ACKER FINDS HIS `A' GAME PEPPERDINE 90, FULLERTON 87.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

FULLERTON - An hour before Pepperdine beat Fullerton 90-87 in a nonconference game Wednesday at Titan Gym, Waves assistant coach Jim Nielsen was talking about the transition redshirt freshman Alex Acker was making to a new level of basketball.

Acker, Pepperdine's brightest player over the summer and fall, had struggled finding his niche through the Waves' first three games. But Nielsen had a feeling Acker was ready to bust out.

``It'll happen,'' Nielsen said before the game. ``It's close.''

As in this close, it turns out.

Acker ignited a game-turning Pepperdine run by scoring 15 of his career-high 19 points over the final 13 minutes of the first half, hitting all five of his shots, including three 3- pointers, to help build a 50-39 Pepperdine lead at intermission.

But it was his final two points that made the biggest impact, a pair of free throws with 16.8 seconds left to give Pepperdine a 89-85 cushion and put the game out of reach after Fullerton battled back in the closing minutes.

Acker, who was averaging 2.0 points coming in, also had an important defensive rebound with 20 seconds left to help preserve a 2-point lead.

``That's the guy we've been seeing in practice all the time,'' Pepperdine coach Paul Westphal said. ``He's going to have a lot of games like that.''

The night didn't start off well for Acker. He mistakenly left his No. 3 jersey at home and had to wear No. 15. But after the breakthrough game, he says he's probably found a new number.

``They're probably going to make me change it now,'' Acker said.

The Waves, who won their second in a row to even their record at 2-2, are still without a legitimate big man and it showed. The Titans (1-3) outrebounded Pepperdine 37-22, including 18-2 on the offensive end. The Waves compensated by hitting 10 of 18 3-pointers and shooting 61.1 percent from the field for the game.

Pepperdine hopes it doesn't have to rely on that kind of shooting night to win games but they might have to until 6-10 center Glen McGowan returns from his knee injury. McGowan is the only experienced front-court player left after 6-10 Will Kimble was diagnosed with a serious heart condition last week, ending his basketball career.

McGowan underwent an MRI Wednesday and hopes to hear something today. Until then, the Waves have to make do with a big hole in the middle and nights like the one they had Wednesday on the boards.

``Obviously we overcame it tonight but that's not the way you want to win basketball games,'' Westphal said. ``We've got to get more rebounds than that.''

It will help if Acker can continue to play as he did Wednesday.

``I struggled the past three games trying to find my shot and my role as a teammate,'' Acker said. ``I was trying to distribute the ball and get open, things like that. But tonight I played my game. I just went out there under control and went all out.''

Jimmy Miggins had 20 points to lead the Waves, while Boomer Brazzle and Acker each added 19. Ralphy Holmes had 29 points for Fullerton.