Pepperdine Struggles but Beats Portland

Tom Lewis and Marty Wilson each made a pair of free throws in the final 39 seconds to lift Pepperdine to a 69-64 West Coast Athletic Conference victory over Portland.

The Waves (11-7), who remained in a 3-way tie for the WCAC lead with St. Mary’s and Loyola Marymount at 3-0, trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and never led by more than 7 after intermission against the Pilots.

Portland (1-15, 1-2), trying for its second victory in a row after breaking its 21-game losing streak last weekend, led, 35-25, with 5 minutes to go in the first half and still had a 37-33 advantage at halftime.

Pepperdine took a 56-49 lead in the second half, but Portland came back to tie the score at 57-57 on Steve Hutchinson’s rebound basket with 4:58 left.

A slam dunk by forward Dexter Howard and Lewis’ 18-footer boosted the Pepperdine lead to 61-57 with 3:24 remaining.

Portland closed within 1 point 3 times, the last at 65-64 on Bart Koenitzer’s tip-in with 51 seconds to go, but Lewis sank a pair of free throws with 39 seconds left, and after a Pilot miss, Wilson hit 2 more to seal the victory.

Howard and Shann Ferch each scored 15 for Pepperdine, while Lewis added 14. Erik Spoelstra scored 14 and Andy Johnson 13 for the Pilots.