Field Level Media
Nov 27, 2020
Chris Smith scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished six assists as No. 22 UCLA finally pulled away from Pepperdine in the third overtime Friday to earn a 107-98 victory at Viejas Arena in San Diego.
The Bruins (1-1) scored nine points in the first 1:45 of the third extra period to create separation they never had in the game's previous 50 minutes. The nine-point lead UCLA built midway through the third extra frame marked its biggest advantage of the day.
Tyger Campbell scored seven of his 22 points down the stretch in the third overtime, salting away the back-and-forth affair for the Bruins. Campbell also had seven assists with six rebounds.
Pepperdine (1-1) led by as many as nine points in the first half and took a 39-32 lead into intermission behind solid play from Colbey Ross, who scored a game-high 33 points. In the second half, the senior guard passed Stacy Davis' 1,786 career points to become the Waves' all-time leading scorer.
Ross set the program's career assists record last season.
Among Ross' critical buckets was a 3-pointer from the top key in the late second half, part of an 8-2 Pepperdine run to close regulation and force the first overtime.
A chaotic end to regulation, which included a floor-length inbound pass by UCLA that sailed out of bounds and gave Pepperdine one final shot for the win, set the tone for the roller-coaster nature of the extra periods.
UCLA went ahead by four points in the first overtime when Smith walked a tightrope on the baseline to find Dave Singleton for a corner 3-pointer. Singleton scored nine points off the bench.
Pepperdine rallied, then held a late edge as the second overtime wound down. The Waves nursed a one-point lead when Jaime Jaquez Jr. -- one of five UCLA scorers in double figures with 16 points -- missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity.
Jaquez chased down his own miss and got back to the foul line but made just 1 of 2 to send the teams to the final overtime.
Jaquez grabbed 11 rebounds for the double-double. Jules Bernard scored 21 points before fouling out for UCLA, and Cody Riley also added 13 points before he fouled out.
Kessler Edwards scored 17 points for Pepperdine before he fouled out. Jade' Smith, who also fouled out, added 12 points, including a 3-pointer at the end of regulation run that forced overtime.
Kene Chukwuka had 10 points for the Waves, and Jan Zidek recorded 14 points off the bench.
--Field Level Media