The young Pepperdine University men’s basketball team had a successful opening to its season, coming away with a win and a tight one-point loss in the first two games.
In the season opener on Friday night, the Waves defeated the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters, an NCAA Division II school, 91-82, at home. The game provided Tom Asbury with a win in the first game of his second stint as the Waves’ head coach. Asbury was also the head coach at Pepperdine from 1988 to 1994,
“It feels good to start the season the right way with a win,” said senior guard Mike Hornbuckle. “Between now and the exhibition season, we have gotten a lot better, which is always a good sign.”
The Waves got off to a quick 13-2 start, and had a commanding 41-28 lead at halftime. However, in the second half, the Otters came back, taking the lead late in the second half behind the three-point shooting of Steve Monreal, who scored seven three-point baskets, and finished with a game-high 28 points. With 3:45 left in the game, the Waves’ Mychel Thompson hit a deep three-point basket to beat the shot clock, returning the momentum to the Waves, who held on to win.
Thompson led the Waves with a career-high 25 points. Senior guard Ryan Holmes added a career-high 22 points, and freshman guard Keion Bell had 14 points in his first official college game. Freshman Dane Suttle Jr. led the Waves with eight rebounds.
Neither team seemed bothered by the new NCAA rule that extended the three-point line by a foot. As Thompson, who made three three-point baskets for the Waves, said, “If you can shoot, you can shoot.” The Otters made 47.1 percent of their three-point shots in the second half, and the Waves were successful on 52.9 percent of their three-point attempts in the game.
On Sunday, the Waves narrowly lost to the experienced University of Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (2-0), 66-65, in a thrilling game at home.
Pepperdine came back from an eleven-point deficit in the second half. With 20.8 seconds left in the game, Bell hit two free throws for the Waves to cut the deficit to one point. After the Trojans missed two free throws, the Waves got the ball with a chance to take the lead. However, Thompson missed a jump shot, and, after Holmes grabbed the offensive rebound for the Waves, sophomore forward Jonathan Dupré missed a contested jumper.
The Waves were led by Bell, who had a game-high 17 points against the UALR Trojans. Suttle Jr. added 12 points, Holmes had 11 points and 5 assists, and Thompson had 10 points. The Waves continued their hot three-point shooting, hitting 50 percent of their attempts.
The Waves struggled to stop Trojans’ forward Mike Smith. At 6 feet, 7 inches and 295 pounds, Smith outweighed the Waves’ heaviest player, center Corbin Moore, by 55 pounds. Smith finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Overall, the Trojans outrebounded the Waves, 39-31, which allowed them to have 24 second-chance points, compared to only 7 for the Waves. Matt Mouzy led the Trojans with 16 points, and Shane Edwards and John Fowler each had 13 points.
UALR is the first of two schools the Waves will face this season nicknamed the Trojans. On December 15, Pepperdine will face the USC Trojans.
The next game for the Waves is Friday at New Mexico State. The next home game is on Nov. 29 against Cal State Bakersfield.