Men's Basketball Beaten by PortlandCourtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 02/18/2010
Pepperdine-Portland Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - Sophomore guard Keion Bell had team highs of 23 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, but the Pepperdine men's basketball team lost at home to Portland, 83-62, on Thursday night in West Coast Conference action.
The Waves fell to 7-20 overall and 3-8 in the WCC, while the Pilots improved to 17-8, 8-3.
Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) surpassed the 20-point mark for the 14th time this season, and the fifth time in WCC play. Sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS) posted 11 points and junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin Country CC) scored 10.
Portland, which outshot Pepperdine 53.8% to 42.9%, got 18 points and four assists apiece from Jared Stohl and T.J. Campbell. Most of their offense came from outside, as Stohl made six three-pointers and Campbell was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Portland led by as many as eight points early on, first at 12-4 just 4 1/2 minutes in. But the Waves rallied and took their first lead at 21-20 after a three-pointer by junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep), and a basket by Darby made it a three-point lead at 23-20 with less than eight minutes to go.
It was still a three-point lead at 25-22 after a lay-up by sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS), but Portland then went on a 13-2 run to reclaim the advantage and to go back up by eight at 35-27 with less than a minute to go in the first half. Bell would connect on a three-pointer to make the halftime score 35-30.
Bell hit a three-pointer and made a lay-up to make it a six-point game three minutes into the second half at 43-37. But Portland began to pull away from there. Stohl sank a three-pointer to give the Pilots a 53-42 lead with a little more than 12 minutes left, and the Waves weren't able to get it back into single-digits again. The Pilots led by as many as 24 points in the second half.
Pepperdine, which has no seniors and has a roster where 11 of the 15 players are underclassmen, was led in scoring by its sophomore class for the 26th time in 27 games. The Waves announced earlier in the day that sophomore Dane Suttle Jr., who was averaging 7.7 points, will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
The Waves play their final home game of the season on Saturday (Feb. 20) at 6 p.m. as #13 Gonzaga visits Firestone Fieldhouse. The game will be shown on FOX Sports West. Fans can also 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.
Men's Hoops Ends Home Season This Week
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 02/18/2010
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Game Notes
THE FACTS - The Pepperdine men's basketball team plays its final two home games of the 2009-10 season this week, as the Waves host Portland and #13 Gonzaga. Both start times are earlier than usual due to television. Pepperdine concludes the regular season next week on the road, and the West Coast Conference Tournament follows the week after in Las Vegas.
GAME #27 - Thursday (Feb. 18) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (7-19, 3-7) vs. Portland (16-8, 7-3) at 5 p.m.
GAME #28 - Saturday (Feb. 20) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga (21-4, 9-1) at 6 p.m. Gonzaga is ranked #13 by the Associated Press and #9 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
TELEVISION - The Pepperdine-Portland game will be shown live on Prime Ticket. Paul Sunderland and Sean Farnham (a one-time Pepperdine assistant coach) are the announcers. The Pepperdine-Portland game will be shown on FOX Sports West. Greg Heister and Craig Ehlo 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. Most 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. 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 - For the Portland game, Pepperdine bandanas will be given to the first 300 Pepperdine students, and Pink's Famous Hot Dogs will provide hot dogs to the first 300 students after the game ... For the Gonzaga game, all fans are encouraged to wear orange and the first 750 fans will receive a Pepperdine T-shirt (sponsored by the Law Offices of Hiepler and Hiepler). Postgame, fans will receive a coupon to Dick's Sporting Goods and the first 400 students will get an In-N-Out Burger ... If the Waves are victorious and 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.
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 02/18/2010
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Game Notes
THE FACTS - The Pepperdine men's basketball team plays its final two home games of the 2009-10 season this week, as the Waves host Portland and #13 Gonzaga. Both start times are earlier than usual due to television. Pepperdine concludes the regular season next week on the road, and the West Coast Conference Tournament follows the week after in Las Vegas.
GAME #27 - Thursday (Feb. 18) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (7-19, 3-7) vs. Portland (16-8, 7-3) at 5 p.m.
GAME #28 - Saturday (Feb. 20) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga (21-4, 9-1) at 6 p.m. Gonzaga is ranked #13 by the Associated Press and #9 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
TELEVISION - The Pepperdine-Portland game will be shown live on Prime Ticket. Paul Sunderland and Sean Farnham (a one-time Pepperdine assistant coach) are the announcers. The Pepperdine-Portland game will be shown on FOX Sports West. Greg Heister and Craig Ehlo 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. Most 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. 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 - For the Portland game, Pepperdine bandanas will be given to the first 300 Pepperdine students, and Pink's Famous Hot Dogs will provide hot dogs to the first 300 students after the game ... For the Gonzaga game, all fans are encouraged to wear orange and the first 750 fans will receive a Pepperdine T-shirt (sponsored by the Law Offices of Hiepler and Hiepler). Postgame, fans will receive a coupon to Dick's Sporting Goods and the first 400 students will get an In-N-Out Burger ... If the Waves are victorious and 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.
GONZAGA TICKETS - As with previous years, the Pepperdine-Gonzaga men's basketball game is expected to be very heavily attended and may be sold out prior to game day. To ensure that as many Pepperdine students, faculty and staff can be accommodated with the limited number of seats that are available, please note that one dollar tickets may be purchased in advance by these three groups. A Pepperdine ID must be brought to the game. More information is available at www.pepperdinesports.com.PORTLAND - Pepperdine is 52-29 all-time against Portland, including a 25-11 record in home games. The Pilots won all three meetings last season, including a quarterfinal game at the WCC Tournament, and won the first contest this year in Portland. The Waves' last win against the Pilots was at the 2008 WCC Tournament, and the last home win was in 2005.
LAST TIME VS. PORTLAND - Back on Jan. 23 at the Chiles Center ... Pepperdine's trip to the Northwest ended with an 80-64 loss at Portland. Keion Bell scored a team-high 21 points. Two of the Waves' young big men had solid games, as Taylor Darby scored 13 points and Tanner Kerry had a season-high 11. The Waves got off to a great offensive start and led 24-18 after just 8 1/2 minutes. But Portland went on to lead 49-38 at halftime and went up by as many as 23 in the second half.GONZAGA - Pepperdine is 31-37 all-time against Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have won 17 straight in the series and seven consecutive in Firestone Fieldhouse (last Pepperdine win: 2002 in Malibu). The bulk of the Waves' success came during Tom Asbury's first stint, when he was 16-4 against the Bulldogs as an assistant coach and 10-3 as a head coach.
LAST TIME VS. GONZAGA - Back on Jan. 21 at the McCarthey Athletic Center ... Keion Bell exploded for 34 of his career-high 37 points in the second half to help Pepperdine to one of its best showings at Gonzaga in years, but the then-#15 Bulldogs held on for a 91-84 home victory. It was the closest margin in the last 10 seasons in Spokane. Gonzaga led by as many as 15 in both halves, but Bell, Lorne Jackson (17 points) and Mychel Thompson (13 points) would not let the Bulldogs pull away. The Waves closed the gap to six points several times in the second half. Pepperdine scored a season-high 84 points, including 55 in the second half. The two old rivals entered the game as the only two unbeaten teams left in WCC play.
LAST GAME - Keion Bell led Pepperdine with 25 points, but Santa Clara earned a 62-54 home victory on Saturday (Feb. 13). This is the eighth straight year the schools have split the season series. The Broncos led by just one point at 45-44 with less than 10 minutes remaining, but were able to pull away from there. Santa Clara outshot Pepperdine 47.7%-30.6% and had advantages of 39-28 on the boards and 32-14 with points in the paint. Mychel Thompson added 12 points and six rebounds and Jonathan Dupre' had nine points and seven rebounds.ROSTER - There are no seniors on the 2009-10 squad, and 11 of the 15 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and four true freshmen. Pepperdine does return 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). Twelve players are on scholarship and three are walk-ons.
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 nearly two-thirds (64.6%) of Pepperdine's scoring. The sophomores have been the top-scoring class in every game but one this season.
THE TRIO - The Waves have been at their best in conference play when Keion Bell, Mychel Thompson and Lorne Jackson all have good games on the same night. In conference play, they have averaged a combined 42.5 points per game (that's nearly two-thirds of all of the Waves' scoring).KEION BELL - Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) has been one of the most exciting and prolific players on the West Coast in 2009-10. He is currently averaging 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He now ranks #2 in the WCC and #35 in the nation in scoring (he ranked as high as ninth nationally in early December). He is the sixth-highest-scoring sophomore in the country. At various points this season, he has been one of just a handful of players in the nation averaging at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Bell has scored more than 20 points in 13 games this season, including a career-high 37 at Gonzaga. He's been in double-figures in every game but three. At the pace he's on, he could become Pepperdine's 35th 1,000-point scorer by the end of his sophomore season (he's got 917). In the WCC rankings, he's also sixth in steals (1.5), sixth in assists, 10th in minutes (32.2) and 16th in rebounding.
MYCHEL THOMPSON - Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep)
was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. He is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. Thompson is averaging 12.3 points this season (second-best on the team) and 9.8 points for his career. He has broken into Pepperdine's career top 10 in three-pointers made this season (he's now #7 with 135, Brandon Armstong is #6 at 142). He's been in double-figures in nine of the last 11 games and is averaging 13.8 ppg in conference play. He scored a career-high-tying 25 points in a win vs. Utah. Since starting the season 0-for-21 from beyond the arc, he's improved to 14th in the WCC in three-point field-goal percentage (.361). Thompson's 6-for-7 three-point performance vs. LMU nearly equaled the school record for single-game percentage (6-for-6, 1.000).LORNE JACKSON - Sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) is averaging 9.9 points per game in conference play, and he has seen his overall scoring average go to 8.3 ppg. He posted a career-high 21 points vs. San Francisco. He's also averaging 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in WCC games.
2009-10 HONORS - Keion Bell was named to the preseason All-WCC first team ... Bell (26.7 ppg) was named MVP of the World Vision Challenge at Wyoming and Dane Suttle Jr. (15.3 ppg) also made the all-tournament team ... Mychel Thompson was named WCC co-Player of the Week on Jan. 11 after scoring a game-high 22 points and making six of seven three-pointers in a win vs. LMU ... Lorne Jackson was named WCC co-Player of the Week on Jan. 18 after averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in victories over Santa Clara and San Francisco ... Pepperdine has two WCC POTW honors in the same season for the first time since 2004-05, and had its first back-to-back winners since December 2002.
2009-10 NOTABLES - The Waves were down 12 to Cal State San Bernardino with 8 1/2 minutes to play but came back to win by three ... The Waves were the team champion at the World Vision Challenge in Wyoming ... Pepperdine's win over Utah came against a 2009 NCAA Tournament team ... In the 150th meeting ever with LMU, the Waves came back from a 17-point first-half deficit to post a victory in the first game of WCC play ... Pepperdine beat Santa Clara at home for the 13th time in the last 14 meetings ... Pepperdine started 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2005 and 3-0 for the first time since 2002 (a year that the Waves started 11-0 en route to a 13-1 record and a tie for first in the WCC with Gonzaga) ... At 3-0, the Waves were three games over .500 in league play for the first time since 2004 ... Although it was a loss, the Waves' seven-point loss at Gonzaga was an excellent effort and gave them their closest margin of defeat in Spokane in the last 10 years.BELL'S 37-POINT GAME - The 37-point performance by Keion Bell at Gonzaga on Jan. 21 was extremely memorable for many reasons: 34 of the 37 points came in the second half ... He set the McCarthey Athletic Center record for points by an opponent ... Along with his 34-point game vs. Monmouth, he has the two highest scoring games in the WCC this season ... His second-half slam dunk over Gonzaga 7-footer Robert Sacre made ESPN SportsCenter's Plays of the Day ... Bell made 14 of 21 shots, three of four three-pointers and six of eight free throws ... He scored 22 of Pepperdine's first 24 second-half points in an eight-minute span ... The last time a Pepperdine player scored more points was in January 2001 when Brandon Armstrong notched 40 against Loyola Marymount ... It tied as the 24th-best single-game performance in Pepperdine history, and by players other than scoring great Bird Averitt, it was the eighth best.
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).
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.
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.
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.HECTOR HAROLD - 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.
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 did for the first 16 games of the season. The Waves played 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 were at home.
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.
Yahoo! Sports Feb 16
GETTING INSIDE
Pepperdine’s promising start to the conference season has disintegrated into a series of losses. The question now is whether the Waves are better than they were last season.
In 2008-09, the Waves finished 5-9 in the WCC with a team laden with freshmen. They showed improvement over the second half of the conference season, though, and won a game in the conference tournament.
This season, with most the key players back with a year’s experience and Tom Asbury in his second season at Pepperdine, the Waves figured to be better. And they showed signs they might break out when they started WCC play 3-0.However, the Waves had lost seven in a row since then, as of Feb. 15, and they seemed to be getting worse instead of better. Early in the conference season, Pepperdine beat San Francisco by 15 points in Malibu. In the return game at San Francisco on Feb. 11, the Dons won by 30.
Two days after that, Santa Clara, which had lost at Pepperdine earlier this season, handed the Waves their seventh straight loss, 62-54.
The Waves need to show some life to avoid finishing last. As of Feb. 15, the Waves were last in the conference in field-goal percentage and field-goal percentage defense in WCC games.
Twice in the past four games as of Feb. 15, Pepperdine had failed to exceed 47 points in a game.
Things may not get much better, either, because the Waves’ next three games are against the top three teams in the conference, Portland, Gonzaga and St. Mary’s. The Waves need to get through that series of games with their spirit intact, because they seem like a fragile team at the moment.
Sophomores dominate the rotation, so the Waves are still young with room to grow. Finishing the season with some strong showings would certainly help the team through the offseason, but there has been no indication that will happen.
Sophomore Keion Bell continues to put up big scoring numbers, and he can be the cornerstone of the team for the next two years.
NOTES, QUOTES
—Pepperdine’s seven-game losing streak as of Feb. 15 tied the team’s longest losing streak of the season.
• As of Feb. 15, Pepperdine still needed three wins to exceed the win total of last season, when the Waves went 9-23.
• The Waves scored 11 points in the first 6:39 of the game against San Francisco on Feb. 11, but then scored just four points over the next 13 minutes and 21 seconds.
On The Spot: Pepperdine is a team that looks as if it’s about to crack, if it hasn’t already. The Waves are not used to winning, and the confidence they gained by starting 3-0 in conference play has long since eroded. Pepperdine’s chief shortcoming now is that it may not believe it can win, especially after going 9-23 last season with many of the same players.
Quote To Note: “He is acrobatic and he can score the ball.”—Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury, on G Keion Bell.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: Pepperdine had lost nine of 10 games coming into conference play, then showed some life by winning its first three conference games. But Pepperdine has regressed to its expected status, having lost seven in a row as of Feb. 15. The Waves were just a game out of last place in the loss column, and their final regular-season game is against the team that occupies the basement, San Diego.
Player Rotation: Usual Starters—G Keion Bell, F Mychel Thompson, F Jonathan DuPre, F Taylor Darby, G Lorne Jackson. Key Subs—F Dane Suttle Jr., G Joshua Lowery, F Gus Clardy.
Game Review:
Loyola Marymount 77, Pepperdine 61
San Francisco 77, Pepperdine 47
Santa Clara 62, Pepperdine 54
Game Preview:
Vs. Portland, Thursday, Feb. 18
Vs. Gonzaga, Saturday, Feb. 20
At St. Mary’s, Thursday, Feb. 25
At San Diego, Saturday, Feb. 27
WCC Tournament at Las Vegas, Friday, March 5
In Focus: Pepperdine still had a winning home record in conference games at 3-2, and if it can figure out a way to score some points, it could stay in the game against Portland on Feb. 18. The Pilots beat Pepperdine by 16 points in Portland, but that was when the Waves were still feeling pretty good about themselves. Pepperdine will have to do a better job containing Portland guards Jared Stohl and T.J. Campbell, who burned the Waves for 46 points in the first meeting.
Roster Report:
• G Keion Bell had 25 points in the Feb. 13 game against Santa Clara, which was the 13th time this season he’s scored 20 or more in a game.
• Freshman G Joshua Lowery was back in the starting lineup for both games against San Francisco and Santa Clara on Feb. 11 and 13. He had not started since he injured his ankle in the Nov. 29 game against Wyoming.
• F Dane Suttle Jr., the team’s No. 4 scorer, had scored only two points in the last four games he’s played, as of Feb. 15.
The Portland Pilots will look to stay in the hunt for one of the top two spots in the West Coast Conference standings with a pair of road games in Southern California this week. Portland will face the Pepperdine Waves on Thursday at 5 p.m. live on FSN Prime Ticket and then visit the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Game FM (KXTG). Pepperdine (7-19, 3-7) has lost seven in a row after starting 3-0 in league action, while LMU (13-13, 4-6) sits alone in fifth place in the league standings. The Pilots (16-8, 7-3) are a half game behind Saint Mary’s for second place, which receives a bye to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament.Pilots Briefly
*Portland pulled out an 80-75 overtime win against Saint Mary’s on Saturday, the team’s first OT game of the season, after a 70-56 win over San Diego on Thursday*T.J. Campbell scored a team-high 24 points with seven assists to lead the Pilots vs. SMC*Luke Sikma added a double-double (12 pts, 11 rebs) along with key defensive stops late*Campbell earned his third WCC Player of the Week honor after averaging 21.0 points in the wins*Campbell is the first Pilot in history to earn three league player of the week awards in one season*The Pilots have won six of their last seven games and are 10-2 at home*Robin Smeulders recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds against San Diego*Jared Stohl scored 16 points, including four three-pointers, vs. Saint Mary’s*Stohl is the school’s career leader in three-pointers made (219)
*Leading scorer Nik Raivio has missed the last seven games (Achilles’ strain) and will miss both games this weekend on the road*Stohl replaced Raivio in the starting lineup and is averaging 15.7 points in his absence
*Sikma leads the WCC in FG percentage (.574) and is second in rebounding (8.0)
*Stohl leads the WCC in 3-pointers made (3.0) and is fourth nationally in 3-point percentage (.468)
*Smeulders is averaging a team-high 14.7 points in WCC games *Stohl went 10-for-15 from the three-point line vs. Idaho on Dec. 22 with 30 points, becoming the first college player in a decade to score 30 without making a free throw or two-point field goal
*UP also set a team and Chiles Center record for total three-pointers (16) in the win vs. Idaho
*UP cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time in 50 years on Nov. 30 (#25)
*Portland defeated UCLA (74-47) and No. 16 Minnesota (61-56), before falling to No. 8 West Virginia (84-66) at the 76 Classic in Anaheim over Thanksgiving weekend
*Campbell earned 76 Classic All-Tournament Honors and his second consecutive WCC Co-Player of the Week award after averaging 16.7 points in the three games at the 76 Classic
*Raivio recorded his 1,000th career point on Dec. 2 vs. Portland State
*Portland was picked second in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll behind Gonzaga
*Campbell and Raivio were named to the 10-player WCC Preseason All-Conference Team
*Raivio was also named an honorable mention mid-major All-America by CollegeInsider.com
*Portland appeared in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) last year, the program’s first postseason appearance since 1996
*The Pilots tied for second in school history last year in total wins (19) and WCC wins (9)
*Portland returns 12 players and all five starters
*2009 WCC Coach of the Year Eric Reveno and his staff remain together and enter their fourth year at the helm of the Pilots (assistants Joel Sobotka, Eric Jackson and Michael Wolf)
About PepperdineAfter starting off 3-0 in league games, the Waves (7-19, 3-7 WCC) have lost seven in a row and are now in sixth place in the WCC standings. Pepperdine lost a pair of road games at San Francisco (77-47) and Santa Clara (62-54) last week. Six games during their losing streak have been by double-digit margins. The Waves are led in scoring by sophomore G Keion Bell (19.4 ppg) and junior guard Mychal Thompson (12.3 ppg). Pepperdine 5-9 at home this year, compared to an 0-10 road record. The best home win for the Waves came against Utah (76-64). The Pilots dealt Pepperdine an 80-64 loss on Jan. 23 at the Chiles Center earlier this year. T.J. Campbell scored a career-high 24 points for Portland, while Jared Stohl added 22. Bell paced the Waves with 21 points, but committed 10 turnovers. Head coach Tom Asbury is in the second year of his second stint at Pepperdine. Asbury returns four starters and 12 lettermen from a young 2009 team that finished 9-23 overall and 5-9 in the WCC. Portland took all three meetings from the Waves last year by double digit margins, including a 69-65 win in the WCC quarterfinals in Las Vegas. Pepperdine owns a 52-29 margin in the all-time series.
Pilots basketball: Second place (and No. 2 seed) still within reach with four WCC games leftBy Jim Beseda, The Oregonian
February 17, 2010, 7:15PM University of Portland coach Eric Reveno is struggling to come up with things to say that his Pilots haven't already heard. But sounding like a broken record has worked, because the Pilots have won seven of their last eight games heading into tonight's West Coast Conference game against the slumping Pepperdine Waves in Malibu, Calif. "Now it's about trying to fine tune," Reveno said. "The fun part of the riddle is figuring out things can you still do better. There's always little things that you try to tweak, and if you're watching tape, maybe you see something that you can help a player with." With four conference games remaining, the Pilots (16-8, 7-3 WCC) have almost no chance of catching Gonzaga for first place. But assuming the Bulldogs stay the course and if UP were to win out, the Pilots could finish alone in second or at worse end up tied with Saint Mary's.
—Pepperdine’s seven-game losing streak as of Feb. 15 tied the team’s longest losing streak of the season.
• As of Feb. 15, Pepperdine still needed three wins to exceed the win total of last season, when the Waves went 9-23.
• The Waves scored 11 points in the first 6:39 of the game against San Francisco on Feb. 11, but then scored just four points over the next 13 minutes and 21 seconds.
On The Spot: Pepperdine is a team that looks as if it’s about to crack, if it hasn’t already. The Waves are not used to winning, and the confidence they gained by starting 3-0 in conference play has long since eroded. Pepperdine’s chief shortcoming now is that it may not believe it can win, especially after going 9-23 last season with many of the same players.
Quote To Note: “He is acrobatic and he can score the ball.”—Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury, on G Keion Bell.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: Pepperdine had lost nine of 10 games coming into conference play, then showed some life by winning its first three conference games. But Pepperdine has regressed to its expected status, having lost seven in a row as of Feb. 15. The Waves were just a game out of last place in the loss column, and their final regular-season game is against the team that occupies the basement, San Diego.
Player Rotation: Usual Starters—G Keion Bell, F Mychel Thompson, F Jonathan DuPre, F Taylor Darby, G Lorne Jackson. Key Subs—F Dane Suttle Jr., G Joshua Lowery, F Gus Clardy.
Game Review:
Loyola Marymount 77, Pepperdine 61
San Francisco 77, Pepperdine 47
Santa Clara 62, Pepperdine 54
Game Preview:
Vs. Portland, Thursday, Feb. 18
Vs. Gonzaga, Saturday, Feb. 20
At St. Mary’s, Thursday, Feb. 25
At San Diego, Saturday, Feb. 27
WCC Tournament at Las Vegas, Friday, March 5
In Focus: Pepperdine still had a winning home record in conference games at 3-2, and if it can figure out a way to score some points, it could stay in the game against Portland on Feb. 18. The Pilots beat Pepperdine by 16 points in Portland, but that was when the Waves were still feeling pretty good about themselves. Pepperdine will have to do a better job containing Portland guards Jared Stohl and T.J. Campbell, who burned the Waves for 46 points in the first meeting.
Roster Report:
• G Keion Bell had 25 points in the Feb. 13 game against Santa Clara, which was the 13th time this season he’s scored 20 or more in a game.
• Freshman G Joshua Lowery was back in the starting lineup for both games against San Francisco and Santa Clara on Feb. 11 and 13. He had not started since he injured his ankle in the Nov. 29 game against Wyoming.
• F Dane Suttle Jr., the team’s No. 4 scorer, had scored only two points in the last four games he’s played, as of Feb. 15.
The Portland Pilots will look to stay in the hunt for one of the top two spots in the West Coast Conference standings with a pair of road games in Southern California this week. Portland will face the Pepperdine Waves on Thursday at 5 p.m. live on FSN Prime Ticket and then visit the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Game FM (KXTG). Pepperdine (7-19, 3-7) has lost seven in a row after starting 3-0 in league action, while LMU (13-13, 4-6) sits alone in fifth place in the league standings. The Pilots (16-8, 7-3) are a half game behind Saint Mary’s for second place, which receives a bye to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament.Pilots Briefly
*Portland pulled out an 80-75 overtime win against Saint Mary’s on Saturday, the team’s first OT game of the season, after a 70-56 win over San Diego on Thursday*T.J. Campbell scored a team-high 24 points with seven assists to lead the Pilots vs. SMC*Luke Sikma added a double-double (12 pts, 11 rebs) along with key defensive stops late*Campbell earned his third WCC Player of the Week honor after averaging 21.0 points in the wins*Campbell is the first Pilot in history to earn three league player of the week awards in one season*The Pilots have won six of their last seven games and are 10-2 at home*Robin Smeulders recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds against San Diego*Jared Stohl scored 16 points, including four three-pointers, vs. Saint Mary’s*Stohl is the school’s career leader in three-pointers made (219)
*Leading scorer Nik Raivio has missed the last seven games (Achilles’ strain) and will miss both games this weekend on the road*Stohl replaced Raivio in the starting lineup and is averaging 15.7 points in his absence
*Sikma leads the WCC in FG percentage (.574) and is second in rebounding (8.0)
*Stohl leads the WCC in 3-pointers made (3.0) and is fourth nationally in 3-point percentage (.468)
*Smeulders is averaging a team-high 14.7 points in WCC games *Stohl went 10-for-15 from the three-point line vs. Idaho on Dec. 22 with 30 points, becoming the first college player in a decade to score 30 without making a free throw or two-point field goal
*UP also set a team and Chiles Center record for total three-pointers (16) in the win vs. Idaho
*UP cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time in 50 years on Nov. 30 (#25)
*Portland defeated UCLA (74-47) and No. 16 Minnesota (61-56), before falling to No. 8 West Virginia (84-66) at the 76 Classic in Anaheim over Thanksgiving weekend
*Campbell earned 76 Classic All-Tournament Honors and his second consecutive WCC Co-Player of the Week award after averaging 16.7 points in the three games at the 76 Classic
*Raivio recorded his 1,000th career point on Dec. 2 vs. Portland State
*Portland was picked second in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll behind Gonzaga
*Campbell and Raivio were named to the 10-player WCC Preseason All-Conference Team
*Raivio was also named an honorable mention mid-major All-America by CollegeInsider.com
*Portland appeared in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) last year, the program’s first postseason appearance since 1996
*The Pilots tied for second in school history last year in total wins (19) and WCC wins (9)
*Portland returns 12 players and all five starters
*2009 WCC Coach of the Year Eric Reveno and his staff remain together and enter their fourth year at the helm of the Pilots (assistants Joel Sobotka, Eric Jackson and Michael Wolf)
About PepperdineAfter starting off 3-0 in league games, the Waves (7-19, 3-7 WCC) have lost seven in a row and are now in sixth place in the WCC standings. Pepperdine lost a pair of road games at San Francisco (77-47) and Santa Clara (62-54) last week. Six games during their losing streak have been by double-digit margins. The Waves are led in scoring by sophomore G Keion Bell (19.4 ppg) and junior guard Mychal Thompson (12.3 ppg). Pepperdine 5-9 at home this year, compared to an 0-10 road record. The best home win for the Waves came against Utah (76-64). The Pilots dealt Pepperdine an 80-64 loss on Jan. 23 at the Chiles Center earlier this year. T.J. Campbell scored a career-high 24 points for Portland, while Jared Stohl added 22. Bell paced the Waves with 21 points, but committed 10 turnovers. Head coach Tom Asbury is in the second year of his second stint at Pepperdine. Asbury returns four starters and 12 lettermen from a young 2009 team that finished 9-23 overall and 5-9 in the WCC. Portland took all three meetings from the Waves last year by double digit margins, including a 69-65 win in the WCC quarterfinals in Las Vegas. Pepperdine owns a 52-29 margin in the all-time series.
Pilots basketball: Second place (and No. 2 seed) still within reach with four WCC games leftBy Jim Beseda, The Oregonian
February 17, 2010, 7:15PM University of Portland coach Eric Reveno is struggling to come up with things to say that his Pilots haven't already heard. But sounding like a broken record has worked, because the Pilots have won seven of their last eight games heading into tonight's West Coast Conference game against the slumping Pepperdine Waves in Malibu, Calif. "Now it's about trying to fine tune," Reveno said. "The fun part of the riddle is figuring out things can you still do better. There's always little things that you try to tweak, and if you're watching tape, maybe you see something that you can help a player with." With four conference games remaining, the Pilots (16-8, 7-3 WCC) have almost no chance of catching Gonzaga for first place. But assuming the Bulldogs stay the course and if UP were to win out, the Pilots could finish alone in second or at worse end up tied with Saint Mary's.
The only problem with finishing in a second-place tie with Saint Mary's is that the Gaels have a higher ranking than Portland in the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index, so the Gaels would earn the No. 2 seed into the WCC Tournament, and the Pilots would draw the No. 3 seed. The difference in seeds is significant, because the No. 3 seed opens tournament play in the quarterfinals, while the top two seeds earn automatic berths into the semifinals. "In terms of the conference race, we can only control what we do," Reveno said. "If someone else trips up or something changes, so bet it. But we don't want to be the one tripping up or giving a game away that we shouldn't." The Pilots have cut back on the time they're spending in the weight room and their practices have gotten a bit shorter, but other than that, it has been business as usual. "We're tapering back a bit, but when they're on the court, I still want them to be in the habit of playing really hard," Reveno said. "We'll have walk-throughs, and those will be walk-throughs. But when we're practicing, we'll go at a certain pace. I think you need that to still stay sharp." The Pilots are favored to win not only tonight's game against Pepperdine (7-19, 3-7), but also Saturday's final regular-season road game against Loyola Marymount (13-13, 4-6). After opening conference play with three consecutive wins, the Waves have lost seven in a row, including an 80-64 loss to the Pilots four weeks ago. "This group has worked hard and taken pride in being good," Reveno said. "I don't think we as a team have an arrogance about us that we'd overlook anybody. I sure hope not."-- Jim Beseda
