WAVES' TURN FOR SHOCKER WESTPHAL'S FIRST MAJOR VICTORY IS OVER UCLA PEPPERDINE 85, UCLA 78.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

If Pepperdine ever looked with envy at teams like Gonzaga and Cal State Northridge, who walked out of Pauley Pavilion with victories they could hang their seasons on, the Waves must wonder no longer.

Pepperdine chalked up the first big win of the Paul Westphal era, 85-78 before a half-empty Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night.

The Waves, who were hardly an artistic success themselves, got 20 points and 11 rebounds from Jimmy Miggins, 18 points from Craig Lewis and clutch free-throw shooting from point guard Devin Montgomery to dance off the court with the victory.

With UCLA trying to rise from the mat, Montgomery hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final 37 seconds as the Waves pulled away.

After Dijon Thompson's fast-break dunk capped a 7-0 run to put UCLA ahead 70-68, Pepperdine called timeout with 6:59 left.

The Waves (2-1) then freed Boomer Brazzle for a 3-pointer from the corner for a 71-70 lead they never lost. Micah McKinney, the sophomore who has gone from part-time starter last year to the end of the bench, pulled up in the lane off a fast break and hit a short jumper.

After Jason Kapono's follow shot brought the Bruins within 73-72, McKinney hit another open jumper for a 75-72 lead.

Miggins hit a baseline jumper to put the Waves ahead 77-72, but UCLA (2-2) rallied. The Bruins, despite Kapono missing two shots and T.J. Cummings missing another and turning it over on a traveling call, closed within 78-76 on Matt Barnes' first basket of the game, a spin move with 1:25 left.

The Bruins had a chance to tie after Miggins missed a jumper with 55 seconds left and Barnes was fouled away from the ball. But Barnes made just one of the two free throws and the Bruins trailed 78-77 with 36.7 seconds left.

The Bruins then fouled Montgomery, who made two free throws. Billy Knight, who scored 21 points, missed at the other end and the Bruins trailed by three. They had one more chance to tie the score, down three with 16 seconds left, but Kapono missed a shot in the lane.

The Bruins led 36-33 at the end of the first half thanks to Pepperdine's inattention to Kapono, who led UCLA with 28 points. The Waves apparently forget the part of the scouting report that suggested it's best not to leave the school's all-time leading 3-point percentage shooter alone.

The Waves led 28-24 but left Kapono open four times and the junior buried each shot to put a tidy ending on a dreadful first-half performance.

Many of the same problems that plagued the Bruins in the season-opening Maui Invitational came back with them to the mainland, namely a swiss-cheese defense and a mistake-prone offense.

The Bruins, so insecure in their ability to stay in front of their man, rarely ventured out of their zone defense. Not that it mattered. Montgomery, Lewis and swingman Terrance Johnson all took turns beating their man off the dribble. And nobody could guard Brazzle, who had nine points at halftime.

Worst of all, the Bruins didn't seem interested in playing defense. Twice, they got beat down court for layups - once when Miggins capped a three-on-zero break with a dunk.

If it was possible to look worse on offense, the Bruins managed. While they shot 72.9 percent against South Carolina to mask their problems, they were far from that Wednesday. Other than Kapono, who scored 16 in the first half, and Knight, who added 13, the Bruins were a combined 3 for 14.

Dan Gadzuric, who averaged 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in Hawaii, continued to play the role of the little big man. He played 11 scoreless minutes in the first half. Barnes, the starting power forward, also didn't score and had one rebound in seven minutes.

Cummings, who made 11 of 12 shots and tallied a career-high 25 points and nine rebounds against South Carolina, was scoreless in 13 minutes in the first half. In the second half, his jumper from the baseline clanked off the side of the basket.

Freshman point guard Cedric Bozeman continued to struggle. He turned the ball over four times in the first half, including once when he stumbled driving into the lane and was called for carrying.

And Rico Hines extended his season-long scoreless streak to 59 minutes with a scoreless first-half. He missed a layup and two free throws.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) UCLA's Billy Knight, right, nearly had the ball stolen by Pepperdine's Craig Lewis. The Waves were able to steal the game.

(2) Pepperdine's Terrance Johnson exults after his team stunned UCLA.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer