MALIBU, Calif. – The University of Portland men’s basketball team had four three-point shot attempts in the final 30 seconds of play, but none would fall as the Pepperdine Waves squeaked out with a 72-66 win tonight at Firestone Fieldhouse. Darren Cooper led Portland (15-11, 4-7 WCC) with a career-best 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range, while Pepperdine’s (14-12, 4-7) Yakhouba Diawara led all players with 23 points.

“The difference in tonight’s game was that they (Pepperdine) were tougher in the paint and were more focused in the second half,” said head coach Michael Holton. “I thought our half court defense was good, but they were able to get out in transition and we didn’t put enough pressure on their defense at the end of the game.”

The Pilots let a 60-53 lead with just over seven minutes to play slip away as the Waves went on a 19-6 run down the stretch for the win. Pepperdine’s inside game was key as the Waves connected on five attempts in the last five minute of play, with three coming off second chances.

“Our half court offense didn’t produce down the stretch and we didn’t take enough high percentage shots,” said Holton.

Pepperdine held the advantage, 36-20 down low and shot 26-of-60 from the field, compared to Portland’s 22-of-58 makes on the floor. The Pilots outrebounded the Waves by one, 38-38, but were outscored 37-33 in the second half. Portland again had more turnovers than its opponent (16-11) and got the free-throw line just 14 times in the game. The Waves drew 20 fouls from the Pilots and converted 15-of-22 attempts in the game.

Assisting Cooper offensively tonight was freshman Marcus Lewis. Lewis recorded his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Pooh Jeter also scored in double-digits with 15 points.

“I was pleased with our effort,” said Holton. “We competed and gave ourselves a chance to win, but I have to credit Pepperdine because they played extremely hard in this game.”

Alex Acker also scored in double-figures for the Waves, tallying 15 points and seven rebounds. Glen McGowan and Russell Hicks added 14 points each in the game.

In the first half, Portland got the tip, but the Waves scored first on an Acker three-ball. Portland turned the ball over on the next possession and Pepperdine’s McGowan went up for a two fisted dunk, giving the Waves an early 5-0 lead. The Pilots got things going quickly after that as Jeter drained a long three-pointer, followed by two Ben Sullivan freebies and a Cooper trey for an 8-5 Pilot lead.

The game quickly became physical as the lead changed four times in the half. Pepperdine opened a 20-14 lead through the first 10 minutes of play, but Portland’s Lewis and Cooper kept the Pilots in the game. Cooper shot a perfect 4-of-4 from long range in the first half, while Lewis scored 11 points and seven rebounds before the break. The Pilots went on an 11-6 run in the last five minutes of play, but a Marvin Lea lay up with 34 seconds to go gave the Waves a 35-33 edge at the half.

For the half, Portland shot 48 percent from the floor, 56 percent from three-point range and 67 percent from the stripe. The Waves managed a 38 percent shooting percentage from the field and connected on just 3-of-9 from long range in the first half. The Pilots held the edge on the boards, 20-15, but had three times (12-4) as many turnovers as the Waves.

Hicks led Pepperdine with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, along with four blocks in the first half.

The Pilots will face San Francisco and San Diego at home next week. On Feb. 17 Portland takes on the Dons and on Feb. 19, the Pilots host the Toreros. Both games are scheduled to tip at 7:00 p.m.