 |
| Jeremy Major |
The Waves (18-12) opened up a 10-point lead with three minutes to play but couldn’t rest easy until Major (Pasadena, Calif./Maranatha HS) clinched the victory with a free throw with 6.7 seconds left.
The quarterfinal win over the Dons (15-15) puts the Waves into the semifinals for back-to-back years for the first time since 2001 and 2002. It will take place on Monday night against either Saint Mary’s or Loyola Marymount at a time yet to be determined.
“I’m proud of our team,” Pepperdine Coach Marty Wilson said. “Once you get to this stage of the season, it’s survive and advance. It doesn’t matter how it looks, how ugly it is, we just talk about the results. We got the result that we wanted. We had a good four-five-six-minute span were we got to a 10-point lead, and we continued to be aggressive at both ends, and that put us in a position to win the game.”
Major made 10 of 12 shots and also tied his career high with five three-pointers made. He added five
assists, moving the junior guard into sixth place on the Waves’ all-time assist list.
“Before this game we talked about our expectations, and the thing for me was to be aggressive,” Major said. “I had fun, and I think the next game we’ve got to have the mentality of being aggressive, enjoying what you’re doing and keep playing hard.”
Senior forward Stacy Davis (Laveen, Ariz./Fairfax HS) became the first Wave since Geoff Lear in 1990 to record double-doubles in five consecutive games. He had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and his last board gave him sole possession of the #2 spot on the Waves’ all-time rebounding list.
Junior guard Lamond Murray Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS) had 16 points and senior forward Jett Raines (Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS) added 12 points. Junior guard Amadi Udenyi (Oakland, Calif./De La Salle HS) had seven points and five assists.
The Waves shot 52.6% for the game to 50.0% for the Dons. Both teams found success from distance (9-for-18 three-pointers for Pepperdine, 10-for-26 for USF). The Waves got to the line often in the second half and finished 21-for-34, while USF was 14-for-17. Pepperdine also enjoyed a 24-12 edge in points off turnovers.
The Waves took a 26-20 lead in the first half after back-to-back three-pointers by Davis. But Pepperdine then went five minutes without a point, and 5 1/2 minutes without a field goal, leading to a 10-0 USF run. The Dons led 37-36 at halftime but Pepperdine outscored USF 54-49 in the second half.
Pepperdine scored the first two baskets of the second half to reclaim the lead, but the Dons took a couple of six-point leads at 46-40 and 53-47
USF was up 56-53 with 12 minutes left when the Waves went on a 13-0 run. Murray started it with a three, Major also had a three-pointer and Raines had a couple of baskets. That put Pepperdine in front 66-56 with a little less than nine minutes to go.
A bucket by Raines made it a 10-point lead again at 77-67 with three minutes to go. USF wouldn’t go away, cutting the deficit to 78-74 with two minutes left and 89-86 with nine seconds left after a three-pointer. Major missed his first free throw but made the second with 6.7 seconds left to make it a four-point game, and the Dons missed their final shot.
USF got a career-high-tying 33 points from Devin Watson and 23 points from Tim Derksen.
Pepperdine is now 7-1 all-time against USF at the WCC Tournament.
No comments:
Post a Comment