Pepperdine University’s men’s basketball team secured an 84-62 win over Rice University in their final non-conference game of the season at Firestone Fieldhouse. The victory brings Pepperdine’s record to 5-8, while Rice drops to 6-7.
The Waves achieved a season-high with 13 successful three-point shots, converting at a rate of 54.2 percent from beyond the arc. Aaron Clark led the team with 25 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals, hitting four out of six attempts from three-point range.
Javon Cooley contributed 15 points and four rebounds for Pepperdine, making four of five three-pointers. Danilo Dozic added ten points with two triples, and Yonatan Levy recorded eight points along with seven rebounds.
Head coach Ed Schilling expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance. “I was really pleased with how hard we played and that all 11 players that were in uniform played and positively contributed tonight,” Schilling said. “Rice has several very good shooters. I thought we did a nice job on them and defending the three-point line, holding them to 5-for-20 from three. It was a great team win.”
Pepperdine took an early lead but briefly trailed after Rice hit consecutive threes in the first half. The Waves regained control before halftime, leading by seven at the break as ten different players scored for Pepperdine during the opening period.
In the second half, Pepperdine extended its advantage quickly through contributions from Dozic and Clark among others. Despite a brief run by Rice that narrowed the gap to eight points late in the game, Pepperdine responded with another scoring surge led by Cooley and Clark to secure a comfortable margin.
Other notable performances included Styles Phipps’ eight points and six assists, Stefan Cicic’s perfect shooting on his way to seven points off the bench, and strong rebounding efforts that resulted in both teams finishing even at 37 boards each.
The Waves will begin West Coast Conference play against No. 7 Gonzaga on Sunday, December 28 at home.
“I was really pleased with how hard we played and that all 11 players that were in uniform played and positively contributed tonight,” said head coach Ed Schilling. “Rice has several very good shooters. I thought we did a nice job on them and defending the three-point line, holding them to 5-for-20 from three. It was a great team win.”
