MALIBU, Calif. – Kessler Edwards scored a game-high 21 points and Pepperdine cruised to an 80-65 victory over the Portland Pilots Saturday night in West Coast Conference action at Firestone Fieldhouse.

Five Portland players did not make the trip because of travel destination concerns related to COVID 19. None of the five players are in COVID protocol and will be available moving forward.

Junior forward Eddie Davis paced the Pilots (6-7, 0-4 WCC) with 19 points and eight rebounds and Latrell Jones added 15 points and six rebounds. Michael Henn finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists, while sophomore point guard Chase Adams made his first start of the season and finished with 10 points, seven assists and five steals.

The Waves (5-6, 1-1 WCC) led by nine at the half and pushed the margin to 17 points early in the second half. Portland used an 11-0 run highlighted by a pair of Davis three-pointers cut the deficit to six. Pepperdine quickly went back up double digits and maintained separation down the stretch.

For the third straight game the Pilots started strong, but could not sustain the momentum. Portland used a 9-0 run midway through the first half capped by a Hayden Curtiss dunk to grab a 23-21 lead. The Waves then held the Pilots scoreless for nearly five minutes to regain control.

Portland held senior guard Colbey Ross in check early as Pepperdine's all-time leading scorer was scoreless until he hit a runner in the lane with less than five seconds left in the half to give the Waves a 40-31 halftime edge.

Ross was held to a career-low four points on 2-of-5 shooting, but dished out 10 assists. His previous low was five points against the Pilots as a true freshman on Feb. 24, 2018.

Pepperdine shot 49 percent from the field and gained a 44-31 rebounding advantage, while the Pilots finished at 41 percent overall and just 7-of-26 from three-point range.

Portland continues WCC play with a trip to Provo, Utah to face the BYU Cougars on Thursday at 6 p.m. (PST). The Pilots will then return to the Chiles Center to host the San Diego Toreros on Saturday at 2 p.m. in a game televised live on NBC Sports Northwest.