Second Half

What happened: Pepperdine finally began to force the tempo as the Waves tied the score, 40-40, at the 18:24 mark before grabbing their first lead of the game, 43-42, 62 seconds later. Unfortunately for the Waves (and their big men), Wake Forest center Darius Songaila finally made his presence in the paint known. The Waves had no answer for the 6-foot-9, 248-pound Lithuanian bruiser, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half.

Not in the box score: After leading, 54-52, with 12:50 remaining in the game, Pepperdine seemed to have punched itself out. The weary Waves began missing shots from point-blank range and were having trouble hitting from outside.

Winning number: Neutralized in the first half, Songaila responded by making five of nine shots from the field. And Wake Forest scored on five consecutive possessions in the final minutes while Pepperdine struggled.

Wrong number: The Waves went to the free-throw line only once in the second half and Suitt missed that one, blowing a chance at a three-point play that would have pulled the Waves within two, 61-59, with 9:46 to play.

Leading scorers: Pepperdine--Brazzle 10, Craig Lewis 7, Miggins 6; Wake Forest--Songaila 14, Broderick Hicks and Dawson 10.

Leading rebounders: Pepperdine--Suitt and McGowan 4; Wake Forest--Danelius 5, Songaila 4.