Junior guard Moe Odum and senior forward Stefan Todorovic lead the Waves to three consecutive wins
Career-best performances by junior guard Moe Odum and senior forward Stefan Todorovic propelled the Pepperdine men’s basketball team to three consecutive wins and the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Odum had a career-high 13 assists and became the first NCAA Division I player to record three conference tournament games with over 15 points and 10 assists in the Waves’ 78-76 victory over Santa Clara in the tournament quarterfinals on March 9.
The day before in the third round, Todorovic scored a career-high 34 points to lead Pepperdine to a 77-73 win over Oregon State. Odum scored a career-best 31 points and dished out 11 assists in the Waves’ 86-73 win over the Portland Pilots in the second round on March 7.
The Waves’ run ended March 10 with a 74-59 loss to top-seeded St. Mary’s, leaving Pepperdine’s season record at 13-22.
Odum, a slim, 6-foot-1 player from the Bronx, N.Y., said he plays bigger than his size suggests.
“I look skinny, but I don’t play like it,” he said. “I come and face everybody, look somebody in the eye and let them know I am here. I doesn’t even matter if they are stocky, skinny, big. It doesn’t matter.”
The three wins matched the longest winning streak the Waves had during their 31-game regular season. The squad entered the tournament on a five-game losing streak. Before downing Portland, Pepperdine’s last win was an 88-81 victory over San Diego on Feb. 13.
Pepperdine had a first-round bye in the tournament.
Against Portland, Odum dropped 26 points in the second half. He went 12 of 17 from the field and six of 10 from three-point range. Odum either scored or assisted on 37 of Pepperdine’s last 44 points in the matchup. He splashed four threes during a Waves 18-2 run that led to Pepperdine winning the game.
Odum had the ball and dribbled as the game clock expired and the Waves claimed their first victory in the single-elimination tournament. The guard yelled, “I’m not going home. I’m not going home.”
Todorovic had 19 points in the win.
His offensive explosion happened in the next game. In the victory over Oregon State, Todorovic shot 55.6% on two-point shots and threes. It was his fourth 30-point outing of the season. Odum had 17 points and 10 assists.
Odum and Todorovic each scored 19 points in Pepperdine’s defeat of Santa Clara. Additionally, big man Boubacar Coulibaly scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. The 6-foot-10 redshirt senior also had three assists and a block. Sophomore swingman Dovydas Butka tallied 13 points, four rebounds, and three steals.
The Waves were down by as much as 13 points in the first half against Santa Clara. However, shotmaking by Todorovic, Odum, and freshman guard Jason Olvera kept Pepperdine in striking distance.
Santa Clara led 40-36 at halftime.
Santa Clara had the lead from much of the second half, but the Waves pushed their way into the game.
Todorovic swished a three to tie the scoreboard at 56, and then freshman forward Danilo Dozic hit a jumper to give the Waves their first lead. Pepperdine led 66-58 with seven minutes to play. Redshirt junior guard Zion Bethea made two free throws to give Pepperdine a two-possession lead late in the game before the win was secured.