Box Score MALIBU, Calif. – For the first time in conference play this season, the Pacific men's basketball team (5-2, 2-1) was defeated on Thursday night at Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
Unable to find their momentum on offense, Pacific turned the ball over 20 times as Kessler Edwards amassed a career-high 37 points for the Pepperdine Waves in an 85-68 final. It marked Pacific's first regular season loss to Pepperdine since the 2016-17 season.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• After graduate student Jordan Bell opened the game with a three pointer to give Pacific the initial lead, Pepperdine steamed out to a 21-2 run from which the Tigers could not overcome. 10 of those 21 points were scored by Edwards, who went 11-for-18 from the field including 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Waves would close out the half with a 44-20 lead as the Tigers committed 12 turnovers and went just 6-for-20 from the floor.
• Pacific scored four points in the first 30 seconds of the second half, but Pepperdine answered with a 10-0 run to get to the 16-minute mark in the period with a 53-24 advantage. The Waves would see their lead balloon to 35 points on a three-pointer made by Jan Zidek at the 8:44 mark, giving Pepperdine a 77-42 advantage. 
• The Tigers did finish the second half strong and went on to outscore the Waves 48-41 in the period, but it was not enough to overcome the massive early deficit. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Sophomore Pierre Crockrell II was named the Hardworking Player of the Game after finishing the game with a career-high 19 points, 15 of which were scored in the second half. Overall, Crockrell went 7-for-8 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
• Junior Jahbril Price-Noel was the only other Tiger to score in double figures with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
• Despite a slow start, Pacific did rebound in the second half by shooting 57.1 percent overall in the final 20 minutes, finishing with a 47.3 percent mark as a whole from the field for the contest.

 
UP NEXT:
The Tigers continue their road trip this Saturday as they head to Spokane to take on No. 1/1 Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Overall, Pacific has only defeated the Bulldogs one time in program history- a 70-60 win in Stockton on Dec. 23, 1976. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. PT. Live stream, live stats and radio links will be available via pacifictigers.com.
 
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For more updates and more information on the 2020-21 Pacific men's basketball team, be sure to follow @PacificMensBB on Twitter, @pacificmensbb on Instagram and @PacificMensBB on Facebook.