Box Score MALIBU, Calif. ? The UALR men's basketball team (2-0) survived a 1-for-6 effort at the free-throw line and a pair of potential game-winning shots in the closing seconds to pull out a 66-65 win at Pepperdine (1-1) on Sunday. Four players scored in double figures for the Trojans, who overcame a .386 shooting percentage by grabbing 19 offensive rebounds.
UALR led 65-59 with 1:29 remaining, but went just 1-for-6 at the foul line down the stretch. Pepperdine scored six-straight points to pull within one, 66-65, with 20.8 seconds remaining after a pair free throws by Keion Bell.
The Waves fouled senior Shane Edwards on the ensuing inbounds play, but the Gilbert, Ariz.-native missed both of his attempts to give Pepperdine a chance to steal the game. After calling a timeout with 16.7 seconds left to draw up their final play, Pepperdine's Mychel Thompson missed a 15-foot jumper from the baseline. The Waves grabbed the rebound on Thompson's miss, but Jonathan Dupree's shot missed the mark as time expired.
Four Trojans reached double figures in the win, led by 16 points from sophomore Matt Mouzy. Edwards and senior John Fowler chipped in 13 points a piece, while junior Mike Smith notched the third double-double of his career with a 12-point, 11-rebound effort. Edwards picked up the scoring slack for the Trojans in the second half by scoring all 13 of his points after the break.
Bell led all scorers with 17 points off 7-of-9 shooting, while Dane Suttle chipped in 12 points off the bench by going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Bell and Suttle led Pepperdine's second-half charge, combining to score 25 of the team's 38 points after the break. The Waves shot 48.0 percent from the floor on the night, including a 13-of-25 effort in the second half (52.0 percent).
UALR took a five-point lead into the intermission, 32-27, fueled by 13 first-half points from Mouzy. The Jonesboro, Ark.-native went 3-for-7 from three-point range and added two steals to help the Trojans overcome a 12-of-31 shooting performance (38.7 percent) over the first 20 minutes.
The Trojans led by as many as nine points in the first half, the last of which came after a putback by freshman Courtney Jackson made it 32-23 with 1:23 to go ? one of nine offensive rebounds in the half by the Waves. But Pepperdine closed out the half with four-unanswered points to cut its deficit to five points at the break.
UALR's lead reached 10 points early in the second half, 42-32, following a quick 5-0 spurt, capped off by a bucket by Smith. Trailing by nine, 45-34, the Waves got a spark from Suttle, who drained back-to-back three pointers to make it a 45-40 ballgame.
The Waves cut the lead down to three points on three occasions, but each time the Trojans had an answer. Leading 55-52, UALR ripped off a quick 6-0 run, capped off by a three pointer from Edwards, to go ahead 61-52 with 4:36 remaining.
Pepperdine used three pointers from Ryan Holmes and Suttle to cut the lead down to four points, 63-59, but Edwards converted a pair of foul shots to make it 65-59 with 1:29 to go. The Waves weren't done yet, as a layup by Holmes and a layup by Bell, following an 0-for-2 trip at the line by Edwards, cut UALR's lead to 65-63 with 39 seconds remaining.
Edwards went to the line again following Bell's layup, and went 1-of-2 to extend UALR's lead to three points, 66-63. Bell answered on the other end by converting both of his free throws to bring Pepperdine within one, 66-65, but the Waves were unable to finish off the comeback.
The Trojans committed just 13 turnovers on the night, though nine of those came in the second half. Senior Brandon Patterson led all players with six assists and three steals, while Courtney Jackson chipped in seven points and three boards in 20 minutes off the bench.
UALR shot just 38.6 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from the foul line (15-of-25), but enjoyed a 39-to-31 edge on the glass and converted its 19 offensive rebounds into 24 second-chance points.
The Trojans return to action on Saturday, Nov. 22 when they welcome Louisiana Tech to the Jack Stephens Center at 7 p.m.
