SAN DIEGO -- Pepperdine looked ready to make this a game early in the second half, but once the hometown Toreros started to pull away, this one was over. USD advances to face St. Mary's in Sunday's 2-3 semifinal matchup with a berth in the WCC championship game on the line. courtesy of its 73-55 win. Pepperdine goes back to Malibu to regroup for next season.

De'Jon Jackson led the way for USD with a 24-point effort as the Toreros pretty much controlled every aspect of the box score. Rob Jones had a great game as well, logging 16 points and 15 rebounds. The Toreros scored with ease, hitting half their field goals and logged a double-digit advantage on the boards.

Continue reading "WCC: Toreros Advance to Face Saint Mary's" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- A friend of mine in the stands who's a USD grad just made an astute observation. If this was a dance competition, Pepperdine would have been served long ago. The USD dance team, fully equipped with form-fitting tops and parachute pants tucked into shin-high shoes that look like a cross between combat boots and boxing shoes have indeed been bringing it.

And it's no knock on the Peppedine cheerleaders, who are doing a fine job in their much more traditional cheerleader attire of pompoms and short skirts. But the Torero girls look ready to star in a cheesy street-dancing movie. And they have the moves to match.

As for the game, the USD basketball team has a clear edge as well, mounting a 63-46 lead with 6:51 remaining. The Waves are outmatched and don't really stand a chance for a comeback on USD's home court right now. I'm not in the business of calling games, but I'd be shocked if the Waves make this interesting.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- When USD took a 28-14 lead behind an amped home crowd, it looked like the Toreros were going to run away with it. But Pepperdine maintained its composure to keep the game reasonable and goes into halftime trailing 39-30.

The Toreros are still in control and pretty much dominate the halftime box score. They're outshooting (48-42 percent) the Waves and controlling the glass (23-14 rebounds) and have hit 5-of-11 3-pointers. De'Jon Jackson leads USD with 12 points while Rob Jones already has 11 rebounds while Tyrone Shelley has matched Jackson with 12 points for Pepperdine.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- I made sure to catch Eddie Sutton's last words as coach in his postgame press conference, so we're picking up the action with about 8 minutes left in the first half of the San Diego-Pepperdine game.

Playing in front of a home crowd, the Toreros are off to a 24-14 lead as they look to advance to the WCC semifinal round as the three-seed. Sixth-seeded Pepperdine advanced to tonight's matchup with a win over Portland in Friday's play-in round.

Continue reading "WCC: In Progress -- USD up Early on Pepperdine" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- After 35 minutes of wretched basketball and five minutes of inspired play to extend the evening, this game carried on the only way it could in overtime -- with Pepperdine outscoring Portland 4-2 in overtime to secure a 50-48 win. This is officially the ugliest college game I've witnessed in person.

How ugly was it, you ask? Well I'll tell you.

Continue reading "WCC: Whew... Waves Win a Close One" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- After 35 minutes of excruciating basketball, Portland decided to step up and make this a compelling basketball game. Now we have overtime. Nick Raivo capped off a 13-2 run with a layup in the waning seconds after stripping Mike Hornbuckle to tie the game at 46, where it stands at the end of regulation.

What this all means is that I shouldn't have busted on Portland for the entire game. I shouldn't have called it for Pepperdine with about six minutes remaining. And I really shouldn't have asked the basketball gods for no overtime early in the first half.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- As much as Portland and its fans have entertained me, I don't think they'll be back on Saturday. Pepperdine holds a 44-33 lead with 6:15 remaining and looks in full control.

Normally an 11-point deficit with this much time left wouldn't be insurmountable, but the way this game is going, I'd be stunned if the Pilots pulled it out.

The box score through the first 34 minutes is one of the strangest I've seen. Portland is crushing Pepperdine on the boards (33-19) and in field goal percentage (43-33), but the Waves have forced 17 turnovers while committing just five. It's been a weird, ugly game.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- I don't know whether to laugh at them or with them. The Portland dance squad took the floor at halftime with a couple of guys in the routine, one of them very tall and very hairy.

Now I've gotten used to and understand the need for male cheerleaders in college athletics (to a point), but these guys were gyrating and shaking it like they were Laker girls (The tall dude in the middle was the star of the show). And they were good.

The whole time they did it with straight faces, so I'm not sure if they have mad comic skills or if they were serious. Either way, it was worth the price of admission.

Meanwhile Portland has cut the halftime deficit to 29-21 with 15:32 left in the game. Watch out Pepperdine.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- There are a couple of cute girls about four rows behind the Portland bench holding a big "Go Pilots" sign. Those girls are awesome. Any girl that would travel the bulk of the west coast (I assume they're students) to see this sorry display of basketball is the kind of girl I'd like to meet.

So far their Pilots have rewarded their dedication with a 15-point first half effort highlighted by a 6-of-19 performance from the field. Lucky for them, Pepperdine isn't much better and just holds a 27-15 lead.

Amazingly Portland has outrebounded Pepperdine 24-10. That's an awesome stat in so many ways, mostly in that they've managed to secure 14 more rebounds and 12 fewer points than their opponent -- at halftime. Here's hoping there's no overtime.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- While the WCC nightcap doesn't have much basketball to speak of, it does feature a sweet mascot. Willie the Wave is rad.

As for the game itself, the WCC's 6-7 matchup is living up to its billing. No. 6 Pepperdine holds a 15-9 lead with 7:55 left in the first half. An offensive showcase, this is not.

Continue reading "WCC: More Willie, Please" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- Ugh -- this one's off to an early start. We're at the first media timeout and Portland hasn't scored yet. Pepperdine is off to an 8-0 start with a pair of 3-point buckets. Portland is 0-for-6 from the field with three turnovers. It could get ugly.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)