MALIBU, California – Despite ACU's best second-half efforts, Saturday night's renewal of the ACU-Pepperdine series was decided by a dominant first half by the Waves.
Pepperdine buried seven first-half 3-pointers, held ACU to its lowest first-half scoring output of the season (31 points) and scored the most points allowed by the Wildcats this season in a 77-62 win over the previously undefeated Wildcats.
The crowd at Firestone Fieldhouse were treated to the first game between the teams since ACU beat Pepperdine in December 1984, although the Waves quickly doused any thoughts the Wildcats would be able replicate that win as they jumped out to a quick 14-6 lead in the first 4:56 of the contest. Kessler Edwards – who scored a game-high 19 points on 5 of 8 shooting from 3-point range — hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Pepperdine lead from 8-4 to 14-6 at the 15:04 mark of the first half.
The Wildcats — who entered the game having not trailed by more than six points in any of their first seven games — never found an offensive rhythm in the first half as the Waves cruised to as much as a 16-point lead (33-17 with 4:54 left in the half on a fast-break 3-pointer by Edwards). ACU — which was 7-0 to start the season for the first time since 1998-99 – went to the break trailing by 11 points (42-31) after giving up the most points in a half this season.
ACU came out of the halftime break quickly, cutting the Pepperdine lead to 44-41 on a four straight points by
Jalone Friday, getting ACU to within striking distance with 16:16 left in the contest. That, however, was as close as the Wildcat would get as the Waves never relinquished the lead, the first time this season the Wildcats have never held a lead in any contest.
Each time the Wildcats would make a push to get back into the game, the Waves had an answer, whether it be a bucket by Edwards or Colbey Ross or a loose-ball rebound Ross or Darnell Dunn. And despite the fact the Waves hit just 1 of 6 from 3-point range, the damage was done in the game's first 20 minutes.
"We gave up too much offensively in the first half," ACU head coach
Joe Golding said. "Gave up seven 3-pointers and let them get to the free throw line 12 times (11 conversions), and that's never a good recipe for success. We didn't do a good job at all in the first half and weren't sharp that's on me. We didn't have our guys ready to play."
Jaren Lewis led the Wildcats with 15 points and six rebounds, while
Jaylen Franklin was close to a triple-double with 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Jalone Friday had 11 point and four rebounds before fouling out of a game for the first time this season.
The Wildcats (7-1) will return home to Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they host Campbell (N.C.) and the nation's leading scorer in senior guard Chris Clemons. The Wildcats beat Campbell last year, 85-80, in overtime in the Camels' tournament in Buies Creek, N.C. Clemons is not only the leading scorer in Division I basketball this season, he's also the leading active career scorer in Division I basketball.
