CAL FOOTBALL - SPRING BREAK ROSTER

2009 California Spring Football Roster - Numerical (3/10/09)
Staff Roster Alphabetical Roster

Roster in PDF Format
NO
NAME
POS
HT
WT
YR
EXP
HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL)

1
Marvin Jones
WR
6-2
190
SO
1V
Etiwanda (Etiwanda HS)
2
Marc Anthony
CB
6-0
194
FR
RS
Chandler, AZ (Chandler HS)

2
Charles Satchell
WR
6-2
208
FR
RS
Milpitas (Milpitas HS)
3
D.J. Holt
LB
6-1
250
SO
1V
Encino (Crespi Carmelite HS)

3

Jeremy Ross
WR
5-11
216
JR
1V
Sacramento (Laguna Creek HS)
4
Jahvid Best
RB
5-10
195
JR
2V
Vallejo (Salesian HS)

4
Chris Little
S
6-2
224
FR
RS
Oakland (Castlemont HS)
5
Alex Lagemann
WR
6-1
205
SO
SQ
Saratoga (Saratoga HS)

5
Syd'Quan Thompson
DB
5-9
187
SR
3V
Sacramento (Grant HS)

7
D.J. Campbell
S
5-11
198
SO
1V
North Las Vegas, NV (Cheyenne HS)
7
Quinn Tedford
WR
5-11
158
SO
SQ
Danville (Monte Vista HS)

8
Nyan Boateng
WR
6-2
211
SR
1V
Brooklyn, NY (Lincoln HS/Florida)
9
Beau Sweeney
QB
6-2
226
FR
RS
Fresno (Clovis West HS)

9
Eddie Young
LB
6-0
239
SR
2V
Berkeley (Berkeley HS)
10
Devin Bishop
LB
6-1
239
SR
1V
San Francisco (CC San Francisco)

10
Brock Mansion
QB
6-5
237
SO
1V
Dallas, TX (Episcopal School of Dallas)

11
Sean Cattouse
CB
6-2
206
SO
1V
Chicago, IL (Hubbard HS)
13
Kevin Riley
QB
6-2
221
JR
2V
Portland, OR (Beaverton HS)

14
Nick Demopoulos
K
5-9
166
JR
SQ
San Diego (Avon Old Farms HS)
14
Ryan Wertenberger
QB
6-2
207
FR
RS
Mission Viejo (Laguna Hills HS)
15
Bryant Nnabuife
DB
6-1
200
JR
1V
Brenham, TX (Elkins HS/Blinn JC)

17
Chris Conte
CB
6-3
205
JR
2V
Los Angeles (Loyola HS)
18
Peter Geurts
FB
6-1
215
SO
1V
San Ramon (Monte Vista HS)
18
Michael Mohamed
LB
6-3
237
JR
2V
Brawley (Brawley HS)

19
Bryan Anger
P
6-3
199
SO
1V
Camarillo (Camarillo HS)
19
Jarrett Sparks
TE
6-1
229
FR
RS
Merced (Merced HS)

20
Jesse Brooks
DB
5-11
197
JR
2V
Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd HS)
21
Kevin Lewis
TB
5-9
180
FR
RS
Victorville (Silverado HS)
21
Tyre Ellison
DB
6-2
184
FR
RS
San Francisco (Burton HS)

22
Will Kapp
FB
5-10
216
SO
1V
Los Gatos (Los Gatos HS)
23
Josh Hill
DB
5-9
194
FR
RS
Houston, TX (Klein Forest HS)

24
Langston Jackson
RB
6-1
227
FR
RS
Simi Valley (Simi Valley HS)
25
Brett Johnson
DB
6-1
194
SR
3V
Henderson, NV (Green Valley HS)

26

Darian Hagan
DB
6-0
186
JR
2V
Los Angeles (Crenshaw HS)
27
Charles Amadi
DB
5-10
186
JR
2V
Fresno (Edison HS)
28
Jonathan Dawson
DB
5-10
194
JR
RS
Santa Margarita (Catholic HS/Saddleback CC)
28
Covaughn DeBoskie
RB
5-11
205
FR
RS
Chandler, AZ (Hamilton HS)
29
Marcus Ezeff
DB
5-11
219
SR
3V
Santa Rosa (Montgomery HS)

30

Mychal Kendricks
LB
6-0
230
SO
1V
Fresno (Herbert Hoover HS)
30
Joe Robles
PK
5-10
195
JR
SQ
Mission Viejo (Tesoro HS)
31
John Tyndall
FB
6-3
236
SO
1V
Pacific Grove (Pacific Grove HS)

33
Brian Holley
FB
5-9
235
SR
2V
Pomona (Diamond Ranch HS)
34
J.P. Hurrell
LB
6-0
205
FR
HS
San Mateo (Junipero Serra HS)
34
Shane Vereen
RB
5-10
198
SO
1V
Valencia (Valencia HS)

35
Ryan Theimer
P
6-2
195
SO
SQ
Monrovia (Monrovia HS)
37
Robert Mullins
LB
5-11
222
FR
RS
Los Angeles (Dorsey HS)
39
Matt Russi
FB
5-9
237
SR
3V
Danville (Monte Vista HS)
40
Giorgio Tavecchio
PK
5-8
173
SO
1V
Moraga (Campolindo HS)

40

Aaron Tipoti
DE
6-2
281
FR
RS
Honolulu, HI (Word of Life Academy)
43
Charles Johnson
LB
6-1
232
JR
1V
Lake Forest (El Toro HS/Saddleback CC)
44
Tyson Alualu
DT
6-3
295
SR
3V
Honolulu, HI (St. Louis HS)
44
Tad Smith
TE
6-5
254
SR
2V
Isleton (St. Mary's HS)

45
Spencer Ladner
TE
6-7
253
FR
RS
Kansas City, MO (Pembroke Hill HS)
45
Nick Rosato
LB
6-0
242
FR
RS
San Ramon (California HS)
46
David Seawright
PK
6-3
223
SO
1V
San Diego (Rancho Bernardo HS)

47
Keith Browner
DE
6-6
268
JR
1V
Los Angeles (Dorsey HS)
48
Thomas Caterina
DB
6-2
188
FR
HS
Palmdale (Paraclete HS)

48
Eric Stevens
FB
6-0
229
FR
RS
San Pedro (Peninsula HS)
50
Kevin Bemoll
DL
6-4
334
SR
1V
Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo HS)
50
Matt Rios
LS
6-1
236
FR
RS
Phoenix, AZ (North Canyon HS)

52
Justin Gates
OL
6-1
281
SO
SQ
Reno, NV (Galena HS)
53
Donovan Edwards
OL
6-5
285
JR
1V
Richmond (Pinole Valley HS/Diablo Valley CC)
54
Chris Guarnero
OL
6-2
275
JR
1V
Arvada, CO (Mullen HS)

58
Chet Teofilo
OL
6-3
329
SR
3V
Chula Vista (Hilltop HS)
61
Justin Cheadle
OL
6-2
299
SO
1V
Bakersfield (Bakersfield HS)
65
Dominic Galas
OL
6-1
281
FR
RS
Modesto (Central Catholic HS)
70
Mark Boskovich
OL
6-4
304
JR
2V
Los Altos (St. Francis)
71
Sam DeMartinis
OL
6-5
293
SO
SQ
Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame HS)
72
Mitchell Schwartz
OL
6-7
335
SO
1V
Pacific Palisades (Palisades Charter HS)

73
Richard Fisher
OL
6-4
290
JR
1V
Ben Lomond (Scotts Valley HS)
74
T.J. Emery
OL
6-3
291
SO
SQ
Temecula(Temecula HS)
75
Matt Summers-Gavin
OL
6-4
291
FR
RS
San Francisco (St. Ignatius HS)
76
Derrick Hill
DL
6-2
302
JR
2V
Oakland (McClymonds HS)
77
Michael Costanzo
DL
6-2
296
JR
1V
Danville (Monte Vista HS)
77
Tyler Rigsbee
OL
6-4
275
FR
RS
Chico (Pleasant Valley HS)
78
Justin Prueitt
OL
6-4
278
JR
SQ
Clovis (Buchanan HS)
79
Mike Tepper
OL
6-7
319
SR
2V
Cypress (Pacifica HS)
80
Anthony Miller
TE
6-3
258
SO
1V
San Jose (Archbishop Mitty HS)
81
Ross Bostock
WR
6-0
192
FR
RS
Sebastopol (Analy HS)
83
Skylar Curran
TE
6-4
256
SR
RS
Woodland (Woodland HS/Butte CC)

84
Michael Calvin
WR
6-2
205
SO
RS
San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo HS)
86
Verran Tucker
WR
6-1
204
SR
1V
Torrance (Fairfax HS/El Camino CC)
88
Aric Williams
WR
6-2
198
SO
TR
Livermore (Grandada HS/West Los Angeles CC)
89
Garry Graffort
TE
6-3
242
JR
SQ
Concord (Ygnacio Valley HS)
90
Solomona Aigamaua
LB
6-1
246
SO
SQ
Honolulu, HI (St. Louis HS)

92
Trevor Guyton
DT
6-3
293
SO
1V
Woodinville, WA (Redmond HS)
95
Ernest Owusu
DE
6-4
263
SO
1V
Nashville, TN (The Hun School)
96
Kendrick Payne
DL
6-2
300
FR
RS
Houston, TX (Klein Forest HS)
97
Cameron Jordan
DE
6-4
287
JR
2V
Chandler, AZ (Chandler HS)
99
Savai'i Eselu
TE
6-3
251
SO
SQ
Honolulu, HI (Moanalua HS)

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME CAL FOOTBALL!!!!

Sunday Practice in the Books for Cal Football
Closed Practice on Tuesday
Aug. 17, 2008
Berkeley - The California football team displayed high energy once again with a spirited single practice on Sunday evening in Memorial Stadium, with continued emphasis on 11-on-11 sessions, goal line situations and other drill specific techniques.
One group that was particularly fired up in Sunday's practice was the defensive line. Led by the vocal leadership of senior Rulon Davis, the d-line swarmed to the ball and the quarterback on several different occasions. Sophomore Cameron Jordan, along with Davis and Tyson Alualu all made disruptive plays in the first 11-on-11 session. Davis also forced Kevin Riley to throw the ball away in another 11-on-11 situation with his outside pressure. One of the new additions to the defensive line is Kevin Bemoll - a converted offensive lineman - who made his first big play of camp when he batted a pass in the air which was promptly intercepted by freshman Mychal Kendricks.
Under the direction of defensive backs coach Al Simmons, the Cal secondary has also been progressing nicely during fall camp. Sophomore Darian Hagan showed quick hands in a few of the drills today, including a pass break up in the end zone in Bears' red zone drill. Hard hitting senior safety Bernard Hicks managed to slap the ball away in mid air on an intended pass for a receiver as well in the 11-on-11s.

The offense remained crisp in its drills as well, as new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti continues to groom the rookies and veterans with understanding and executing the playbook. Both signal callers - Nate Longshore and Kevin Riley - had productive shifts, as Longshore found an out-stretched Will Ta'ufo'ou who shielded the defender to make the diving grab at the goal line in the red zone drill. Riley was efficient as well in the first 11-on-11, connecting on three straight passes, including two in a row to Nyan Boateng.
Towards the end of practice, the Bears worked on - and what has become a team favorite - situational drills near the goal line. Both Longshore and Riley delivered as Longshore found LaReylle Cunningham and Sean Young for touchdowns, while Riley hooked up with Boateng and Anthony Miller for scores.
"It was some good situational competition;" said head coach Jeff Tedford. "They always get jacked up for that. [In the goal-line situations], the quarterbacks threw some nice balls, down there tight, in tight quarters, the last play of the game, they threw some strikes down there to score."
Cal's running back corps of Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen, Covaughn DeBoskie and Langston Jackson, also got a healthy dose of running plays in another 11-on-11 session. Tedford was also asked about Jahvid Best's role this season in the post-practice media session.

Day 4 Notes
March 20, 2009
Chris Nguon

This was the last practice before the team took a week off for Spring Break, so the guys really went after each other and left it on the field.
If there was one theme highlighting Thursday's session, it was the physicality that both sides of the ball showed. In full pads for the first time in Spring Ball (the team was in shells on Tuesday), there were a bevy of drills and 11-on-11's periods that were full-contact.
HIGHLIGHTS from the 11-on-11 3rd down and short period
Brock Mansion under center -- Kevin Lewis tries the right side unsuccessfully for 2-yard loss -- Langston Jackson losses a yard trying to hit the left side -- Lewis with a nifty shake and bake down the right sideline for 12 yards -- Lewis runs up the middle for 1-yard gain

Day 3 Notes
March 18, 2009
Chris NguonBear
Territory.net Senior Writer

The Cal football team was finally able to get some hitting in Tuesday afternoon as the squad put on the pads and went after each other in some "live" action snaps, which included 15-minute simulated scrimmage at the tail end of practice. Here were some of the highlights:
● HIGHLIGHTS FROM END OF PRACTICE RED ZONE DRIVES- Beau Sweeney under center-- (from the 25) Kevin Lewis tries over left tackle and is successful for 15 yards-- (from the 13) Running back Langston Jackson up the middle for 2 yards-- (from the 8) Langston Jackson up the middle for 3 yards

Day 2 Notes
Running backs
It was a ho-hum practice for the Cal running backs. It comes to a point where the unit is so good that you just expect them to perform on a high level day in and day out, and that was certainly the case again Sunday evening.
Shane Vereen, the No. 1 ball carrier in the spring, showed that a couple months off to rest nagging injuries can really do some wonders. Vereen showed off incredible quickness and burst through the line of scrimmage.
Covaughn DeBoskie tried his hand running inside the tackles a lot, with both positive and negative reviews. DeBoskie said that's a role he is going to try to take on this season and he will receive plenty of opportunities to work on that skill this spring.
Walk-ons Kevin Lewis and Langston Jackson also received a handful of carries Sunday evening and looked decent running with the ball.

March 9, 2009
Spring Ball Preview: The RBs

Chris NguonBear
Territory.net Senior Writer

Since the day head coach Jeff Tedford took over the Cal football program back in 2002, the one position that no one has had to worry about centers directly on the running backs. This upcoming season is certainly no different.
The Bears will return the Pac-10's leading rusher as well as arguably the most skilled backup in the conference. But, what about this spring? Jahvid Best will sit out as he recovers from off-season surgery and his running mate Shane Vereen has already established himself as a quality 'back. That leaves three other ball-carriers to jockey for position, which includes the talented Covaughn DeBoskie.

Best backfield in the Pac-10?
Probably.
Best backfield in the entire country?
Maybe.
The Cal offense has had a wealth of playmakers in the backfield to work with over the years, but this season's edition might take the cake as the single most talented crew of ball-carriers Tedford and running backs coach Ron Gould has had at their disposal.

DeBoskie will receive plenty of carries to show what he can do
National pundits are already hyping the explosive Best as a Heisman candidate – which is the first time anyone on the Left Coast not in a USC jersey has earned that pre-season hype in years – and Vereen is definitely no slouch himself.
Plus, add in the bigger and almost just as fast DeBoskie, as well as two underrated but solid walk-ons in Langston Jackson and Kevin Lewis, and Cal fans can understand why folks around the program are so excited about the athletes Kevin Riley (or one of the other three QBs) will be handing the ball off to this upcoming season.

Yes, the hype is high on this crew. But, the production has proved worthy of these lofty compliments and expectations, all of which start March 14 when Spring Ball kicks off.
"The coaches told us that Jahvid is not going to be practicing this spring so it's time for the young guys to step it up," said the redshirt freshman DeBoskie. "We have a new addition with Kevin and now it's time for Langston, Lewis and myself to show what we've got."
Although competition breeds success, the young DeBoskie is very honest when looking at the pecking order of the upcoming season. The 5-foot-10, 193-pound Best has clearly distinguished himself as the No. 1 guy while the 5-foot-10, 192-pound Vereen has a leg up to be second in line.
"Shane already established himself so he's good to go," DeBoskie said. "As for the rest of us we have to prove more to Coach Gould. His expectations are high. We have to meet those."

A big boost that all the Cal 'backs will receive this season is the return of veteran tackle Mike Tepper, who was granted a sixth season by the NCAA after sitting out last year with a myriad of injuries. Tepper's return – combined with what the Bears already have coming back to play on the offensive line – means fans are in line for yet another high yardage, high production season from the Cal running backs.
"Our offensive line is going to be the best part of our offense," DeBoskie said. "That's our bread and butter right there when it comes down to scoring touchdowns this season. I'm glad we have an experienced line. We were actually really young last year because Alex Mack and Noris Malele were the only seniors. This year … man, we are going to be really good."
"As far as our running backs this year, we are just out here trying to contribute," he added. "No one feels like they are higher than anyone else. We all care about each other. We love each other as one unit. It's a rotation thing."
"We're happy that we are considered one of the best units around but we're not worried about it," DeBoskie concluded. "We want to win the Pac-10 championship. That's what we want to do."
Langston Jackson
Simi Valley (Calif.) High 6-1 205 pounds
The Southern California native was a late walk-on add to last year's roster and the first thing we noticed about Jackson's game was his size and penchant to run roughshod inside the tackles. Jackson worked hard during the summer workouts last year and made the most of his limited carries during Fall Camp, bullying over defenders with reckless abandon and showing decent speed and quickness as well. If fact, some of the biggest "oohs" and "ahhs" from camp last year were thanks to Jackson's running. Although he's still very green, Jackson could become that short-yardage ball-carrier near the goal line this season if he proves he can hit a hole quick enough.

PEPPERDINE GOES TO THE 2ND ROUND!!!!!

WCC tourney:
Portland overpowers Pepperdine, 69-45
Pilots move ahead to face St. Mary’s in semifinals
By Ray Brewer
Sat, Mar 7, 2009 (11:06 p.m.)

West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament
The West Coast Conference basketball tournament is expected to come down to a championship game matchup of top-seeded Gonzaga against No. 2 Saint Mary's on Monday.
Just don't tell that to the Portland Pilots. They showed Saturday night that they have the potential to crash the party.
Portland shot 57 percent in the first half to open its quarterfinal game against Pepperdine on a 16-2 run and never looked back in a 69-45 victory. Portland was so commanding that it limited Pepperdine to six points in the game's opening 15 minutes.
"I really love when they play defense like that," said Portland coach Eric Reveno, whose team held Pepperdine to 6-of-28 shooting in the first half. "When we play defense like that, we are fun to watch."
The win pushes Portland (19-11) into Sunday's semifinal against Saint Mary's, which like Gonzaga, enters the tournament with a 24-5 record. One of those five losses was an 84-66 setback at Portland Jan. 31 — a result the Pilots, thanks to the momentum they gained Saturday, feel they can duplicate.
"Our guys were just clicking and having fun tonight," said Portland guard Nik Raivio, who finished with a game-high 16 points. "Hopefully we can carry that over to tomorrow."
Portland led 36-16 at halftime, and then held Pepperdine to eight points in the initial 10 minutes of the second half in building a 30-point advantage.
Jared Stohl had 13 points for Portland and B.J. Porter contributed 11. The Pilots played all 14 players who dressed — 10 of them scored — in resting their starters for Saint Mary's.
However, duplicating the success against Saint Mary's will not be easy. While Portland's 24-point victory was impressive, it pales in comparison to Saint Mary's 96-46 win against Pepperdine on Jan. 17.
Patrick Mills, who averages 18.7 points per game and is considered Saint Mary's top player, is expected to play after missing last nine games with a broken hand.
"They are a NCAA viable team with or without him," Reveno said. "At this point of the season, it is really about us and how we play."
Pepperdine (9-23) only had one player reach doubles figures — guard Keion Bell who had 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting.

Portland Ends Men's Basketball's Season
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 03/07/.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. ­— Portland’s stifling man-to-man defense did the Pepperdine men’s basketball team in for the third time this season, and the Waves’ season came to an end with a 69-45 loss in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament at the Orleans Arena on Saturday night.

The sixth-seeded Waves (9-23) shot 39.0% and 23.3% from the field in their first two meetings against the third-seeded Pilots (19-11), and were held to 25.9% tonight.

Freshman guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half. It was the 13th time in the last 14 games that he scored in double-figures. No one else had more than six points.

Portland shot 52.2% from the field, made 10 of 22 three-pointers and got 16 points from Nik Raivio and 13 points from Jared Stohl. The Pilots beat the Waves in the WCC Tournament for only the second time in seven tries.

The Waves were coming off a 93-85 win over San Francisco on Friday’s first round that saw season highs for points and field goal percentage (49.2%). A well-rested Portland squad had a first-round bye.

“We shot as poorly tonight as we did well last night,” Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. “All three games (against Portland), they kicked our butt. For whatever reason, we did not play well. I’m disappointed we did not give them a game.”

For the third straight meeting, the Waves fell behind quickly to the Pilots. In each contest, Portland had a double-digit lead within eight minutes of the game’s start. Tonight, the Waves missed their first seven shots and the Pilots built a 10-0 lead at the 15:35 mark. A driving lay-up by freshman guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) broke up the shutout with 13:56 to play, but the shooting woes continued as Pepperdine missed its next nine shots while Portland’s lead grew to 18-2.

The Pilots’ lead steadily grew and they went into the break with a 36-16 lead. One night after scoring a season-high 48 points in the first half, Pepperdine scored a season low for the first 20 minutes. The Waves went 6-for-28 (21.4%) from the field, while Portland went 12-for-21 (57.1%). Half of the Pilots’ first-half success came from downtown, where they went 6-for-11 on three-pointers. Senior guard Ryan Holmes (Phoenix, Ariz./Millennium HS/Phoenix CC) was the Waves’ only player to score twice in the first half.

The Pilots took their largest lead of the game of 30 points at 52-32 with 12:40 to play following a 14-2 run. The Waves improved their shooting to 30.0% in the second half and increased their scoring total to 29 points.

The Waves will only lose three seniors from the squad – Holmes and guards Mike Hornbuckle (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS/Azusa Pacific) and Rico Tucker (San Diego, Calif./University HS/Minnesota). The Waves’ youth bodes well for the future, as of the 11 players that saw action for the Waves tonight, nine were freshmen or sophomores, and seven weren’t on the roster last year.

Portland 69, Pepperdine 45
LAS VEGAS -- Nik Raivio had a game-high 16 points Saturday night to lead Portland to a 69-45 victory against Pepperdine in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament.
Portland (19-11) opened the game on a 16-2 run, including a pair of 3-pointers from Raivio and Jared Stohl, to earn a spot in Sunday's semifinals against Saint Marys.
Portland led 36-16 at halftime and limited Pepperdine to eight points in the opening 10 minutes of the second half to build a 30 point advantage.
Stohl added 13 points for Portland and B.J. Porter contributed 11 points. Pepperdine (9-23), which won its first-round tournament game Friday 93-85 against San Francisco, made 6-of-28 shots in the first half and shot 26 percent for the game.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Pepperdine wins first-round game
Waves defeat San Francisco, 93-85, behind Hornbuckle's 25 points to move on in the West Coast Conference tournament. Loyola Marymount's season comes to an end.
Associated Press
March 7, 2009

Mike Hornbuckle scored 25 points, including five three-point baskets, to lead sixth-seeded Pepperdine to a 93-85 victory over seventh-seeded San Francisco in the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament Friday night at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Hornbuckle was eight for 11 from the field for the Waves, who play third-seeded Portland in the second round tonight.

The Waves (9-22), who withstood 16 lead changes and 11 ties, took the lead for good on a Hornbuckle three-pointer that made it 73-72 with 5:42 left. Pepperdine built a six-point lead in the first half and led 48-47 at halftime. Keion Bell had 19 points and seven rebounds for Pepperdine, and Mychel Thompson had 12 points and five rebounds.
Dior Lowhorn had a career-high 32 points for San Francisco (11-19).

USF loses in first round at WCC tournament
Steve Kroner, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, March 7, 2009

(03-07) 04:00 PST Las Vegas --
Contrary to the line in those TV ads, some things don't stay in Vegas. Just ask the USF Dons.
Even though Dior Lowhorn poured in a career-high 32 points, the Dons faded down the stretch and lost 93-85 to Pepperdine in the opening round of the WCC tournament at the Orleans Arena.
With 10 minutes to go, Lowhorn's jumper gave the Dons a 69-64 advantage. Things went south from there for USF.
The Waves (9-22) took the lead for good on Mike Hornbuckle's three-pointer with 5:55 remaining. Hornbuckle was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and led Pepperdine with 25 points. The Waves had five other players score in double figures.
Lowhorn has scored in double figures in all but one game in two seasons with the Dons (11-19).
He finished this season with 604 points and had 636 in 2007-08. Quintin Dailey and Bill Cartwright are the only other two USF players to have two 600-point seasons.
Lowhorn didn't take much solace from that personal accomplishment because the Dons fell to 21-40 in his time with the green and gold.
"When you're a good player," Lowhorn said, "you've got to make your teammates better and our record is identical to last year. So, it's something I've got to look at and do better.
"It's a good feeling to have those (accomplishments), but when you lose, it's not a good feeling. People don't acknowledge you for losing."
His coach, Rex Walters, acknowledged the effort throughout the season by Lowhorn, generously listed at 6-foot-7.
"He's playing out of position, playing against guys bigger than him," Walters said. "He actually gets no respect from the referees. He gets hit every time he shoots it; they don't call it - but he keeps battling.
"There's something about the kid where he just keeps fighting and I really respect that about him. He should have had 40-something tonight if he had gotten the calls he should have gotten."
Two other USF players scored in double figures: Kwame Vaughn had 18 points and Blake Wallace had 13 to go with a game-high nine rebounds.
The Dons knocked off Pepperdine 70-62 in Malibu last Saturday, but it's the Waves who will take on Portland in the quarterfinals tonight. That game will follow the Santa Clara-San Diego matchup.
In the first game Friday night, the fifth-seeded Toreros (16-15) overcame an early 11-point deficit to knock off eighth-seeded Loyola Marymount 62-56.
The story of that game can be told in two statistics: The Toreros had a 38-16 rebounding edge and the Lions (3-28) went 13-for-28 from the foul line.
Briefly: The Dons and Waves had five previous WCC tournament meetings, all in the 1990s, and all won by Pepperdine. ... Wallace, a junior forward, spent his freshman season (2006-07) with the Waves.

Waves Shoot Down USF at WCC Tournament
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 03/06/2009

Pepperdine-San Francisco Box Score

LAS VEGAS, Nev. ­— Senior guard Mike Hornbuckle scored 25 points, one shy of his career high, as the Pepperdine men’s basketball team pulled out a 93-85 victory over San Francisco in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament at the Orleans Arena on Friday night.

The sixth-seeded Waves (9-22) now advance to the quarterfinals, where they’ll face a well-rested and third-seeded Portland squad on Saturday night (March 7) at approximately 8:15 p.m.

In the previous two meetings this season with USF (11-19), which the schools split, the most points that the Waves scored was 69 points. But the Waves finished with season highs in total points and field goal percentage (49.2%) while committing a season-low four turnovers.

Hornbuckle (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS/Azusa Pacific) drained five of six three-pointers and eight of 11 shots overall. His career high of 26 points came when he was playing at Azusa Pacific, his previous high in a Pepperdine uniform was 17 points last season and his previous season high was 12 points.

He was one of a season-high six Waves that reached double-figures. Freshman guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) scored 19 points, sophomore forward Mychel Thompson (Ladera Ranch, Calif./Stoneridge Prep) had 12, freshman guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) had 11 and freshman forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) and freshman center Corbin Moore (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) each scored 10.

They needed all of that scoring to offset 32 points from USF’s Dior Lowhorn and 18 points from Kwame Vaughn.

“We’re obviously pleased to advance,” said Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury, who won three WCC Tournaments during his first stint as head coach in the 1990s. “I told our guys at halftime that it was going to be a shootout, but we were going to have to defend better because I didn’t know if we would shoot as well as we did in the first half. But it was one of those nights where we made our free throws and shot well enough to get it done. The key was only turning the ball over four times. That’s remarkable for a young team.”

The Waves had a remarkable first half on the offensive end, scoring more than 40 points against a Division I team for the first time all season. The Waves had only scored 30 or more points in the first half of three league games. They shot 59.4% from the floor and made seven of 11 three-pointers, with four by Hornbuckle and three by Jackson. There were seven ties and nine lead changes in the first 20 minutes.

Lowhorn scored 11 of USF’s first 13 points as the Dons took a 13-9 lead just five minutes into the game. A Hornbuckle three-pointer would break a 27-27 tie with 7:25 to go, and the Waves built their lead up to six points with 1:30 left after Jackson sank a three-pointer and drove in for a lay-up.

The Dons scored the next seven points to grab a 47-46 lead, but with the clock winding down, Jackson broke down the defense and found Moore for a lay-up with one second left, sending Pepperdine into the break with a 48-47 lead.

The lead bounced around a few more times early in the second half, and a three-pointer by Bell put the Waves ahead 62-60 with 12:27 to play. But the Dons scored the next seven points, four on free throws by Lowhorn and a three-pointer by Peter Smith, giving USF a 67-62 advantage with 10:40 left.

Pepperdine retied the game at 70-70 with less than seven minutes to go. After Lowhorn gave USF back the lead with a basket, Hornbuckle drained his fifth three-pointer and then hit two free throws on the next possession, giving the Waves a 75-72 lead with 5:28 to play.

Pepperdine led 78-76 when Hornbuckle came off a screen and hit a short jumper in the lane, then finished off a fast break with a lay-up with 2:55 left to increase the Waves’ lead to 82-76. Pepperdine hit nine of 12 free throws in the final three minutes to hold onto the lead.

The contest saw a total of 12 ties and 17 lead changes. Pepperdine’s bench outscored USF 50-15. The Waves made 24 of 29 foul shots, compared to 14 of 21 for USF. The Dons shot 55.6% in the first half before settling for a 46.4% mark for the game.

Only three of the Waves had previous WCC Tournament experience, and none more than two games. Of the 11 players that saw action for the Waves tonight, nine were freshmen or sophomores, and seven weren’t on the roster last year.

Prior to Saturday night’s men’s game between Pepperdine and Portland, the third-seeded Pepperdine women face sixth-seeded San Diego on Saturday (March 7) at approximately 2:15 p.m. Subscribers to “Wave Casts” at

http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 can listen to Al Epstein’s call of the action at all of Pepperdine’s men’s and women’s games at the tournament.

Dior Lowhorn had a career-high 32 points for San Francisco.

Pepperdine Tops Dons in First Round Action
Dior Lowhorn had a career-high 32 points for San Francisco.
March 6, 2009
Final Stats Game Action
LAS VEGAS (AP) -Mike Hornbuckle scored 25 points, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, to lead No. 6 seed Pepperdine past No. 7 San Francisco 93-85 in the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament Friday night.
Hornbuckle was 8 of 11 from the floor for the Waves, who play No. 3 seed Portland in the quarterfinals on Saturday night.
The Waves (9-22), which withstood 16 lead changes and 11 ties, took the lead permanently on a Hornbuckle 3-pointer that made it 73-72 with 5:42 left in the game.
Pepperdine built a six-point lead in the first half and led 48-47 at halftime.
Keion Bell had 19 points and seven rebounds for Pepperdine, while Mychel Thompson added 12 points and five rebounds.
Dior Lowhorn had a career-high 32 points for San Francisco (11-19). Kwame Vaughn added 18 points, and Blake Wallace had 13 points and nine rebounds.

San Francisco (11-18) vs. Pepperdine (8-22)
By Sports Network - The Sports Network
GAME NOTES: The San Francisco Dons and Pepperdine Waves meet for the second time in less than a week, only this encounter takes place in the first round of the 2009 West Coast Conference Tournament. The Dons topped the Waves, 70-62, last Saturday to split the season series and extend their lead in the all-time rivalry to 65-46. It was the second win in the past three games for USF, which went just 3-11 in league play during the regular season. The seventh-seeded Dons are 12-21 all-time in this event, taking their lone title back in 1998. As for Pepperdine, it dropped its final four outings of the regular season to dip to 5-9 in conference. The Waves claimed the sixth seed and are gunning for their fourth title in this event and first since 1994. The survivor of this battle will earn the right to face the University of Portland in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Dons are paced by the top scorer in the WCC in Dior Lowhorn, who averages 19.7 ppg. Lowhorn is also the team's top rebounder at 6.9 rpg and he is shooting 44 percent from three-point range. USF, however, doesn't have many other options, as Kwame Vaughn is a distant second in scoring with his 10.6 ppg. Blake Wallace adds 8.3 rpg to the equation, and the Dons are generating just 67.1 ppg on 43.1 percent shooting from the floor. The club, though, is giving up a slightly higher 69.7 ppg and slowing down opposing teams has been a problem at times for USF this season.
Hanging on to the ball has been an issue for the Waves this season, as they are committing 16.5 turnovers per game. The miscues have hurt the team at both ends of the floor and the proof is in the 11.7 ppg Pepperdine is being outscored by on average. Keion Bell is the lone player on the roster averaging in double figures, netting 12.6 ppg and he also has a team-best 46 steals to his credit. Bell, though, has been a major reason for the team's inability to keep the ball secure, as his 118 turnovers are nearly double his next closest teammate. Mychel Thompson chips in with 9.7 ppg for Pepperdine, but that average would be higher if he wasn't shooting a dismal 34.6 percent from the floor.

This game could go either way, but take the Dons and expect Lowhorn to make the difference.

WCC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT TIME!!!!!!!

Pepperdine, Loyola have one last shot in West Coast Conference tournament
Both teams have struggled this season, but coaches believe they're headed in right direction as tournament opens Friday in Las Vegas.

By Robyn Norwood

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-wcc-basketball6-2009mar06,0,4162213.story
From the Los Angeles Times
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Pepperdine, Loyola have one last shot in West Coast Conference tournament
Both teams have struggled this season, but coaches believe they're headed in right direction as tournament opens Friday in Las Vegas.By Robyn NorwoodMarch 6, 2009After a season overflowing with losses for Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine, the Lions and Waves are down to one more challenge as the West Coast Conference tournament opens tonight in Las Vegas."Everybody says, 'Well, I bet you can't wait for the year to get over,' " said Max Good, coach of a Loyola Marymount team that finished 3-27. But Good -- citing the attitudes of the players he inherited when Bill Bayno left the bench and later resigned for health reasons related to stress and anxiety -- said that isn't the case. "I hate for the year to get over," Good said, contending that anyone who watched his LMU team practice might "think the record was reversed."Because it isn't, the eighth-seeded Lions open tonight against fifth-seeded San Diego (15-15), one of two conference teams they defeated during the season.The other was No. 7 San Francisco (11-18), which plays No. 6 Pepperdine (8-22) in the other opening-round game.Pepperdine won five conference games but lost its last four, including a 70-62 loss to San Francisco last week."We brought in eight freshmen," said Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury, in his first season since returning to the school where he coached in its heyday. "Candidly, it's been about exactly what we expected. . . . We're hoping to build this thing the right way and it's going to take time."The winners advance to Saturday's quarterfinal games. The two top-seeded teams, Gonzaga -- ranked No. 14 in the Associated Press poll after going 24-5 and undefeated in the WCC -- and St. Mary's received byes into Sunday's semifinals.

The title game is Monday.St. Mary's (24-5) is the WCC team the NCAA tournament selection committee will watch most closely. Once ranked in the top 25, the Gaels initially stumbled after Patrick Mills -- the Australian star who scored 20 points against Team USA in the Beijing Olympics -- broke two bones in his right hand in a January game against Gonzaga. Mills is poised to return in the WCC tournament, giving the NCAA committee -- which is allowed to take injuries into consideration -- a chance to decide if the Gaels deserve to make the field even if they don't win the WCC title and its accompanying automatic bid.

The other notable aspect of the WCC tournament is that it is being held at a neutral site for the first time, after shuttling among campus sites over the years -- sometimes forcing the regular-season champion to play on an opponent's home floor. WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said the 7,845-seat Orleans Arena is a near-sellout for the event.The women's tournament is also in Las Vegas, with No. 3-seeded Pepperdine (16-12) and No. 4-seeded Loyola Marymount (17-11) scheduled to play their first games Saturday against winners of today's opening-round games. The favorite is regular-season champion Gonzaga (24-6).Perhaps no one is happier about the neutral site than Gonzaga Coach Mark Few, who often complained about playing on lower-seeded teams' homecourts."It's a great deal, and the reason it's great is it's finally fair to the student athlete," Few said."It's never been fair, and that should be first and foremost the No. 1 criteria."robynnorwood@verizon.net

WCC men's tournament preview
(03-05) 21:57 PST -- When most people think of Las Vegas, "fair" probably isn't the first, second or 33rd word that comes to mind.

Yet when asked what he thought about the West Coast Conference tournament taking place at Vegas' Orleans Arena, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few extolled its equality.
"It's a great deal," Few said, "and the reason it's great is it's finally fair to the student-athletes. It's never been fair."
Few was referring to the fact this is the first WCC tournament not held at a campus site, suggesting the host school had an inherently unfair advantage. Even though the host team won only three times in 21 tries, Few does have a point.
Now to some points about each of the Bay Area schools, in chronological order of their tournament debuts:
USF (11-18, 3-11, 7th place)
The Dons start with Pepperdine. They beat the Waves 70-62 in Malibu on Saturday. ... USF is looking for its first winning streak since late November. ... The Dons' Dior Lowhorn had a double-double in each game against Pepperdine: 28 points and 10 rebounds in a 69-67 loss at Memorial Gym on Jan. 29, and 16 points and 10 rebounds Saturday.
The Waves' Keion Bell, a member of the WCC's All-Freshman team, has gone 21-for-27 from the field and scored 50 points in the two games against USF. ... Before USF head coach Rex Walters suspended four players, the Dons were 1-8 in conference play and only one of their eight losses was by fewer than 10 points. Since the suspensions, the Dons are 2-3, with their losses by five, five and four points, respectively.


Waves report: Getting inside
March 4, 2009

The Sports Xchange
If the conference tournament had been held three weeks earlier, the Waves might be feeling pretty good about their chances.
They played their best basketball of the season during a five-game stretch between Jan. 29 and Feb. 12.Pepperdine won four of those games and had victories over Santa Clara and San Diego in the final two of that span.
The young Waves had taken a quantum leap, it seemed, with a 5-5 conference record, an amazing accomplishment considering the Waves were picked to finish eighth and had been 4-17 before that two-week surge.With a team built around freshmen, further improvement appeared possible and a big finish looked like a real possibility.
However, the Waves got battered and bruised in their two-game road trip against Portland and Gonzaga and finished the regular season losing their final five games.
The last game was particularly troubling because it was a home loss to San Francisco, which was tied for last place and had been beaten by the Waves earlier in the season on the Dons' home court.
The Waves got off to a horrible start against San Francisco, hitting just two of their first 17 shots and scoring just six points in the game's first 10 1/2 minutes.They were never able to recover.
"We went up to Portland and Gonzaga and got beat up pretty badly," coach Tom Asbury said."We missed all kinds of shots against Portland.And we struggled to score the ball the last few games."
Young teams typically do not respond well after finishing the regular season poorly, so it's hard to imagine Pepperdine making much noise in the conference tournament.
Finishing sixth is still a major accomplishment for the Waves, who lost their first 12 games of the season against Division I opponents and seemed destined to finish seventh or eighth in the WCC.

West Coast Conference
When: Friday-Monday. Where: Las Vegas Final TV: ESPN, 9 p.m. Format: All league teams qualify. The top two seeds get byes into the semifinals. The Nos. 3 and 4 seeds get byes into the second round. The No. 5 seed plays the No. 8 and the No. 6 plays the No. 7 in the first round. Regular-season champ: Gonzaga Projected NCAA bids: 1-2 The buzz: Gonzaga breezed through the regular season, finishing unbeaten in league play and winning the title by four games. But Saint Mary's played the majority of its conference schedule without star point guard Patrick Mills, who is supposed to play in this tournament. His return gives the Gaels a huge boost. Gonzaga comes in having won 16 of 17, but the Zags won by just two at Saint Mary's in mid-February, when Mills was out. Mills' return arguably gives the Gaels three of the league's top eight players: he, forward Diamon Simpson and center Omar Samhan. Gonzaga and Saint Mary's have byes into the semifinals, and it would be a shock if they didn't meet in the final. Keep an eye on fourth-seeded Santa Clara as a sleeper. The Broncos have won eight of their past 11 and have the league's player of the year in 7-footer John Bryant (18.0 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 60.7 field-goal percentage, 2.5 blocks per game). The pick: Saint Mary's

Waves report: Strategy and personnel
March 4, 2009 The Sports Xchange
Strategy and personnel · Getting inside · Notes, quotes

The Waves were outrebounded in each of their last two regular-season games and had a minus-1.1 rebounding margin per game heading into the WCC tournament.But that is still considerably better than the recent past, when the Lions were outrebounded by an average of 4.4 boards a game last season and by 12.3 rebounds two years ago.
PLAYER ROTATION Usual starters -- G Keion Bell, G Ron Holmes, F Taylor Darby, C Corbin Moore,F Mychel Thompson. Key subs -- F Jonathan Dupre', G Michael Hornbuckle, G Lorne Jackson, G Dane Suttle Jr.
GAME REVIEW
Gonzaga 92, Pepperdine 58
St. Mary's 62, Pepperdine 49
San Francisco 70, Pepperdine 62
GAME PREVIEW
vs. San Francisco inWCC tournament first round at Las Vegas, Friday, March 6.

IN FOCUS Pepperdine plays the same team that beat the Lions in the regular-season finale, but the Waves beat San Francisco earlier in the season on the road.The Waves got off to a lousy start in the Feb. 28 loss to the Dons, and starting all the seniors in their final home game might have been part of the reason.The fact that USF is playing better now than it was in their first meeting is another reason. Keion Bell had big games both times, and he needs to do it again. Both teams are young, so the team more poised in the tournament setting will win.
ROSTER REPORT
--Gus Clardy, a walk-on, was named to the WCC all-academic squad. He made his first start in the Feb. 26 game against St. Mary's, primarily because of his strong post defense.
--Freshman Lorne Jackson made good use of his court time in the final two regular-season games. He played just nine minutes in the Feb. 26 game against St. Mary's but had 10 points, and he played 10 minutes two days later against San Francisco but had 11 points. He was 5-for-6 on 3-pointers in the two games.
--Keion Bell was named to the WCC's five-man all-freshman team.
--Blake Wallace, a San Francisco forward who played for Pepperdine when he was a freshman, did not cause his former team much trouble this season, scoring just four points in each game against the Waves.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

--The Waves had a season-low seven turnovers in the Feb. 28 game against San Francisco.
--Pepperdine's five conference wins were its most since 2005, when it won six, but it was the fewest for Tom Asbury as the Waves' coach. In his first stint (1989-94), the Waves never won fewer than eight games and never finished worse than second.
QUOTE TO NOTE "They really don't know what a tournament is about other than what they've heard or seen on TV." -- Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury, on his team's inexperience heading into the WCC tournament.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.



Men's Hoops Ready for WCC Tournament
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 03/03/2009

Pepperdine Men's Basketball WCC Tournament Notes

UPCOMING — For the second time in less than a week, the Pepperdine men’s basketball team will face San Francisco as the two schools have been paired up in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament. The winner between the #6-seeded Waves and the #7-seeded Dons will advance to face #3 Portland in the quarterfinals. Pepperdine has never lost to USF at the WCC Tournament, which has moved to a neutral-site venue for the first time and will be held at the Orleans Arena from March 6-9. Kenpom.com rates the Waves as having the eighth least-experienced team in the country, and freshmen and sophomores are combining for more than 83% of the points. Regardless of the tournament outcome, Tom Asbury’s return has had a great impact on Pepperdine’s program, as the young Waves have improved greatly over the course of the year and are poised for further successes in the future.
GAME #31 — Friday (March 6) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.: #6-seed Pepperdine (8-22, 5-9, sixth place) vs. #7-seed San Francisco (11-18, 3-11, seventh place) at approximately 8:15 p.m. in the first round. The game will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the other first-round game, between San Diego and Loyola Marymount, which begins at 6 p.m.
GAME #32 — If Pepperdine defeats San Francisco ... Saturday (March 7) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.: #6-seed Pepperdine vs. #3-seed Portland (18-11, 9-5, third place) at approximately 8:15 p.m. in the quarterfinals.
ON THE WEB — Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men’s and women’s basketball games at the WCC Tournament over the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 24th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available.
WCC TOURNAMENT HISTORY — In 22 previous events, Pepperdine has an all-time record of 26-18 at the WCC Tournament and won titles in the 1991, 1992 and 1994 seasons (all under Tom Asbury). The Waves are the #6 seed for the second straight year (last year they defeated #7 Portland in the first round before losing to #3 San Diego in the quarterfinals).
TOURNAMENT INEXPERIENCE — Pepperdine’s entire roster adds up to just five games of experience at the WCC Tournament. Mike Hornbuckle and Mychel Thompson each appeared in two games at last year’s event and Ryan Holmes played in one.
WCC HALL OF HONOR — Pepperdine great Doug Christie will be among the first class inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor this weekend. Christie was a two-time All-American and WCC Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. The other seven set to be honored are Hank Gathers (Loyola Marymount), Frank Burgess (Gonzaga), Clive Charles (Portland), Carroll Williams (Santa Clara), Tom Meschery (Saint Mary’s), Bernie Bickerstaff (San Diego) and Joe Ellis (San Francisco). The group will be inducted at a brunch on Saturday (March 7) and introduced at halftime of the first men’s semifinal on Sunday (March 8).
SAN FRANCISCO — Pepperdine is 46-65 all-time against San Francisco. The Waves’ win at USF in January ended a six-game losing streak in the series, but the Dons posted a victory in the regular-season finale in Malibu last weekend. The Waves are a perfect 5-0 against the Dons in WCC Tournament play, with the last meeting in the 1999 first round. Tom Asbury went 13-3 against the Dons in his first stint as head coach (4-0 in the WCC Tournament, with wins in the semifinals of four straight tournaments from 1991-94). USF junior forward Blake Wallace played for the Waves as a freshman.
FIRST GAME VS. SAN FRANCISCO — Back on Jan. 29 ... Keion Bell scored a career-high 32 points on 13-for-14 shooting to lead Pepperdine to its first road victory of the season and a 69-67 win at San Francisco. The Waves led nearly the entire contest. Bell hit his first nine shots of the game and sank all four of his three-pointers. Pepperdine built a 16-3 lead early and was ahead 31-30 at halftime. The Dons took a couple of one-point leads midway through the second half, but Bell’s three-point play with 12:33 to go put the Waves ahead to stay at 47-45. Although USF cut into Pepperdine’s lead at the end, the Dons never had a chance to tie the game or take the lead. Ryan Holmes added nine points and five assists.

SECOND GAME VS. SAN FRANCISCO — Back on Feb. 28 ... Pepperdine had a hot-shooting second half but couldn’t overcome a cold first half and lost 70-62 to USF in both schools’ regular-season finale at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves shot 24.1% in the first half and fell behind 27-20 at halftime. Despite more than doubling their success rate to 50%, the Waves could only pull within one point with 13:14 left in the second half. Each time Pepperdine got close, USF answered with a big shot. Keion Bell had team highs of 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Lorne Jackson added 11 points.
ALL-FRESHMAN — Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team this week and has proven himself as a rising star in the conference. He is averaging team highs of 12.6 points (14th in the WCC and third among conference freshmen), 2.2 assists (15th in the WCC, third among freshmen) and 1.5 steals (tied for fourth in the WCC, second among freshmen) and is second on the squad with 4.7 rebounds per game. In conference play, he was even better, averaging 15.0 points (eighth in the WCC, second among freshmen), 6.4 rebounds (ninth in the WCC, second among freshmen), 2.6 assists (12th in the WCC, second among freshmen) and 1.6 steals (tied for second in the WCC, second among freshmen). He was the team leader in all four categories during league play. Bell scored in double-figures in 12 of 14 conference games, including one streak of 10 consecutive games. He nearly set or tied two school records in the win at San Francisco on Jan. 29. His 32 points were two shy of the Pepperdine freshman record and his 13-for-14 shooting was one field goal made short of the single-game record for field-goal percentage. Bell had four point-rebound double-doubles in conference play.
ALL-ACADEMIC — Sophomore Gus Clardy was awarded a spot on the 2009 WCC All-Academic team. The history major, who is a walk-on, has nearly a 3.7 GPA. He played sparingly during the non-conference season but earned more minutes during the WCC campaign due to his post defense. He made his first two starts of the season during the final weekend of WCC play.
GOOD NEWS — The return of Tom Asbury and his staff and the immediate impact they have made has led to some notable successes that haven’t been seen in Malibu for a while ... Pepperdine earned its most conference wins since 2005, when the team had six victories ... The last time the Waves were at .500 or better at the 10-game mark of WCC play was 2004 ... Pepperdine’s three-game winning streak was its first in conference play since February 2004 ... With home wins over Santa Clara and San Diego, Pepperdine had its first two-game weekend sweep in WCC action since January 2005.
OTHER SEASON NOTABLES — The win over Cal State Monterey Bay gave the Waves their first victory in a season opener since 2001-02 ... Veteran broadcaster Al Epstein called his 700th consecutive Pepperdine men’s basketball broadcast vs. Pacific on Dec. 13 ... The game at Cal State Northridge on Dec. 18 was the 2,000th in program history ... The Waves beat Loyola Marymount in Firestone Fieldhouse for the 11th consecutive time ... Pepperdine won its conference opener (vs. LMU) for the first time since 2005 ... The season sweep of LMU was Pepperdine’s third in a row, and the Waves have now won 22 of the last 24 meetings ... The Waves ended a nine-game losing streak to San Diego and a six-game streak to San Francisco.
COMEBACKS — Three of Pepperdine’s victories have come after rallying from double-digit deficits. The Waves trailed by 11 points in the first half vs. Coppin State, by 15 points early in the second half vs. Santa Clara (as well as by eight points with four minutes remaining) and by 11 points in the first half vs. San Diego.
ROTATION — Of the 12 players that saw action in the last game vs. San Francisco, nine were freshmen or sophomores and seven weren’t on the roster last year. Pepperdine has started four freshmen 11 times, three freshmen 11 times, two freshmen seven times and one freshman once. The Waves have even played five freshmen on the court at one time on an occasional basis.
FRESHMAN SCORING — Last year, freshmen scored 63.6% of Pepperdine’s points. It’s certain that the new group of freshmen will lead the way in 2008-09 as well. Right now they account for 57.5% of the scoring, compared to 25.6% by the sophomores and 16.9% by the seniors. The two games where freshmen contributed the most were at Hawaii and vs. Portland (76%). The freshmen have been the highest-scoring class in all but two games.
STAT LEADERS — In the WCC, Keion Bell is tied for fourth in steals (1.53), 13th in free throw percentage (.724), 14th in scoring (12.6) and 15th in assists (2.23) ... Taylor Darby is ninth in rebounding (6.3) ... Andy Shannon is 11th in blocked shots (0.76) ... Dane Suttle Jr. is 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.368) ... Mychel Thompson is 14th in blocked shots (0.57).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK — Keion Bell became Pepperdine’s first WCC Player of the Week in about two years on Feb. 16. In home victories over Santa Clara and San Diego, he averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals. He had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals against Santa Clara. As the Waves rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit, his two free throws gave Pepperdine the lead for good with 1:56 left. He then collected his third double-double of the season with game highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds against San Diego, as well as five steals and four assists. Bell scored 12 of Pepperdine’s final 15 points of the game as the Waves held off the Toreros. The five steals were the most by a Pepperdine player this season. Bell is Pepperdine’s first WCC Player of the Week honoree since Chase Griffin won the award in February 2007. He’s the first Pepperdine freshman to win the award since Shaun Davis in December 2003.
ROSTER — The Waves have just five players that saw action last season. Only four of them were on the roster at season’s end, and because of injuries, only two of them played in the 2007-08 season finale at the WCC Tournament. The five returners accounted for 40.2% of last year’s scoring (950/2,365), 32.0% of the rebounding (357/1,117), 59.6% of the assists (239/401), 16.4% of the blocked shots (21/128) and 57.9% of the steals (183/316). To replenish the roster, the Waves added 10 newcomers. Two are sophomores that are junior college transfers, six are scholarship freshmen and two others are walk-on freshmen. Of the 15 players, 12 are underclassmen. The breakdown is three seniors, zero juniors, four sophomores and eight freshmen.
AGRE OUT — Sophomore center Denis Agre, in his first season at Pepperdine after transferring from Central Arizona College, became academically ineligible at the start of the semester. He averaged 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds and started seven of the first 16 games.
RETURNERS — Three players — senior Rico Tucker, sophomore Mychel Thompson and senior Ryan Holmes — were starters in 2007-08. Senior Mike Hornbuckle saw extended playing time last season and started half of the 32 games. Sophomore Gus Clardy, a walk-on, appeared in 16 games last season.
NEWCOMERS — When Tom Asbury was hired in February 2008, he was given a very late start to the recruiting process. The three recruits that signed letters-of-intent with the previous coaching staff were given their release, and several players transferred following the season. With many holes to fill, Asbury and his staff utilized their contacts, identified the best of the remaining unsigned talent that fit their needs and put together a very impressive group under the circumstances. The Sporting News ranked Pepperdine’s recruiting class #2 in the West Coast Conference.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE — The home schedule should have been much more palatable to Waves fans in 2008-09. A year after playing just three non-conference home games, Pepperdine supporters were treated to eight this time around, including ones against such big-time opponents as Brigham Young and Georgia Tech, and in-state rivals such as Cal State Bakersfield, UC Irvine and Pacific. A few of the road games were notable too, including contests at Pac-10 foes Arizona State and USC. The Waves also took part in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii right after Christmas.
TELEVISION — The Waves have appeared on television several times once again in 2008-09. Six games were shown locally (Nov. 21 at Arizona State on FSN Prime Ticket, Jan. 10 vs. Loyola Marymount on ESPNU, Jan. 22 vs. Gonzaga on FSN West, Feb. 14 vs. San Diego on FSN West, Feb. 21 at Gonzaga on ESPNU and Feb. 26 vs. Saint Mary’s on FSN West). A few other games were televised out of market (Nov. 21 at New Mexico State on FSN Arizona, Dec. 28 vs. Buffalo on KFVE in Hawaii, Jan. 17 at Saint Mary’s on Comcast Sports Net California).
TOM ASBURY — It was announced on Feb. 19, 2008, that the architect of one of the best stretches in Pepperdine history, Tom Asbury, was returning to Malibu to become the Waves’ head coach again. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for 15 seasons, the first nine as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He then served as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was most recently an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first six seasons with the Waves and 210-147 (.588) in his first 12 seasons overall as a head coach. The Waves went 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 West Coast Conference titles, finished no worse than second in any of his six seasons and compiled a league record of 66-18 (.786). Pepperdine’s only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury.
ASSISTANTS — 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.
RECRUITS — The Waves signed two players to letters-of-intent for 2009-10 during the early-signing period. They are 6-foot-3 point guard Josh Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) and 6-foot-9 forward/center Tanner Kerry (Sydney, Australia).
WCC PRESEASON POLL — Thankfully, the coaches got it wrong. Picked to finish eighth and last in the conference’s preseason poll, done by a vote of the coaches, the Waves achieved a sixth-place finish. The predicted order of finish went Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Portland, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
LAST SEASON — The midseason resignation of Vance Walberg and several player departures that followed contributed to Pepperdine’s third straight losing season, as the Waves finished 11-21 overall and sixth in the WCC at 4-10. They defeated Portland in the first round of the WCC Tournament before falling to eventual champion San Diego in the quarterfinals.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY — This is the 71st season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2008-09 with an all-time record of 1,102-887 (.554). 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 — Over the 30-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2007-08 campaign, Pepperdine has proven itself as one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Of the 31 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2008-09 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (516) and winning percentage (.575) over the past 30 years.
WAVES IN THE PROS — Several 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). This is the 33rd consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his third season overall and his first with the Miami Heat. Alex Acker began the season with the Detroit Pistons but has come home after being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Brandon Armstrong (Ukraine), Casey Crawford (Mexico), Tashaan Forehan-Kelly (New Zealand), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic) and Levy Middlebrooks (Mexico). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Germany.
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 several compete for conference and national titles.

West Coast Conference To Stream 10 WCC Tournament Games Exclusively On WCCsports.com
Ten of the 14 WCC Tournament games to be streamed exclusively on WCCsports.com

All 14 of the WCC Tournament games will be broadcast live with 10 of the games on WCCsports.com and four on the ESPN family of networks.

March 3, 2009
SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The West Coast Conference announced today that it will be streaming all of the non-televised games of this week's WCC Tournament for free exclusively on WCCsports.com. In all, 10 of the 14 games will be shown exclusively on WCCsports.com, including all but the championship game of the women's tournament and the semifinals and final of the men's championship.

To watch all of the early round action, fans just need to log-on to WCCsports.com and sign up for a free WCC All-Access pass. The women's basketball final will be televised nationally on ESPNU, while the men's semifinals will be on ESPN2 and the men's final will be televised in primetime on ESPN.

The 2009 WCC Tournament marks the first year that the conference's premier event will be held at a neutral site. The capacity for the Orleans Arena at the four-day event is 7,845, making it the largest venue to ever house the WCC Tournament. The 2009 basketball championships will be the 23rd annual event on the men's side and the 17th annual women's tournament. The WCC advanced three teams to last year's NCAA Tournament, the most in conference history and the fifth highest percentage of teams from one conference last season.
WCCsports.com All-Access Tournament Schedule

Friday, March 6
Women's Basketball First Round - No. 5 Saint Mary's vs. No. 8 Santa Clara - 12:00 PM
Women's Basketball First Round - No. 6 San Diego vs. No. 7 San Francisco - 30 mins. after conclusion of game
Men's Basketball First Round - No. 5 San Diego vs. No. 8 Loyola Marymount - 6:00 PM

Men's Basketball First Round - No. 6 Pepperdine vs. No. 7 San Francisco - 30 mins. after conclusion of game 1

Saturday, March 7
Women's Basketball Quarterfinal Round - No. 5 SMC/No. 8 SCU vs. No. 4 Loyola Marymount - 12:00 PM

Women's Basketball Quarterfinal Round - No. 6 USD/No. 7 USF vs. No. 3 Pepperdine - 30 mins. after conclusion of game

Men's Basketball Quarterfinal Round - No. 5 USD/No. 8 LMU vs. No. 4 SCU - 6:00 PM

Men's Basketball Quarterfinal Round - No. 6 PEP/No. 7 USF vs. No. 3 Portland - 30 mins. after conclusion of game 1

West Coast College Hoops - Pepperdine Waves

by Charles Jay

Pepperdine is on a nice little run right now, having won four of its last five games. The Waves did not take down any of the real powers of the conference (assuming there are any real powers beyond Gonzaga) but they posted wins over San Francisco, LMU, Santa Clara and San Diego. The latter two would probably be considered upsets, but you still have to beat the teams you're supposed to beat, and in this regard Pepperdine is getting the job done.
Believe it or not, Pepperdine has a chance to finish among the top four teams in the West Coast Conference. They are only a half-game behind Santa Clara, and a game and a half behind Saint Mary's. This kind of positioning is important; if the Waves are able to finish in the top half, they will get a first-round bye in the conference tournament in Las Vegas.
This is the most successful Portland edition since 1996, as this team now has 16 wins. There is a shot the Pilots could get an at-large bid to the NCAA's even if they didn't win the conference tourney, but with a "best win" over Saint Mary's, they might have to do more. You have to hand it to this team that is getting Great three-point marksmanship from Jared Stohl (46%) and T.J. Campbell (54%), as well as the steady contributions from Nike Raivio and Robin Smeulders.

Portland is relatively new to this business of laying big numbers to the have-nots in the West Coast Conference. Pepperdine might be considered one of the have-nots, but they are not the same team that began the conference schedule. Tom Asbury, who has led this school to tournament appearances in the past, has had his hands full trying to cleanse the program of the Vance Walberg tenure, which featured a dribble-drive offense, and installing his own system here. It makes sense that his team might start to jell a little toward the end of the season.

DONS AND WAVES- USF squares off against Pepperdine for the 112th time in the all-time series dating to 1955-56. It is the sixth WCC Tournament showdown between the two teams and the first since 1999.- Pepperdine owns a 5-0 record vs. USF in WCC Tournament play, the last a 67-65 opening round win in 1999.- The Dons have won seven of eight meetings dating back to 2006 and own a 10-8 record against Pepperdine since 2001.- Dior Lowhorn averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Kwame Vaughn and Peter Smith added 13.5 points vs. the Waves in 2009.- Waves boss Tom Asbury is 14-4 lifetime vs. USF after posting a split in 2009.
GAME #30, WCC TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND - SCOUTING PEPPERDINE: The Waves enter the 2009 West Coast Conference Tournament with an 8-22 overall record and posted a 5-9 mark in league action, good for the No 6 seed in the league showcase. Pepperdine dropped its regular season home finale 70-62 to USF Saturday and prepares to play the Dons for the second time in six days. The Waves are on a four-game losing streak after posting three straight wins against LMU (58-43), Santa Clara (64-52) and San Diego (57-52). Freshman guard Keion Bell keys

Pepperdine at both ends of the floor, averaging 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Sophomore forward Mychel Thompson chips in 9.7 points and 3.5 boards, while freshman forward Taylor Darby adds 6.0 points with a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game. Coaching veteran Tom Asbury nears the completion of his seventh overall season and second stint with the Waves. Asbury previously guided Pepperdine for six seasons and propelled the Waves to five postseason trips and three WCC titles while posting a 66-18 record from 1989-94. Asbury then spent five seasons as the head coach at Kansas State (1995-00) and was an assistant at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury owns a career record of 218-169 in his 13th year and is 133-81 in Malibu.

LAST FOUR MEETINGS: USF 70, at Pepperdine 62 (2/28/09); Pepperdine 69, at USF 67 (1/29/09); at USF 88, Pepperdine 63 (3/3/08); USF 85, at Pepperdine 82 (2/2/08)
SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 65-46/USF won one
WCC TOURNAMENT SERIES RECORD: PEP leads 5-0
WCC TOURNAMENT RESULTS: PEP 67, USF 65 - 1999 First Round (SCU) - 2/27/99PEP 82, USF 79 - 1994 Semis (SCU) - 3/6/94PEP 88, USF 67 - 1993 Semis (USF) - 3/7/93PEP 67, USF 65 - 1992 Semis (POR) - 3/8/92PEP 65, USF 56 - 1991 Semis (SCU) - 3/3/91
ON THE AIR/ON THE WEB: Radio Broadcast: Green 960 Television Broadcast: None Internet Audio: Yes - USFDons.com (Yahoo Broadcast)GameTracker: Yes Pepperdine Official Website: PepperdineSports.com
WAVES AND DONS - WCC TOURNAMENT BULLETS: - Pepperdine is the only team the Dons have not beaten in West Coast Conference Tournament action- The Dons and Waves met in the postseason four straight seasons from 1991-94- Gerald Zimmerman scored a team-high 20 points and Terrence Moore turned in a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double, but USF dropped a 67-65 decision to Pepperdine (2/27/99) in the last tournament game between the Dons and Waves- Pepperdine has bounced USF from the semifinals four times- After the Dons posted a 100-85 upset of No. 2 LMU in the opening round of the 1992 tournament, Pepperdine eliminated USF with a 67-65 semifinal victory. Tomas Thompson scored 20 points an Darryl Johnson added 16 points and 11 rebounds.- Tom Asbury is 4-0 vs. USF in the WCC Tournament
WAVES AND DONS - THE LAST TIME: - USF freshmen accounted for 50 points as the Dons posted a 70-62 victory against Pepperdine in Malibu (2/28/09) - Dons freshman Peter Smith led the charge with a career-high 21 points and went 9-for-10 at the free throw line- Dior Lowhorn recorded his third career double-double against Pepperdine with 16 points and 10 rebounds
USF IN THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT: USF owns an overall record of 12-21 in the West Coast Conference Tournament. The Dons won the event in 1998 as the No. 5 seed, defeating Gonzaga 80-67 in the finals at Santa Clara's Toso Pavilion. After winning the league's automatic berth and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1982, San Francisco owns a 3-10 record in the event since 1999. Before taking an opening round 79-60 victory against Loyola Marymount last season, USF's last win came in 2005 when No. 6 USF dispatched No. 7 Portland 65-60 in the opening round.
USF VS. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE - TOURNAMENT SERIES RECORDS: Gonzaga 1-0, Loyola Marymount 4-0; Pepperdine 0-5, Portland 2-1, Saint Mary's 1-3, San Diego 2-6, Santa Clara 2-6

PEPPERDINE vs U. SAN FRANCISCO

Waves' Home Finale Ends With 70-62 Loss
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 02/28/2009

Pepperdine-San Francisco Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. ­— The Pepperdine men’s basketball had a hot-shooting second half but couldn’t overcome a cold first half, and lost its regular-season finale to San Francisco, 70-62, in West Coast Conference play at Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The Waves (8-22) were picked to finish last in the WCC but were able to achieve a sixth-place finish with a 5-9 record. The Dons improved to 11-18, 3-11, and are likely to be Pepperdine’s first-round opponent in next week’s WCC Tournament (seedings will be set after tonight’s other games).

The Waves shot just 24.1% in the first half and fell behind 27-20 at halftime. Despite shooting 50% in the second half and eventually pulling to within one point, they weren’t ever able to pull ahead.

Freshman guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) had team highs of 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Freshman guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) sank three three-pointers and scored 11 points in 10 minutes of action.

USF, which ended up outshooting the Waves 40.0% to 37.7%, got 21 points from Peter Smith and 16 points and 10 rebounds from Dior Lowhorn.

The Waves hit just one of their first 10 shots and two of their first 17. USF would take its biggest lead of the game at 16-6 with 9:39 to play in the first half after a Chris O’Brien three-pointer. A Jackson three-pointer got it down to four points at 24-20 with 1:18 left, but Smith responded with a three-pointer on the other end of the floor to make the halftime score 27-20.

In the second half, the Waves kept closing the gap, but each time the Dons would come up with an answer. A lay-up by Bell made it 31-28 with 16:55 left, but O’Brien followed with a three-pointer. A basket by freshman forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) made it 36-33 with 15:28 left, but Lowhorn then converted a three-point play. A jumper by Bell got the Waves within one point at 39-38 with 13:14 left, but USF’s Kwame Vaughn immediately hit a three-pointer, and Smith hit another three a minute later to push the lead back up to 45-38.

The Waves were within five points a couple of times in the final five minutes, including 60-55 with 1:59 left when sophomore forward Mychel Thompson (Ladera Ranch, Calif./Stoneridge Prep) sank a three-pointer. But the Dons made all 10 of their free throws (eight by Smith) in the final two minutes to ice the victory.

Pepperdine committed a season low seven turnovers. The Waves actually had more field goals than the Dons (23 to 18), but USF hit 25 of 33 free throws, compared to 8 of 13 for Pepperdine.

Pepperdine’s three senior guards – Ryan Holmes (Phoenix, Ariz./Millennium HS/Phoenix CC), Mike Hornbuckle (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS/Azusa Pacific) and Rico Tucker (San Diego, Calif./University HS/Minnesota) were honored in a pregame ceremony and were in the starting lineup for Senior Day.

Of the 12 players that saw action for the Waves, nine were freshmen or sophomores, and seven weren’t on the roster last year.

The Waves know they will be the #6 seed at the upcoming WCC Tournament, held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, and their first-round game will be Friday (March 6) at approximately 8:30 p.m. The opponent will likely be USF but could be Loyola Marymount depending on today’s other results. Subscribers to “Wave Casts” at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 can listen to Al Epstein’s call of the action at all of Pepperdine’s men’s and women’s games at the tournament.

WCC Tournament Brackets Set
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 02/28/2009

WCCSports.com Tournament Central Page
2009 WCC Tournament Brackets

MALIBU, Calif. -- With the conclusion of the West Coast Conference's regular season, the postseason seeding of Pepperdine men's and women's basketball teams has been determined for the upcoming WCC Tournament.
The Pepperdine men finished in sixth place in the WCC and are the #6 seed. The Waves will meet #7-seed San Francisco for the second time in less than a week on Friday (March 6) at approximately 8:30 p.m. The two schools split the season series, with the Dons pulling out a 70-62 win on Saturday in Malibu.
The Pepperdine women finished in third place in the WCC, received the #3 seed and earned a coveted first-round bye. The Waves will meet either #6 San Diego or #7 San Francisco in the quarterfinals on Saturday (March 7) at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The WCC Tournament has moved to a neutral-site venue for the first time ever, with the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas providing the site. All-session passes have already sold out, although a limited number of single-session tickets will be available.

San Francisco 70, Pepperdine 62

Associated Press
MALIBU, Calif. -- Dior Lowhorn had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Peter Smith had 21 points as San Francisco beat Pepperdine, 70-62, in both team's final West Coast Conference game on Saturday.
Smith made 4-of-8 3-pointers and eight free throws in the final two minutes for the Dons (11-18, 3-11 WCC).
Keion Bell scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to lead Pepperdine (8-22, 5-9) and Lorne Jackson added 11 points.

PEPPERDINE
GETTING INSIDE
The Waves were brought back to reality and reminded of their youth in blowout losses to Portland and Gonzaga on Feb. 19 and 21, but the Waves still have a lot to play for in their final two regular-season games.
Pepperdine still has a chance to finish in the top four in the conference standings, and that would not only amount to an amazing accomplishment, but it could give the Waves a bye in the first round of the WCC tournament.
There is every reason to believe the Waves can win one, if not both, of their home games against St. Mary's, which will still be without Patty Mills, and San Francisco, a team the Waves beat on the road earlier in the season.
The Waves have played well at home in the second half of the conference season, which should give them confidence, but first they have to get over their humbling trip to the Northwest. They were never in either game and lost by a combined margin of 63 points.
Not only did that put an abrupt end to the Waves' three-game winning streak, but it demonstrated how far behind the WCC leaders the Waves are despite their improvement.
They shot poorly in both games and did not take care of the ball. They were out of both games almost immediately, allowing both Portland and Gonzaga to shoot out to big leads, which makes things particularly difficult on the road.
The Bulldogs toyed with Pepperdine, taking an early 24-11 advantage and cruising.
"They are just too much better than we are now," Loyola Marymount coach Tom Asbury said. "They're bigger, more physical, more experienced."
Pepperdine played more like it did early in the season, when its young players were overmatched in nearly every game. While winning four of their five games immediately before the Feb. 19 Portland game, the Waves had been pesky defensively, preventing opponents from feeling comfortable. But Portland and Gonzaga scored almost at will against Pepperdine, which showed the inconsistency associated with inexperience.
Inexperienced teams typically play much better at home, though, and the Waves had won their last two home games heading into the final two conference games.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Pepperdine's Feb. 21 loss to Gonzaga was the Waves' 16th straight defeat against the Bulldogs. Although his squad lost both games against Gonzaga this year, Tom Asbury still has a 10-5 record against Gonzaga as Pepperdine's head coach.
--Pepperdine shot a season-worst 23.3 percent against Portland, then followed that by shooting 27.6 percent in the first half against Gonzaga two days later.
--One win in their final two games would give the Waves six conference victories, which would be their most since they were 6-8 in 2005. Two wins in the final two games would give the Waves a .500 conference record, which would be the first time since 2004 that Pepperdine would not have a losing conference record.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We took a step backwards this weekend." -- Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury, after the Waves were blown out in road games against Portland and Gonzaga on Feb. 19 and 21.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Tom Asbury continues to play a lot of players. Nine players are receiving significant playing time, and no one is averaging more than 28.4 minutes, which is Mychel Thompson's mark. A lot of players are gaining experience as Asbury tries to fit the pieces together for this season and the seasons to come.
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual starters -- G Keion Bell, G Lorne Jackson, G Ron Holmes, F Taylor Darby, C Corbin Moore, F Mychel Thompson. Key subs -- F Jonathan DuPre, G Michael Hornbuckle, G Lorne Jackson, G Dane Suttle Jr.
GAME REVIEW:
Pepperdine 57, San Diego 52
Portland 74, Pepperdine 45
Gonzaga 92, Pepperdine 58
GAME PREVIEW:
Vs. St. Mary's, Thursday, Feb. 26
Vs. San Francisco, Saturday, Feb. 28
WCC tournament at Las Vegas, Friday, March 6, or Saturday, March 7
IN FOCUS: Pepperdine would love to end its regular season with a home victory over San Francisco, and a win might earn the Waves a bye in the first round of the conference tournament. The Waves beat the Dons by two points in San Francisco, although Pepperdine can't expect Keion Bell to score 32 points again, as he did in the earlier win. The Waves have enough quickness on defense to cause the Dons' ball handlers problems, and they need to get some steals and convert them into transition baskets. Dior Lowhorn may get his points, so the Waves must prevent the other USF players from hurting them.
ROSTER REPORT
--Freshman Keion Bell's performance against Santa Clara and San Diego earned him WCC player of the week honors, the first time in two years a Pepperdine player won the award. Bell has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games, as of Feb. 24.
--Walk-on freshman Richard Banning made his college debut against Portland on Feb. 19. He did not score in one minute of playing time.
--Walk-on freshman Don Martin got his first playing time in a WCC game against Portland on Feb. 19.
--Dane Suttle Jr. scored 13 points against Portland, his highest total in WCC play, but two days later he went scoreless against Gonzaga.

USF Closes 2008-09 Regular Season with 70-62 Victory at Pepperdine
Peter Smith Pours in Career-High 21 Points for the Dons
Feb. 28, 2009
Final Stats
(Malibu, CA) - USF men's basketball rebounded for a satisfying 70-62 West Coast Conference victory against Pepperdine Saturday afternoon at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Dons (11-18, 3-11 WCC) thwarted a late rally by the Waves (8-22, 5-9 WCC) to secure their first league road win of the season.
San Francisco now awaits the outcome of the Loyola Marymount vs. Saint Mary's contest in Los Angeles at Gersten Pavilion, scheduled for a 5:00 PM tip. Should the Lions lose, the Dons would secure the No. 7 seed and take on the No. 6 seeded Waves in the opening round of the 2009 WCC Tournament, beginning Friday, March 6 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Should LMU upset the Gaels, the Lions and Dons would have the same number of league wins and would require multiple tiebreakers.
Freshman guard Peter Smith exploded for a career-high 21 points, converting on four 3-pointers to go along with an outstanding showing at the free throw line in the clutch. Smith converted on 9-of-10 from the stripe to secure the Dons victory. Junior forward Dior Lowhorn recorded his fifth double-double with 16-point, 10 rebound outing.
USF's freshmen enjoyed a huge day in Malibu, combining for 50 points, led by Smith's effort. Freshman Kwame Vaughn added 13 points and four assists, continuing his strong play of late. Freshman guard Chris O'Brien matched a career-high with nine points and seven boards and freshman forward Angelo Caloiaro chipped in seven points and three rebounds. Junior guard Dontae Bryant did not score, but dished out a game-high six assists and pulled three rebounds for the Dons

San Francisco shot .400 (18-45) from the field with nine 3-pointers and limited the Waves to a .377 (23-61) from the floor. The Dons attacking style produced a big day at the charity stripe. USF hit at a .758 (25-33) clip from the line. San Francisco held a modest 37-34 rebounding advantage.
Freshman guard Keion Bell led the Waves with 18 points, while Lorne Jackson added 11.
Full pairings for the 2009 WCC Tournament will be released after the conclusion of all Saturday's contests.