Field Level Media
Dec 1, 2019
Nate Watson and A.J. Reeves scored 15 points each as Providence held on for an 80-77 victory over Pepperdine on Sunday in the seventh-place game of the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim, Calif.
Alpha Diallo had 13 points and David Duke added 10 as the Friars (5-4) ended a three-game losing streak that included consecutive defeats against Long Beach State and College of Charleston to open the tournament.
Colbey Ross scored 29 points and Kessler Edwards added 17 as the Waves (3-6) lost their fifth consecutive game. Edwards had 10 rebounds.
Pepperdine led by as many as seven points in the first half before Providence went on a 26-12 run to head into halftime with a 38-31 lead. Providence had a 24-12 rebounding advantage in the first half and bested Pepperdine, 39-34, on the boards in the game.
After trailing by as many as 14 in the second half, Pepperdine cut the deficit to two on multiple occasions late, the last at 77-75 on a tip-in basket by Edwards with 30 seconds remaining.
Diallo made one of two free throws with 23 seconds remaining for a 78-75 lead and Duke added a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left to put Providence up five points. Pepperdine's Darryl Polk Jr. made a basket at the buzzer for the game's final margin.
Jan Zidek scored 16 points for Pepperdine, while the Waves' bench was outscored 41-16 by the Friars.
Providence had a 17-10 advantage on second-chance points over Pepperdine. The Friars also had a 34-30 lead on points in the paint. Watson went 7 of 10 from the field for Providence.
Providence still has a game at Rhode Island on Friday before returning for a home game against Stony Brook on Dec. 14, the Friars' first since Nov. 23. The Waves begin a run of four consecutive home games on Friday after playing just two games on campus this season.
--Field Level Media