Craig Lewis scored a game-high 16 points and Terrance Johnson tossed in
14 first-half points Saturday afternoon to lead Pepperdine to a 75-58
win over Cal State Fullerton in Firestone Fieldhouse in the season opener
for both clubs.
New Coach Paul Westphal saw his Waves outscore the Titans 15-0 during
a 5-minute surge late in the first half that turned a 20-18 deficit into
a 33-20 advantage.
Brandon Campbell and Ryan Dillon each scored 11 points to pace the under-sized
Titans, who played without 6-11 Babacar Camara and 6-10 Pape Sow, who
were sidelined for disciplinary reasons by Coach Donny Daniels. Both will
play Monday night in the home opener vs. San Francisco.
The Titans fell behind by as many as 19 points in the second half before
making a late rush and drawing within 11 at 67-56 with 2:11 to play after
a Chris Alexander bsket. But Lewis scored 6 points in an 8-0 Pepperdine
run that secured the win.
Campbell returned to action ahead of schedule on his sprained right ankle
and played 31 minutes. Senior Kevin Richardson scored 9 points but was
plagued by fouls, picking up three in the first half and No. 4 in the
first minute after intermission.
Neither team shot well but the Waves had 12 more shots because Fullerton
committed 21 turnovers to Pepperdine's 12. The Titans held their own on
the backboards led by Josh Fischer, who had a game-high nine.
