Pepperdine University’s men’s basketball team lost to Saint Mary’s with a final score of 72-45 on Tuesday night at Firestone Fieldhouse. The defeat marks the Waves’ second loss in West Coast Conference play this season, bringing their overall record to 5-10.
The Waves struggled offensively, converting only four of their 23 three-point attempts. In contrast, Saint Mary’s shot over 50% from the field, making 28 out of 52 shots. Pavle Stosic, Danilo Dozic, and Styles Phipps each led Pepperdine with eight points. Phipps also contributed five rebounds and three assists, while Yonatan Levy recorded a season-high five assists along with three rebounds.
Head coach Ed Schilling commented after the game: “Obviously, I’m disappointed with the loss, but we got quite a few good opportunities and open looks and missed a lot of open shots. We cannot beat a perennial top-20 team shooting 4-for-23 from three.”
Saint Mary’s started strong with Mikey Lewis scoring the first seven points for his team. After an early deficit for Pepperdine, Danilo Dozic connected on a three-pointer to keep the Waves close at 9-6. Both teams exchanged baskets before Saint Mary’s went on a seven-point run that extended their lead.
Styles Phipps helped narrow the gap late in the first half by scoring three consecutive field goals for Pepperdine. Despite efforts from Aaron Clark and Luka Vudragovic to reduce the margin further with successful three-pointers, Saint Mary’s held a nine-point advantage at halftime.
In the second half, Pepperdine was again limited by Saint Mary’s defense and managed just one successful three-pointer out of thirteen attempts after halftime. Paulius Murauskas led all scorers with 19 points for Saint Mary’s as they steadily increased their lead throughout the period.
Additional contributions for Pepperdine included six points each from Javon Cooley off the bench and solid rebounding performances across several players. The Waves collected eight offensive rebounds compared to seven by Saint Mary’s but were unable to capitalize on these opportunities.
Looking ahead, Pepperdine will travel to face Santa Clara on Friday, January 2nd at 7 p.m., with coverage available on ESPN+.
Pepperdine men’s basketball has made multiple NCAA postseason appearances and won several conference championships throughout its history. The program has produced numerous All-Americans and NBA players since its inception.
