The Lions left Malibu disappointed after a 87-64 defeat at the hands of the Waves. The loss was the Lions's 10th straight at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.
The Lions finished the long road trip 0-3 and fall to 1-4 in WCC play, 4-17 on the season. Pepperdine improves to 1-4 in the WCC and 7-14 overall.
The Lions opened up the scoring early, jumping out to a quick 5-2 lead, with all five points scored by freshman Tim Diederichs who would finish with five points and one rebound in limited minutes due to foul trouble.
Pepperdine took the lead at 8-7 and would not look back, never surrendering the lead and cruising to the win.
"I must sound like a broken record," said Head Coach Rodney Tention. "The tougher team won again tonight. They played harder and they wanted it more. I thought we were ready tonight."
The Lions were led by freshman Orlando Johnson, who continues to improve and impress, recording his third career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The freshman from Seaside, Calif. continues to move up the standings for scoring and rebounds, as his 272 points and 115 rebounds ranks seventh and sixth for freshmen at LMU.
Sophomore Shawn Deadwiler continued his consistent play with a solid 17 point performance and senior Jon Ziri had one of his best offensive performances of the season with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists. Redshirt freshman Brad Sweezy chipped in with six points.
However, the Lions could not contend with the three-point shooting of Pepperdine, who made eight in the game, shooting 60 percent from behind the arc in the second half.
The Lions showed a zone defense in the first half in an attempt to slow down the Pepperdine fast break. They did, holding the Waves to just six fast break points. However, the Waves exploited the zone with their three-point shooting.
"We thought we could slow them with the zone," said Tention. "But we had no communication defensively and we gave up open shots. We cannot have two guys guarding the ball in zone defense. We have to get better."
The Lions offensive struggles continued as the shot a mere 37.3 percent from the floor and just 22.2 percent from behind the arc.
Turnovers also continue to plague the Lions' offensive efforts as they committed 19, leading to 26 points for the Waves. Five Waves scored in double figures, including Malcolm Thomas with a game-high 18. Tyrone Shelley added 16, Rico Tucker and Mychel Thompson had 15 and 12 points, respectively. Ryan Homles added another 15 points off the bench for the Waves. Pepperdine's bench outscored Loyola Marymount's 23-20.
The Lions attempted to mount several comebacks in the second half, but constantly set back by Pepperdine. Several times the Lions fought back to bring the lead down to 11 and sometimes 10, but a turnover and a couple defensive lapses and Pepperdine would once again have the lead back above 16 points.
The Lions return home to face the University of San Diego on Saturday. The Torreros are 10-11 on the season and 3-1 in the WCC. San Diego currently sits in 3rd place behind No. 24 St. Mary's and Gonzaga.
The Lions offensive struggles continued as the shot a mere 37.3 percent from the floor and just 22.2 percent from behind the arc.
Turnovers also continue to plague the Lions' offensive efforts as they committed 19, leading to 26 points for the Waves. Five Waves scored in double figures, including Malcolm Thomas with a game-high 18. Tyrone Shelley added 16, Rico Tucker and Mychel Thompson had 15 and 12 points, respectively. Ryan Homles added another 15 points off the bench for the Waves. Pepperdine's bench outscored Loyola Marymount's 23-20.
The Lions attempted to mount several comebacks in the second half, but constantly set back by Pepperdine. Several times the Lions fought back to bring the lead down to 11 and sometimes 10, but a turnover and a couple defensive lapses and Pepperdine would once again have the lead back above 16 points.
The Lions return home to face the University of San Diego on Saturday. The Torreros are 10-11 on the season and 3-1 in the WCC. San Diego currently sits in 3rd place behind No. 24 St. Mary's and Gonzaga.
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