Pepperdine Gets Tough and Wins

Santa Clara’s rough tactics are designed to wear down opponents, but Pepperdine didn’t fall into that trap Saturday night.

The Waves, who seemed confused in the first half, staged a second-half comeback and beat Santa Clara, 67-61, before 2,512 at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Pepperdine ended a four-game losing streak, the longest in Tom Asbury’s three years as head coach, and improved to 7-8 overall and 1-1 in the West Coast Conference. The Waves also halted a four-game winning streak by Santa Clara, which fell to 11-6, 2-1.

It was typical Bronco basketball: push, hold, elbow, foul or be fouled, look for an opening--oh yes, and shoot if you feel you must.

Pepperdine seemed baffled by those tactics in the first half and went long stretches without scoring, once for five minutes and another time for more than three minutes. Santa Clara led at halftime, 31-23.

In the second half, Santa Clara took a 46-36 lead on a five-foot jump shot by Melvin Chinn.

But in the next 6 1/2 minutes, Santa Clara could score only one free throw. After Bronco Andy Karich made a foul shot, the Waves scored 12 points in a row and went ahead for good, 52-47.

Pepperdine’s second-half surge was led by Doug Christie, Geoff Lear and Dana Jones. Christie scored a game-high 22 points. Lear, who finished with 17 points, and Jones, who had 13, each scored 11 in the second half.