Move over El Niño — there’s a blue and orange storm brewing inside Firestone Fieldhouse that’s gathering steam with plenty of “Raine” in the forecast.
Another powerful force has begun to cause waves in Malibu. Look no further than John Tyler Drive to find the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, undefeated at home and moving up the West Coast Conference (WCC) pecking order with confidence and belief.
Behind a career-high 24 points and eight rebounds from senior Jett Raines, the Waves knocked off first-place Saint Mary’s last week, 67-64, and, in the process, broke a streak of 11 consecutive losses at home against their rival from up north.
“We are a veteran group of guys. We all kind of knew that we’ve been bullied by them the last few years,” Raines said. “We bore down and really took it to them. We played strong against a really disciplined team. It’s something we knew we could do. We got it done.”
Pepperdine (10-6, 3-2) had not defeated the Gaels (14-2, 5-1) inside Firestone Fieldhouse since 2004. Last year, the Waves stunned Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., ending a 17-game losing streak against the Gaels. Now, Pepperdine owns a two-game winning streak against one of the conference’s premier programs.
“Anytime you win at home it’s special,” Coach Marty Wilson, whose team improved to 7-0 at home, said. “I tell our guys it’s the left column or the right column. That’s all that matters. The more we can get in the left column the better. The more we can get there, the more we can build momentum.”
The left column — also known as the win column — has steadily improved in each of Wilson’s first four years at the helm. From 10 to 12 to 15 to 18 over the past four years, the Waves’ resurgence has been quite impressive.
With goals of reaching 20 wins this season and earning a postseason berth, the Waves have a legitimate chance to accomplish both goals behind Raines and fellow senior Stacy Davis.
The Waves began WCC play with back-to-back losses in the cold northwest at the hands of Gonzaga, 99-73, and Portland, 87-79.
A return to the friendly confines of Firestone Fieldhouse quickly produced three straight wins with victories against Loyola Marymount in overtime, 68-65, Pacific, 81-76, and the thriller against Saint Mary’s.
The Waves overcame a seven-point halftime deficit, led by Raines who scored 20 points in the second half and Davis who recorded his 28th career double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds).
“Part of us learning and building has come from our wins against Loyola Marymount and Pacific,” Wilson said. “It carried over and helped us against Saint Mary’s.”
Raines made four field goals in the game’s final few minutes to subdue the Gaels. His leadership and steady play has enabled Pepperdine to rise into the upper echelon of the WCC.
“He’s a senior and I challenge our seniors quite often,” Wilson said. “We saw where the mismatches were and he did a great job of taking advantage of them.”
Pepperdine returns to action at home on Thursday, Jan. 21, versus San Diego at 6 p.m. and on Saturday, Jan. 23, against Brigham Young University at 5 p.m.