Pepperdine Rides Zone in Blowout

GOLETA — In its previous trip to the Thunderdome, Pepperdine sweated out a victory over UC Santa Barbara in last spring’s National Invitation Tournament.

But the Waves made it look easier Wednesday night in a 70-57 nonconference victory before 4,574 subdued fans.

Pepperdine (6-2) overcame a 29-25 halftime deficit to win going away. The Gauchos fell to 3-4.

“This is a lot more of what I’m looking for,” Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said.

Asbury prefers man-to-man defense, but it was his second-half switch to a zone that might have made the difference.

“We would have been in for a dogfight if we hadn’t switched,” he said.

The Waves benefited almost immediately, taking the lead for good at 31-29 on two free throws by reserve forward LeRoi O’Brien with 17:54 remaining.

Pepperdine stretched its margin to 47-37 on a layup by point guard Bryan Parker midway through the half and led by as many as 14 points down the stretch.

Asbury said the zone defense also opened the shooting lanes for guard Damin Lopez, who had three three-point baskets in the second half and finished with a game-high 17 points.

Forwards Dana Jones and Derek Noether each added 14 points for the Waves, who made 56.5% of their shots in the second half.

Santa Barbara, which made only 40.9% of its shots, was led by guard Chris Ford and forward Doug Muse with 11 points each.

The Gauchos also committed 20 turnovers.

It had been a slow-paced, defensive-minded first half--a typical scenario in these meetings.

The lead changed hands 11 times in the first half.