.m. Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.
November 6, 2009
Beavers close to winning bowl invitation
Beavers close to winning bowl invitation
Tailbacks Rodgers and Best take center stage in matchup
By Gary Horowitz Statesman Journal
Oregon State tailback Jacquizz Rodgers is the reigning Pac-10 offensive player of the year. California tailback Jahvid Best received preseason Heisman Trophy buzz.
Two of the premier running backs in college football will be on opposite sidelines Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
Rodgers, who was the first freshman to receive Pac-10 offensive player of the year honors last season, is 14th in the nation in rushing (115.3 yards per game). Best is 21st (104.8 ypg). They've both scored 15 touchdowns, tied for second nationally.
"I don't think I've seen many players in my life faster on the football field than this guy," OSU coach Mike Riley said of Best. "And then he's strong … Quizz is a little more jittery and quick. They're both in their own way tremendous players."
Rodgers, now a sophomore, rushed for 144 yards and one touchdown in OSU's 34-21 victory against Cal last season at Reser Stadium. Best, a junior who could opt for the 2010 NFL draft, ran for 116 yards and a score.
Both players have been used in variations of the wildcat formation, with the tailback lining up in the shot gun. Rodgers threw a 14-yard touchdown pass in last week's 26-19 victory against UCLA.
The Golden Bears generally implement a 3-4 defensive scheme with three down linemen, but Rodgers doesn't expect to see that look for long.
"I think they're gonna have to switch out of it," said Rodgers, who has yet to fumble in 510 career touches (431 runs, 78 receptions, one pass). "Last year they did because they didn't have success stopping the run with it."
Best suffered a concussion late in the Arizona State game Saturday and was held out of practice early this week, but he is expected to play against the Beavers. OSU needs one more victory to become bowl eligible.
Although the marquee running backs receive much of the attention on their teams, the game could come down to the play of OSU senior quarterback Sean Canfield and Cal junior signal-caller Kevin Riley. They will be working against struggling pass defenses.
The Beavers rank 116th among the 120 FBS schools in pass defense allowing 272.1 yards per game. Cal ranks 115th (268 ypg).
Canfield's 68.9 completion percentage is third in the nation and he has not thrown an interception in his past 117 attempts.
Kevin Riley, who was recruited by the Beavers out of Beaverton High School, has a Pac-10 high 13 touchdown passes with just two interceptions.
In the 2007 OSU-Cal game in Berkeley, then-redshirt freshman Kevin Riley made a costly mental mistake in the waning seconds of his first career start that contributed to OSU's 31-28 victory.
With then-No. 2 Cal deep in OSU territory and no timeouts remaining, Kevin Riley scrambled and was tackled at the 10-yard line as time expired. A victory likely would have moved the Bears up to No. 1 in the polls.
"Big mistake, that's all there is to it," Kevin Riley said. "It's just something you learn from, and I've learned from it and gotten better."
Kevin Riley led a game-winning fourth-quarter drive last week in a 23-21 victory at ASU. Cal is on a three-game winning streak since back-to-back lopsided losses to Oregon and USC.
The Beavers, who are 7-point underdogs, have won 8 of the past 10 matchups with Cal, including four in a row in Berkeley.
"It's always a good feeling knowing you've had success in that environment before," OSU cornerback Tim Clark said.
ghorowitz@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6726
Oregon State tailback Jacquizz Rodgers is the reigning Pac-10 offensive player of the year. California tailback Jahvid Best received preseason Heisman Trophy buzz.
Two of the premier running backs in college football will be on opposite sidelines Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
Rodgers, who was the first freshman to receive Pac-10 offensive player of the year honors last season, is 14th in the nation in rushing (115.3 yards per game). Best is 21st (104.8 ypg). They've both scored 15 touchdowns, tied for second nationally.
"I don't think I've seen many players in my life faster on the football field than this guy," OSU coach Mike Riley said of Best. "And then he's strong … Quizz is a little more jittery and quick. They're both in their own way tremendous players."
Rodgers, now a sophomore, rushed for 144 yards and one touchdown in OSU's 34-21 victory against Cal last season at Reser Stadium. Best, a junior who could opt for the 2010 NFL draft, ran for 116 yards and a score.
Both players have been used in variations of the wildcat formation, with the tailback lining up in the shot gun. Rodgers threw a 14-yard touchdown pass in last week's 26-19 victory against UCLA.
The Golden Bears generally implement a 3-4 defensive scheme with three down linemen, but Rodgers doesn't expect to see that look for long."I think they're gonna have to switch out of it," said Rodgers, who has yet to fumble in 510 career touches (431 runs, 78 receptions, one pass). "Last year they did because they didn't have success stopping the run with it."
Best suffered a concussion late in the Arizona State game Saturday and was held out of practice early this week, but he is expected to play against the Beavers. OSU needs one more victory to become bowl eligible.
Although the marquee running backs receive much of the attention on their teams, the game could come down to the play of OSU senior quarterback Sean Canfield and Cal junior signal-caller Kevin Riley. They will be working against struggling pass defenses.
The Beavers rank 116th among the 120 FBS schools in pass defense allowing 272.1 yards per game. Cal ranks 115th (268 ypg).
Canfield's 68.9 completion percentage is third in the nation and he has not thrown an interception in his past 117 attempts.
Kevin Riley, who was recruited by the Beavers out of Beaverton High School, has a Pac-10 high 13 touchdown passes with just two interceptions.In the 2007 OSU-Cal game in Berkeley, then-redshirt freshman Kevin Riley made a costly mental mistake in the waning seconds of his first career start that contributed to OSU's 31-28 victory.
With then-No. 2 Cal deep in OSU territory and no timeouts remaining, Kevin Riley scrambled and was tackled at the 10-yard line as time expired. A victory likely would have moved the Bears up to No. 1 in the polls.
"Big mistake, that's all there is to it," Kevin Riley said. "It's just something you learn from, and I've learned from it and gotten better."
Kevin Riley led a game-winning fourth-quarter drive last week in a 23-21 victory at ASU. Cal is on a three-game winning streak since back-to-back lopsided losses to Oregon and USC.
The Beavers, who are 7-point underdogs, have won 8 of the past 10 matchups with Cal, including four in a row in Berkeley.
"It's always a good feeling knowing you've had success in that environment before," OSU cornerback Tim Clark said.
ghorowitz@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6726
Additional Facts
Oregon State at No. 23 California
WHEN: 4 p.m. Saturday
WHERE Memorial Coliseum, Berkeley, Calif.
RECORDS: OSU (5-3, 3-2 Pac-10), Cal (6-2, 3-2).
WEATHER: Partly sunny with temperatures in the mid 60s.
ON THE AIR: TV: FSN (Comcast 34).
HOROWITZ ON THE RADIO: Reporter Gary Horowitz will discuss the Oregon State-Cal game on KBZY (1490 AM) at 8:10 am. Friday and at 10 a.m. Saturday on KYKN (1430 AM).
Oregon State at No. 23 California
WHEN: 4 p.m. Saturday
WHERE Memorial Coliseum, Berkeley, Calif.
RECORDS: OSU (5-3, 3-2 Pac-10), Cal (6-2, 3-2).
WEATHER: Partly sunny with temperatures in the mid 60s.
ON THE AIR: TV: FSN (Comcast 34).
HOROWITZ ON THE RADIO: Reporter Gary Horowitz will discuss the Oregon State-Cal game on KBZY (1490 AM) at 8:10 am. Friday and at 10 a.m. Saturday on KYKN (1430 AM).
OPPONENTS
Result
Record
Sept. 5, 2009
Maryland
W
52-13
1-0
Sept. 12, 2009
E. Washington
W
59-7
2-0
Sept. 19, 2009
at Minnesota
W
35-21
3-0
Sept. 26, 2009
at Oregon
L
42-3
3-1 (0-1)
Oct. 3, 2009
USC
L
30-3
3-2 (0-2)
Oct. 17, 2009
at UCLA
W
45-26
4-2 (1-2)
Oct. 24, 2009
Wash. St.
W
49-17
5-2 (2-2)
Oct. 31, 2009
at Arizona State
W
23-21
6-2 (3-2)
Nov. 7, 2009
Oregon State
4:00 pm PT
Nov. 14, 2009
Arizona
Nov. 21, 2009
at Stanford
Dec. 5, 2009
at Washington
Result
Record
Sept. 5, 2009
Maryland
W
52-13
1-0
Sept. 12, 2009
E. Washington
W
59-7
2-0
Sept. 19, 2009
at Minnesota
W
35-21
3-0
Sept. 26, 2009
at Oregon
L
42-3
3-1 (0-1)
Oct. 3, 2009
USC
L
30-3
3-2 (0-2)
Oct. 17, 2009
at UCLA
W
45-26
4-2 (1-2)
Oct. 24, 2009
Wash. St.
W
49-17
5-2 (2-2)
Oct. 31, 2009
at Arizona State
W
23-21
6-2 (3-2)
Nov. 7, 2009
Oregon State
4:00 pm PT
Nov. 14, 2009
Arizona
Nov. 21, 2009
at Stanford
Dec. 5, 2009
at Washington
College Basketball Preview - West Coast Conference
Men's Hoops Wins in Exhibition, 75-48
Click on the above video player for a postgame interview with the Waves' Joshua Lowery.
Pepperdine-Westmont Box Score
Nov. 6, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. - Junior forward Mychel Thompson sank five three-pointers and scored 21 points to lead the Pepperdine men's basketball team to a 75-48 exhibition victory over Westmont College of the NAIA on Friday evening.
The Waves led by eight at halftime (28-20) but blew the game open by hitting 72 percent (18-for-25) of their second-half shots. Pepperdine finished the night having made 60.4% of its field goals and held Westmont to 28.8% shooting.
Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) went 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-6 on three-pointers, and also had six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds and sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) added 10 points off the bench.
"We played hard tonight," Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. "We did things as a team that we wouldn't have been able to do at this time last year. We settled down as the night went on.
This year we had the experience to finish off a game like this. Our freshman guards did a nice job. Mychel was obviously terrific. Taylor played well too once he settled down. What I really liked was our defense: 25% for the first half, 32% for the second half, 28% for the game. Shooting 60% isn't going to happen every game. We've still got some things to work on but we're getting better."
Westmont took a couple of small leads in the first half and was up 19-17 with less than four minutes to play after an Andrew Schmalbach three-pointer. But Pepperdine ended the first half on an 11-1 run, with Thompson scoring five points and Darby notching four.
Pepperdine took its first double-digit lead at 35-24 with 17 1/2 minutes to play in regulation on a basket by sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS). With a nine-point lead at 46-37 with under 10 minutes to go, the Waves went on a 15-0 run (Darby scoring six) over the next five minutes to go up by 24 at 61-37.The lead extended to 30 points at 75-45 when junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) nailed a jumper.
Westmont was led by Dan Rasp's 18 points and Evan Haines' 10 points.
This was the Waves' only exhibition. Pepperdine opens the regular season next Friday (Nov. 13). It's a doubleheader with the women facing Northern Arizona at 5 p.m. and the men taking on Pacific at 7:30 p.m.
Pepperdine-Westmont Box Score
Nov. 6, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. - Junior forward Mychel Thompson sank five three-pointers and scored 21 points to lead the Pepperdine men's basketball team to a 75-48 exhibition victory over Westmont College of the NAIA on Friday evening.The Waves led by eight at halftime (28-20) but blew the game open by hitting 72 percent (18-for-25) of their second-half shots. Pepperdine finished the night having made 60.4% of its field goals and held Westmont to 28.8% shooting.
Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) went 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-6 on three-pointers, and also had six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds and sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) added 10 points off the bench.
"We played hard tonight," Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. "We did things as a team that we wouldn't have been able to do at this time last year. We settled down as the night went on.
This year we had the experience to finish off a game like this. Our freshman guards did a nice job. Mychel was obviously terrific. Taylor played well too once he settled down. What I really liked was our defense: 25% for the first half, 32% for the second half, 28% for the game. Shooting 60% isn't going to happen every game. We've still got some things to work on but we're getting better."Westmont took a couple of small leads in the first half and was up 19-17 with less than four minutes to play after an Andrew Schmalbach three-pointer. But Pepperdine ended the first half on an 11-1 run, with Thompson scoring five points and Darby notching four.
Pepperdine took its first double-digit lead at 35-24 with 17 1/2 minutes to play in regulation on a basket by sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS). With a nine-point lead at 46-37 with under 10 minutes to go, the Waves went on a 15-0 run (Darby scoring six) over the next five minutes to go up by 24 at 61-37.The lead extended to 30 points at 75-45 when junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) nailed a jumper.
Westmont was led by Dan Rasp's 18 points and Evan Haines' 10 points.
This was the Waves' only exhibition. Pepperdine opens the regular season next Friday (Nov. 13). It's a doubleheader with the women facing Northern Arizona at 5 p.m. and the men taking on Pacific at 7:30 p.m.
The Sports Network
By Scott Haynes, College Basketball Senior Editor
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: Every season in the West Coast Conference of late, resembles the one before it, as Gonzaga wins the conference crown going away and everyone else falls in line behind. The 2008-09 season was no different, as the Bulldogs won their ninth straight regular season crown, made it to their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament (Sweet Sixteen) and amassed 28 victories overall.
By Scott Haynes, College Basketball Senior Editor
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: Every season in the West Coast Conference of late, resembles the one before it, as Gonzaga wins the conference crown going away and everyone else falls in line behind. The 2008-09 season was no different, as the Bulldogs won their ninth straight regular season crown, made it to their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament (Sweet Sixteen) and amassed 28 victories overall.
Saint Mary's duplicated Gonzaga's win total (28), but was relegated to the NIT for its efforts, perhaps a slight by the selection committee towards the WCC. No other team eclipsed the 20-win plateau last year, although Portland came very close (19 wins) as the Pilots were the only other squad to secure a winning record. Both San Diego (16-16) and Santa Clara (16-17) had opportunities to join the group, but fell short. Bringing up the rear were San Francisco (11-19), Pepperdine (9-23) and finally Loyola Marymount (3-28).
The 2009-10 campaign figures to be more of the same, with no team really stepping up to be a viable threat to end Gonzaga's reign atop the conference. Portland has the best opportunity to put a scare in the Zags, as Saint Mary's is in a bit of a rebuilding season. San Diego should be improved this season and could push towards a 20-win campaign closing out the top tier teams in the league.
A young Pepperdine squad in 2008-09, should see positive returns this season, as the Waves inch closer to a winning season. Losing the WCC Player of the Year won't be easy for Santa Clara t overcome as the team should be hovering around the .500 mark again. The WCC cellar is reserved for San Francisco and Loyola Marymount. The Dons are severely lacking in the backcourt and the Lions, who were extremely young last season, are still in a transition mode and will struggle once again.
The 2009-10 campaign figures to be more of the same, with no team really stepping up to be a viable threat to end Gonzaga's reign atop the conference. Portland has the best opportunity to put a scare in the Zags, as Saint Mary's is in a bit of a rebuilding season. San Diego should be improved this season and could push towards a 20-win campaign closing out the top tier teams in the league.
A young Pepperdine squad in 2008-09, should see positive returns this season, as the Waves inch closer to a winning season. Losing the WCC Player of the Year won't be easy for Santa Clara t overcome as the team should be hovering around the .500 mark again. The WCC cellar is reserved for San Francisco and Loyola Marymount. The Dons are severely lacking in the backcourt and the Lions, who were extremely young last season, are still in a transition mode and will struggle once again.
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Gonzaga
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Gonzaga, 2. Portland, 3. Saint Mary's, 4. San Diego, 5. Pepperdine, 6. Santa Clara, 7. San Francisco, 8. Loyola Marymount
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Gonzaga, 2. Portland, 3. Saint Mary's, 4. San Diego, 5. Pepperdine, 6. Santa Clara, 7. San Francisco, 8. Loyola Marymount
PEPPERDINE: There is plenty returning for the Waves this year, including all five starters. The one problem however, is that Pepperdine only won nine games a year ago with its current roster. Getting the team to continue to strive forward is the task at hand for Tom Asbury. The leaders on this team include guard Keion Bell (12.9 ppg) and forward Mychel Thompson (9.6 ppg). Other key contributors include forward Taylor Darby (6.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Lorne Jackson. The Waves know how to play tight defense, they just lack scoring punch. A streak of four straight losing seasons may continue this year, unless everything goes right in Malibu.
Oct. 14, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Pepperdine's Tom Asbury and basketball coaches from 13 Division I schools ranging from San Diego to San Luis Obispo gathered on Wednesday at the L.A. Athletic Club for the annual Tipoff Luncheon.
Each coach took a few minutes to talk about their teams to the audience, which included boosters and media. Most coaches also used their time to poke some light-hearted fun at their counterparts. Age, hair (or lack thereof) and cooking prowess were some of the targets.
To listen to Coach Asbury's comments, click on the attached video.
The L.A. Athletic Club is home to the Wooden Award, and many coaches acknowledged the fact that it was John Wooden's 99th birthday today.
The Pepperdine men's and women's basketball teams get their first public showing this Friday night (Oct. 16) in the annual "Blue & Orange Madness" at 8:45 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. Fans that are unable to attend can watch the game for free on the Wave Casts player.
Each coach took a few minutes to talk about their teams to the audience, which included boosters and media. Most coaches also used their time to poke some light-hearted fun at their counterparts. Age, hair (or lack thereof) and cooking prowess were some of the targets.To listen to Coach Asbury's comments, click on the attached video.
The L.A. Athletic Club is home to the Wooden Award, and many coaches acknowledged the fact that it was John Wooden's 99th birthday today.
The Pepperdine men's and women's basketball teams get their first public showing this Friday night (Oct. 16) in the annual "Blue & Orange Madness" at 8:45 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. Fans that are unable to attend can watch the game for free on the Wave Casts player.
Oct. 19, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. -- The Pepperdine University Department of Athletics' 2009 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is coming up quickly and tickets to the annual event are still available. Seven of Pepperdine's greats -- Doug Christie, Geoffrey Clark, Bob Ctvrtlik, Katherine Hull, Kelly Jones, John Rettberg and Rod Wilde -- will be honored.
The ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 25, at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, Calif. A reception will be held at 5 p.m., with dinner and the awards presentation at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 per plate and can be purchased by contacting Heather Collart at 310-506-6483 or heather.collart@pepperdine.edu.
From now until the event, PepperdineSports.com will be running profiles on each of the seven inductees. Today is Doug Christie's turn:
It's likely that no other player in Pepperdine basketball history brought more NBA scouts to campus than Doug Christie. He is remembered as one of the most acrobatic, athletic and graceful basketball players ever to grace the program.
He came to Pepperdine from Seattle, Wash., where he was a state player of the year and was regarded as one of the best players on the entire West Coast. Though he had to sit out his first year in Malibu due to NCAA academic requirements, his next three years (1990-92) were some of the best ever seen by a Waves' player.
Christie captured All-American honorable mention honors from multiple publications in both his junior and senior seasons, and was named the West Coast Conference's Player of the Year in both 1991 and 1992. He led the team in scoring, assists and steals both seasons, and averaged 19.5 points per game as a senior. On Pepperdine's career records lists, he still ranks #3 in assists (395), #3 in steals (168), #10 in blocked shots (86) and #15 in points (1,392).
In his final two seasons, Pepperdine won both WCC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Christie missed much of the 1991 postseason due to a knee injury, but he came back in his senior season and was awarded Most Valuable Player honors at the WCC Tournament, which included a game-high 26 points in the championship game against Gonzaga. He then added 23 points in a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Memphis State.
Two of his most memorable games came in back-to-back outings against Saint Mary's during the 1990-91 season. Christie poured in a career-high 31 points in a one-point win in Moraga, Calif., on Jan. 26. He then recorded what is possibly the only triple-double in school history, accumulating 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a double-overtime, 82-78 home victory on Feb. 1.
After Pepperdine, Christie began what would be a 15-year career in the NBA. He was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics with the 17th pick of the first round of the 1992 NBA Draft, but would later be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he began his professional career. After a stint with the New York Knicks, he had his most success with the Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings, playing parts of five seasons for both franchises. He won two Pacific Division titles with the Kings and made it to the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Christie's career wound down with stints with the Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers before he retired during the 2006-07 season.
Known as one of the league's top stoppers for his stellar defense, he made the NBA's All-Defensive Team four times with the Kings (once on the first team, three times on the second team). With 1,555 steals in his career, he ranks among the top 30 all-time in the NBA. He also ranks among the franchise leaders in steals with both Toronto and Sacramento. He tied an NBA record when he made eight steals in one half against Philadelphia on April 2, 1997.
Last year, Christie was Pepperdine's honoree when the WCC inducted the first class into its new Hall of Honor.
He and his wife, Jackie, have three children, Chantel, Ta'kari and Douglas Jr., and the family resides in Seattle, Wash. Doug and Jackie are well known for their book, No Ordinary Love: A True Story of Marriage and Basketball, and their hit TV show, "Committed: The Christies." He created Christie Sports Management earlier this year to help train and educate young basketball players.
The ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 25, at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, Calif. A reception will be held at 5 p.m., with dinner and the awards presentation at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 per plate and can be purchased by contacting Heather Collart at 310-506-6483 or heather.collart@pepperdine.edu.
From now until the event, PepperdineSports.com will be running profiles on each of the seven inductees. Today is Doug Christie's turn:It's likely that no other player in Pepperdine basketball history brought more NBA scouts to campus than Doug Christie. He is remembered as one of the most acrobatic, athletic and graceful basketball players ever to grace the program.
He came to Pepperdine from Seattle, Wash., where he was a state player of the year and was regarded as one of the best players on the entire West Coast. Though he had to sit out his first year in Malibu due to NCAA academic requirements, his next three years (1990-92) were some of the best ever seen by a Waves' player.
Christie captured All-American honorable mention honors from multiple publications in both his junior and senior seasons, and was named the West Coast Conference's Player of the Year in both 1991 and 1992. He led the team in scoring, assists and steals both seasons, and averaged 19.5 points per game as a senior. On Pepperdine's career records lists, he still ranks #3 in assists (395), #3 in steals (168), #10 in blocked shots (86) and #15 in points (1,392).In his final two seasons, Pepperdine won both WCC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Christie missed much of the 1991 postseason due to a knee injury, but he came back in his senior season and was awarded Most Valuable Player honors at the WCC Tournament, which included a game-high 26 points in the championship game against Gonzaga. He then added 23 points in a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Memphis State.
Two of his most memorable games came in back-to-back outings against Saint Mary's during the 1990-91 season. Christie poured in a career-high 31 points in a one-point win in Moraga, Calif., on Jan. 26. He then recorded what is possibly the only triple-double in school history, accumulating 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a double-overtime, 82-78 home victory on Feb. 1.
After Pepperdine, Christie began what would be a 15-year career in the NBA. He was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics with the 17th pick of the first round of the 1992 NBA Draft, but would later be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he began his professional career. After a stint with the New York Knicks, he had his most success with the Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings, playing parts of five seasons for both franchises. He won two Pacific Division titles with the Kings and made it to the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Christie's career wound down with stints with the Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers before he retired during the 2006-07 season.
Known as one of the league's top stoppers for his stellar defense, he made the NBA's All-Defensive Team four times with the Kings (once on the first team, three times on the second team). With 1,555 steals in his career, he ranks among the top 30 all-time in the NBA. He also ranks among the franchise leaders in steals with both Toronto and Sacramento. He tied an NBA record when he made eight steals in one half against Philadelphia on April 2, 1997.Last year, Christie was Pepperdine's honoree when the WCC inducted the first class into its new Hall of Honor.
He and his wife, Jackie, have three children, Chantel, Ta'kari and Douglas Jr., and the family resides in Seattle, Wash. Doug and Jackie are well known for their book, No Ordinary Love: A True Story of Marriage and Basketball, and their hit TV show, "Committed: The Christies." He created Christie Sports Management earlier this year to help train and educate young basketball players.
Asbury, Thompson on Wednesday's WCC Live Show
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 10/27/2009
MALIBU, Calif. -- Pepperdine men's basketball coach Tom Asbury and junior captain Mychel Thompson will be among the guests on this Wednesday's WCC Live internet radio show, which airs from 8-9 p.m.
Fans can go to http://wccsports.cstv.com/wcclive/ to listen to the show live online, and afterward to find the archive. Asbury and Thompson will be on at approximately 8:48 p.m. and their segment will run for about 10 minutes. Fans will have the opportunity to call in and ask questions on the listener line at 646-378-1311, or submit their questions via e-mail ahead of time at wcclive@ymail.com.
Earlier in the show, the San Francisco and Santa Clara women's programs and the Loyola Marymount men's programs will have their head coaches and a student-athlete on.
The Pepperdine men's basketball team plays its first exhibition on Friday, Nov. 6 against Westmont at 7 p.m., and then opens the regular season at home on Friday, Nov. 13 against Pacific at 7:30 p.m.
Well the UCLA game will be big as it should be a nationally televised game. But we plan to take it one game at a time. LMU is always big and extra competitive because it is in conference and we hope to take it to them this year. About your game, who do you pattern your game after? Definitely Dwyane Wade. I watch Dwayne nonstop. In fact, before every game I check him out on my iPod and watch clips of him to see how he splits screens and gets underneath. Dwayne Wade and Russell Westbrook are definitely guys I pattern my game after.
Watch Hoops Exhibitions Online for Free
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 10/29/2009
MALIBU, Calif. -- The webcasts of three upcoming basketball exhibition games will be free for everyone to view as a special Wave Casts promotion.
The women begin their exhibition season this Saturday (Oct. 31) against Westmont at 4 p.m. Then, the following Friday (Nov. 6), the women face Cal State L.A. at 4 p.m. and the men take on Westmont at 7 p.m. These games would typically only be available to view online by Wave Casts subscribers, but as a one-time-only promotion, they will be made available to the general public.
Wave Casts subscribers enjoy unparalleled access to Pepperdine Athletics from their home computers. Subscriptions, which cost just $69.95 for an annual pass and $9.95 for a monthly pass, include every men's basketball game (video with Al Epstein's call for all home games, and Al Epstein's online radio broadcast for all road games), every home women's basketball game (video and audio) and selected women's basketball road games (audio only).
Fans of other Pepperdine sports also stay in the loop with Wave Casts subscriptions, as well more than 100 events are broadcast each school year. Subscribers now will catch the rest of the women's volleyball and men's water polo home games, and all of the home games and matches for the upcoming baseball and men's volleyball seasons.
The cost of an annual Wave Casts subscription breaks down to less than a dollar per event!
The Bears escaped Tempe last Saturday with a thrilling win, extending their winning streak to 3 games while gaining bowl eligibility and lifting their Pac-10 record to the positive side of the ledger at 3-2. However, if Cal hopes to continue its winning ways against Oregon State, they're going to have to improve.
The Bears 3 conference wins have come against teams who are a combined 2-13 in conference play and 8-16 overall. In their next three games against Oregon State, Arizona and Stanford, they'll take on teams that are currently 10-5 in conference play and 15-8 overall.
Looking at the common match ups, the same Arizona State team that Cal squeezed by, was destroyed 33-14 by Stanford, admittedly in Palo Alto, and dominated 28-17 by Oregon State in Tempe, one of the more troubling predictive statements about the game this Saturday.
However, there may be some aspects of the ASU common match ups that are misleading. Cal's solid 45-26 victory over UCLA in the Rose Bowl matches up much better against our next 3 opponents who, excepting Arizona's 27-13 victory, all were one score games. For Oregon State in particular, they were tied with UCLA at home with two minutes left and required a last minute drive to win. In any case, all three of those games were road games for UCLA and they performed much better against Cal's future opponents than they did at home against Cal. 
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 10/27/2009
MALIBU, Calif. -- Pepperdine men's basketball coach Tom Asbury and junior captain Mychel Thompson will be among the guests on this Wednesday's WCC Live internet radio show, which airs from 8-9 p.m.
Fans can go to http://wccsports.cstv.com/wcclive/ to listen to the show live online, and afterward to find the archive. Asbury and Thompson will be on at approximately 8:48 p.m. and their segment will run for about 10 minutes. Fans will have the opportunity to call in and ask questions on the listener line at 646-378-1311, or submit their questions via e-mail ahead of time at wcclive@ymail.com.
Earlier in the show, the San Francisco and Santa Clara women's programs and the Loyola Marymount men's programs will have their head coaches and a student-athlete on.
The Pepperdine men's basketball team plays its first exhibition on Friday, Nov. 6 against Westmont at 7 p.m., and then opens the regular season at home on Friday, Nov. 13 against Pacific at 7:30 p.m.
November 4, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. - Pepperdine fans can get their first look at the 2009-10 men's basketball team this Friday night (Nov. 6) as the Waves host their one and only public exhibition against Westmont at 7 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse.
It's part of a doubleheader with the women, who host Cal State L.A. at 4 p.m. in their second exhibition game of the fall. A separate ticket is required for each game. Men's tickets are $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (general admission) and $5 (general admission for children 8 and under).
The first 750 fans at the men's game will receive a free T-shirt (presented by Lily's Café of Malibu). Also, all Pepperdine staff and faculty in attendance can register to win a package of Waves' prizes in a halftime giveaway (presented by Pepperdine Human Resources).
Fans that are unable to make it to Malibu can watch both games online for free as part of a special Wave Casts promotion. Al Epstein, beginning his 25th season with Pepperdine, has the call of the men's game.
A young Pepperdine team made great strides last season under the leadership of Tom Asbury, who returned to Malibu to begin his second stint as the head coach of the Waves. The squad went 9-23 overall and 5-9 for sixth place in the WCC, but three of the top four scorers were freshmen and the other one was a sophomore. The 2009-10 Waves have 11 returning lettermen, among the most in school history.
It's part of a doubleheader with the women, who host Cal State L.A. at 4 p.m. in their second exhibition game of the fall. A separate ticket is required for each game. Men's tickets are $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (general admission) and $5 (general admission for children 8 and under).
The first 750 fans at the men's game will receive a free T-shirt (presented by Lily's Café of Malibu). Also, all Pepperdine staff and faculty in attendance can register to win a package of Waves' prizes in a halftime giveaway (presented by Pepperdine Human Resources).
Fans that are unable to make it to Malibu can watch both games online for free as part of a special Wave Casts promotion. Al Epstein, beginning his 25th season with Pepperdine, has the call of the men's game.
A young Pepperdine team made great strides last season under the leadership of Tom Asbury, who returned to Malibu to begin his second stint as the head coach of the Waves. The squad went 9-23 overall and 5-9 for sixth place in the WCC, but three of the top four scorers were freshmen and the other one was a sophomore. The 2009-10 Waves have 11 returning lettermen, among the most in school history.
Warriors swept away by Waves, 75-48
Posted by Ron Smith - WESTMONT SPORTS INFORMATION on November 7, 2009 · Comments
Westmont men’s basketball had a rough start to the season, falling 75-48 in an exhibition game at Pepperdine. The Warriors kept it close through the first 30 minutes but struggled in the final ten.
“I liked the way we competed in the first half. I thought we were pretty aggressive,” said Westmont Head Coach John Moore. “Then there were a couple of points where they made a couple of threes and I thought we were very tentative in the second half.”
Down 5-2 early in the first half, Andrew Schmalbach nailed a three-point to produce a five-all tie with 17:13 to play. The score remained unchanged for more than four minutes until Mychel Thomspon – the son and namesake of the Lakers’ radio color commentator, who won two NBA titles playing with the Lakers – drained a three-pointer to put the Waves up 8-5.
Joshua Lowry scored on a layup to put Pepperdine up by five, but Dan Rasp answered right back with his own layup to make the score 10-7 at the 13:08 mark. With just under 12 minutes remaining in the half, freshman guard Jordan Sachs drove the baseline to record a layup and put the Warriors within one (10-9).
The Waves answered with a layup on the ensuing possession to recapture a three-point margin. Westmont brought the ball down the floor and once again Sachs drove for the basket. A foul on the play sent Sachs to the line where he drained two free throws to make it a one point game. The Warriors then took the lead (13-12) on an Evan Haines jumper with 9:53 remaining on the first half clock.
Pepperdine recaptured the lead with a 5-0 run consisting of a layup by Thompson and a long-range bomb by Caleb Willis. With 6:15 to play, Blake Bender made one of two free throw attempts to pull the Warriors to within three points (17-14). Haines connected on a turn-around jumper with 5:39 to make the score 17-16 before Schmalbach shot from the right corner and drained his second three-pointer of the half to put the Warriors up 19-17.
“I would have liked for Andrew to take a few more open shots,” said Moore. “Our desire was for him to take 12 shots and he took 11, but I think there were a couple of more open shots that he could have taken.”
The Warriors could not hold on to the lead as the Waves produced an 11-1 run to close out the half and give Pepperdine a 28-20 advantage at the intermission. The first ten minutes of the second half was played nearly equal, with the Waves holding a 46-37 advantage at the midway mark. But a 15-0 run by Pepperdine over the next five-plus minutes put Westmont in hole from which it would not recover. The Waves outscored the Warriors 47-28 in the final frame.
“They shot 72% in the second half and we didn’t defend,” acknowledged Moore. Pepperdine made 18 of 25 and only missed seven shots in the second half. They were six for seven from the three-point line and had non-three point shooters who were making threes. I thought Pepperdine did a great job in the zone and, obviously, we have not spent enough time working on our zone. That will come with time.”
Despite the disappointing ending, Moore found positives to take from the game.
“Evan Haines had a whale of a game,” said Moore. “I thought the most positive thing was how Evan played. I was real encouraged by that.
“For a freshman, Jordan Sachs played with great poise and great comfort. He was good out there and I think it is going to be a very nice player for us.”
The Warriors were led by Rasp with 18 points and four rebounds. Haines tallied 10 points and six boards. Thompson led the Waves with 21 points and six rebounds.
“As our captains said to our team at the end of the game, we put this one away and we move forward,” said Moore.
Westmont will play another exhibition on Wednesday when they travel to Palm Desert to take on Cal State San Bernardino in a seven o’clock game.
Posted by Ron Smith - WESTMONT SPORTS INFORMATION on November 7, 2009 · Comments
Westmont men’s basketball had a rough start to the season, falling 75-48 in an exhibition game at Pepperdine. The Warriors kept it close through the first 30 minutes but struggled in the final ten.
“I liked the way we competed in the first half. I thought we were pretty aggressive,” said Westmont Head Coach John Moore. “Then there were a couple of points where they made a couple of threes and I thought we were very tentative in the second half.”
Down 5-2 early in the first half, Andrew Schmalbach nailed a three-point to produce a five-all tie with 17:13 to play. The score remained unchanged for more than four minutes until Mychel Thomspon – the son and namesake of the Lakers’ radio color commentator, who won two NBA titles playing with the Lakers – drained a three-pointer to put the Waves up 8-5.
Joshua Lowry scored on a layup to put Pepperdine up by five, but Dan Rasp answered right back with his own layup to make the score 10-7 at the 13:08 mark. With just under 12 minutes remaining in the half, freshman guard Jordan Sachs drove the baseline to record a layup and put the Warriors within one (10-9).
The Waves answered with a layup on the ensuing possession to recapture a three-point margin. Westmont brought the ball down the floor and once again Sachs drove for the basket. A foul on the play sent Sachs to the line where he drained two free throws to make it a one point game. The Warriors then took the lead (13-12) on an Evan Haines jumper with 9:53 remaining on the first half clock.
Pepperdine recaptured the lead with a 5-0 run consisting of a layup by Thompson and a long-range bomb by Caleb Willis. With 6:15 to play, Blake Bender made one of two free throw attempts to pull the Warriors to within three points (17-14). Haines connected on a turn-around jumper with 5:39 to make the score 17-16 before Schmalbach shot from the right corner and drained his second three-pointer of the half to put the Warriors up 19-17.“I would have liked for Andrew to take a few more open shots,” said Moore. “Our desire was for him to take 12 shots and he took 11, but I think there were a couple of more open shots that he could have taken.”
The Warriors could not hold on to the lead as the Waves produced an 11-1 run to close out the half and give Pepperdine a 28-20 advantage at the intermission. The first ten minutes of the second half was played nearly equal, with the Waves holding a 46-37 advantage at the midway mark. But a 15-0 run by Pepperdine over the next five-plus minutes put Westmont in hole from which it would not recover. The Waves outscored the Warriors 47-28 in the final frame.“They shot 72% in the second half and we didn’t defend,” acknowledged Moore. Pepperdine made 18 of 25 and only missed seven shots in the second half. They were six for seven from the three-point line and had non-three point shooters who were making threes. I thought Pepperdine did a great job in the zone and, obviously, we have not spent enough time working on our zone. That will come with time.”
Despite the disappointing ending, Moore found positives to take from the game.
“Evan Haines had a whale of a game,” said Moore. “I thought the most positive thing was how Evan played. I was real encouraged by that.
“For a freshman, Jordan Sachs played with great poise and great comfort. He was good out there and I think it is going to be a very nice player for us.”
The Warriors were led by Rasp with 18 points and four rebounds. Haines tallied 10 points and six boards. Thompson led the Waves with 21 points and six rebounds.
“As our captains said to our team at the end of the game, we put this one away and we move forward,” said Moore.
Westmont will play another exhibition on Wednesday when they travel to Palm Desert to take on Cal State San Bernardino in a seven o’clock game.
Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS), a preseason All-WCC first team selection, and junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep), the team captain, are among the top returners. The Waves posted a 97-80 win over Westmont in exhibition play two seasons ago. Last year, the Warriors went 16-14 overall and took sixth place in the Golden State Athletic Conference with a 10-10 record
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Profiles in Sports: Pepperdine University's Keion Bell
Sophomore Keion Bell made a slam dunk, after jumping over five team- mates during Pepperine University’s Blue and Orange Madness event Oct. 16.
By Shane Igoe / Special to The Malibu Times
Published:
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 1:13 PM PST
The Pepperdine basketball team recently held its annual Blue and Orange Madness event to open the season and if the intrasquad scrimmage's success is any indication, the Waves will be reaching new heights in 2010, as they are seeing an unprecedented swell of support from fans throughout the nation.Although the Blue and Orange event showcased the entire Wave team, most eyes were focused on sophomore sensation Keion Bell who not only turned heads with a dunk over three teammates in last year's Madness event, but carried his talent over into the regular season netting team bests of 12.9 points, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.Bell didn't stop there, however.The 6-foot, 3-inch-tall guard launched himself over five teammates-four of them standing at 6 feet, 2 inches tall and the other at 6 feet, 1 inch in height-to win the Waves' dunk contest for a second straight year.
Bell's slam could be dubbed “the dunk seen around the world” as video of the feat quickly spread becoming a YouTube sensation (at of the time of printing the clip has reached more than one million hits). His catapult was also featured on ESPN Sports Center as the No. 2 “Play of the Day,” was picked as Sports Illustrated's “Hot Click” and was the headline story on Yahoo's home page.If that wasn't enough, Bell was also just named to the preseason All-WCC First Team.In a way, Bell's hurdle over five players was representative of the team's early season obstacles as the Waves faced a tough lineup of five high profile opponents including UCLA, UC Irvine, Utah, Georgia and Miami all before tipping off conference play against cross-town rival Loyola Marymount in early January. The 
Pepperdine men's hoops team tips off its 2009-2010 season hosting Pacific next Friday Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and their last exhibition game will be against Westmont this Friday at 7 p.m. Tell us about the evolution of your “human catapult” dunk. Well, last year I dunked over three people and I guess it got fans pretty pumped up. As we got closer to this year's Blue and Orange Madness, more people kept coming up to me on campus asking me what I was going to do in this year's dunk contest, so I knew I had to come up with something special. So when one of my teammates, Josh Lowery, asked what was the most [number of people] I had jumped over and I mentioned I had actually dunked over more than three people ... that was the spark.So I just went for it. The crowd went crazy and I was really appreciative but I had no idea it would become as big as it has. 
So will we be seeing a clip of you dunking over six people sometime soon or will we have to wait until next year's Blue and Orange Madness game? I have actually dunked over six people so we will see. I am working with our team video guy to do something to put out there soon to perhaps showcase some of my other dunks but right now my main focus is on our team as we open play next week.Tell us about your team. You guys are young and return to your core nucleus.Well, first of all we look to make a drastic improvement on our record last year. A lot of us saw a lot of time as freshman and sophomores but we realized we needed to get stronger and be more physical this year. So over the summer we all focused on getting bigger and since some of us took summer session together we were able to hit the weight room and gym together in the off-season. We were all we gym rats. Plus we have a lot of players back from injury so we are really looking forward to this year.
Speaking of having people back, you are in a unique situation as legendary Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury, who led the Waves to the big dance in the early 1990s, is back as head coach.
Having Coach Asbury is awesome. Having someone back who's been successful and has been where we want to be before is so helpful. As players it is great to know he is a winner. Coach instills in us a winning mentality and under him we just hope to keep improving year in and year out and see where it takes us. Talk to us about some of your big games in the 2010 campaign. Obviously, the rivalry with LMU dates back to coach Asbury's days versus Hank Gathers et al, but now you also have UCLA on the schedule.
Sophomore Keion Bell made a slam dunk, after jumping over five team- mates during Pepperine University’s Blue and Orange Madness event Oct. 16.
By Shane Igoe / Special to The Malibu Times
Published:
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 1:13 PM PST
The Pepperdine basketball team recently held its annual Blue and Orange Madness event to open the season and if the intrasquad scrimmage's success is any indication, the Waves will be reaching new heights in 2010, as they are seeing an unprecedented swell of support from fans throughout the nation.Although the Blue and Orange event showcased the entire Wave team, most eyes were focused on sophomore sensation Keion Bell who not only turned heads with a dunk over three teammates in last year's Madness event, but carried his talent over into the regular season netting team bests of 12.9 points, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.Bell didn't stop there, however.The 6-foot, 3-inch-tall guard launched himself over five teammates-four of them standing at 6 feet, 2 inches tall and the other at 6 feet, 1 inch in height-to win the Waves' dunk contest for a second straight year.
Bell's slam could be dubbed “the dunk seen around the world” as video of the feat quickly spread becoming a YouTube sensation (at of the time of printing the clip has reached more than one million hits). His catapult was also featured on ESPN Sports Center as the No. 2 “Play of the Day,” was picked as Sports Illustrated's “Hot Click” and was the headline story on Yahoo's home page.If that wasn't enough, Bell was also just named to the preseason All-WCC First Team.In a way, Bell's hurdle over five players was representative of the team's early season obstacles as the Waves faced a tough lineup of five high profile opponents including UCLA, UC Irvine, Utah, Georgia and Miami all before tipping off conference play against cross-town rival Loyola Marymount in early January. The 
Pepperdine men's hoops team tips off its 2009-2010 season hosting Pacific next Friday Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and their last exhibition game will be against Westmont this Friday at 7 p.m. Tell us about the evolution of your “human catapult” dunk. Well, last year I dunked over three people and I guess it got fans pretty pumped up. As we got closer to this year's Blue and Orange Madness, more people kept coming up to me on campus asking me what I was going to do in this year's dunk contest, so I knew I had to come up with something special. So when one of my teammates, Josh Lowery, asked what was the most [number of people] I had jumped over and I mentioned I had actually dunked over more than three people ... that was the spark.So I just went for it. The crowd went crazy and I was really appreciative but I had no idea it would become as big as it has. 
So will we be seeing a clip of you dunking over six people sometime soon or will we have to wait until next year's Blue and Orange Madness game? I have actually dunked over six people so we will see. I am working with our team video guy to do something to put out there soon to perhaps showcase some of my other dunks but right now my main focus is on our team as we open play next week.Tell us about your team. You guys are young and return to your core nucleus.Well, first of all we look to make a drastic improvement on our record last year. A lot of us saw a lot of time as freshman and sophomores but we realized we needed to get stronger and be more physical this year. So over the summer we all focused on getting bigger and since some of us took summer session together we were able to hit the weight room and gym together in the off-season. We were all we gym rats. Plus we have a lot of players back from injury so we are really looking forward to this year.
Speaking of having people back, you are in a unique situation as legendary Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury, who led the Waves to the big dance in the early 1990s, is back as head coach.
Having Coach Asbury is awesome. Having someone back who's been successful and has been where we want to be before is so helpful. As players it is great to know he is a winner. Coach instills in us a winning mentality and under him we just hope to keep improving year in and year out and see where it takes us. Talk to us about some of your big games in the 2010 campaign. Obviously, the rivalry with LMU dates back to coach Asbury's days versus Hank Gathers et al, but now you also have UCLA on the schedule. 
Well the UCLA game will be big as it should be a nationally televised game. But we plan to take it one game at a time. LMU is always big and extra competitive because it is in conference and we hope to take it to them this year. About your game, who do you pattern your game after? Definitely Dwyane Wade. I watch Dwayne nonstop. In fact, before every game I check him out on my iPod and watch clips of him to see how he splits screens and gets underneath. Dwayne Wade and Russell Westbrook are definitely guys I pattern my game after..
You grew up in the L.A. area and came to Pepperdine by way of a prep school in Pasadena. Clippers or Lakers? I am a diehard Lakers fan. Kobe is just the best and now with [Ron] Artest added they are the team to beat once again. Artest's defense and intensity are a great addition. Doug Christie, a former Pepperdine hoops star who had success in the NBA as a 15-year pro, was just inducted into the Waves Hall of Fame last week. Is that a path you hope to follow? Well that's where very basketball player wants to be. I just want to be the best basketball player I can be, play my position well and help my team the best I can.
You grew up in the L.A. area and came to Pepperdine by way of a prep school in Pasadena. Clippers or Lakers? I am a diehard Lakers fan. Kobe is just the best and now with [Ron] Artest added they are the team to beat once again. Artest's defense and intensity are a great addition. Doug Christie, a former Pepperdine hoops star who had success in the NBA as a 15-year pro, was just inducted into the Waves Hall of Fame last week. Is that a path you hope to follow? Well that's where very basketball player wants to be. I just want to be the best basketball player I can be, play my position well and help my team the best I can.
Watch Hoops Exhibitions Online for Free
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 10/29/2009
MALIBU, Calif. -- The webcasts of three upcoming basketball exhibition games will be free for everyone to view as a special Wave Casts promotion.
The women begin their exhibition season this Saturday (Oct. 31) against Westmont at 4 p.m. Then, the following Friday (Nov. 6), the women face Cal State L.A. at 4 p.m. and the men take on Westmont at 7 p.m. These games would typically only be available to view online by Wave Casts subscribers, but as a one-time-only promotion, they will be made available to the general public.
Wave Casts subscribers enjoy unparalleled access to Pepperdine Athletics from their home computers. Subscriptions, which cost just $69.95 for an annual pass and $9.95 for a monthly pass, include every men's basketball game (video with Al Epstein's call for all home games, and Al Epstein's online radio broadcast for all road games), every home women's basketball game (video and audio) and selected women's basketball road games (audio only).
Fans of other Pepperdine sports also stay in the loop with Wave Casts subscriptions, as well more than 100 events are broadcast each school year. Subscribers now will catch the rest of the women's volleyball and men's water polo home games, and all of the home games and matches for the upcoming baseball and men's volleyball seasons.The cost of an annual Wave Casts subscription breaks down to less than a dollar per event!
CAL vs OSU
The Bears escaped Tempe last Saturday with a thrilling win, extending their winning streak to 3 games while gaining bowl eligibility and lifting their Pac-10 record to the positive side of the ledger at 3-2. However, if Cal hopes to continue its winning ways against Oregon State, they're going to have to improve.The Bears 3 conference wins have come against teams who are a combined 2-13 in conference play and 8-16 overall. In their next three games against Oregon State, Arizona and Stanford, they'll take on teams that are currently 10-5 in conference play and 15-8 overall.
Looking at the common match ups, the same Arizona State team that Cal squeezed by, was destroyed 33-14 by Stanford, admittedly in Palo Alto, and dominated 28-17 by Oregon State in Tempe, one of the more troubling predictive statements about the game this Saturday.
However, there may be some aspects of the ASU common match ups that are misleading. Cal's solid 45-26 victory over UCLA in the Rose Bowl matches up much better against our next 3 opponents who, excepting Arizona's 27-13 victory, all were one score games. For Oregon State in particular, they were tied with UCLA at home with two minutes left and required a last minute drive to win. In any case, all three of those games were road games for UCLA and they performed much better against Cal's future opponents than they did at home against Cal. 
This all suggests these teams are pretty evenly matched.
Areas of strength for the Beavers include their passing game. Their 272.2 yards per game passing is somewhat impressive, but not nearly as impressive as their 68.1 completion percentage. Another area is their run defense, which has been just as stout in yards per game and nearly as stout in yards per play.
As for the Bears, they'll be hoping to keep OSU one-dimensional by keeping the run game in check. Their run defense continues to be impressive giving up 108.9 yards per game. If they can accomplish that and get their potent run offense going, still one of the conferences best at 195.9 yards per game, they may able to play keep-away from the OSU passing game, currently the conference's best, preventing it from ever getting going.
One thing that can likely be expected from this game is few mistakes. Both teams are towards the top of the league in fewest turnovers allowed and mediocre to poor when it comes to turnovers forced. Cal's penalties per game were really hurt by the ASU game, which was very tightly called, but overall they still have fairly impressive numbers in that "mistake" category. Oregon State's penalty numbers are not as good, but still not horrendous.
All of this suggests that this game will likely be won by whoever has better execution. Can the Bears corral the OSU passing game enough to keep them in check? Can the Beaver run defense force the Bears to rely on their passing game? Will Cal's pass rush be able to get to Canfield? These are all questions that are difficult to answer based on the numbers.
The Bears home field advantage might just be the key difference in this one.
Areas of strength for the Beavers include their passing game. Their 272.2 yards per game passing is somewhat impressive, but not nearly as impressive as their 68.1 completion percentage. Another area is their run defense, which has been just as stout in yards per game and nearly as stout in yards per play.
As for the Bears, they'll be hoping to keep OSU one-dimensional by keeping the run game in check. Their run defense continues to be impressive giving up 108.9 yards per game. If they can accomplish that and get their potent run offense going, still one of the conferences best at 195.9 yards per game, they may able to play keep-away from the OSU passing game, currently the conference's best, preventing it from ever getting going.
One thing that can likely be expected from this game is few mistakes. Both teams are towards the top of the league in fewest turnovers allowed and mediocre to poor when it comes to turnovers forced. Cal's penalties per game were really hurt by the ASU game, which was very tightly called, but overall they still have fairly impressive numbers in that "mistake" category. Oregon State's penalty numbers are not as good, but still not horrendous.All of this suggests that this game will likely be won by whoever has better execution. Can the Bears corral the OSU passing game enough to keep them in check? Can the Beaver run defense force the Bears to rely on their passing game? Will Cal's pass rush be able to get to Canfield? These are all questions that are difficult to answer based on the numbers.
The Bears home field advantage might just be the key difference in this one.
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