Pepperdine to Play Connecticut Tonight

Pepperdine’s basketball team, winner of 7 of its last 8 games, including Wednesday’s 85-69 road victory over Marshall, will play Connecticut, defending National Invitation Tournament champion tonight at the Hartford Civic Center.

Connecticut has a 5-1 record, having lost only to Purdue on the road, 88-73. The Huskies are led by 6-foot 11-inch center Cliff Robinson, averaging 19.8 points and 6.5 rebounds, and by guard Phil Gamble, the most valuable player of the 1988 NIT. Last season the Huskies defeated the Waves at Malibu, 63-60.

Casey Crawford, Pepperdine’s 6-11 center, had 17 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday, one of the best outings of his career. Wave forward Dexter Howard scored 18 points as the Waves ended Marshall’s 30-game regular-season winning streak at home and ran their own record to 7-3.