WITH LOSS, WAVES REACH END OF LONG, HARD CONFERENCE ROAD ST. MARY'S 75, PEPPERDINE 71.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO - Pepperdine didn't come to the West Coast Conference tournament with any grand illusions. After all, if the Waves learned anything during this injury-riddled season in which three starters went down for the season last December, it's that dealing straight up with reality is the best bet. It cuts down on the heartbreak factor.

Pepperdine knew it was a long shot and accepted it. And even though the heart may have been screaming one thing, the head was saying another.

Win one game. See what happens after that.

No pressure. No potential letdown.

So the Waves can accept their 75-71 loss to St. Mary's on Saturday in the second round for what it was: just another reminder that this was a season doomed.

From the very beginning, when emerging power forward Will Kimble fainted during practice and was later diagnosed with a serious heart condition, ending his season and career, the Waves (15-13) were dealt one bad-luck blow after another.

Glen McGowan, the Waves' starting center, played just one game this year, the victim of a bad knee and a blood clot in his arm. Point guard Devin Montgomery went down with a broken thumb in early December. Originally it was to keep him out four weeks, but when it didn't heal properly, surgery was required. Montgomery never played another game.

All of a sudden, a Pepperdine team considered one of the favorites to win the WCC title became a club battling just to stay above .500 in conference play. The Waves never gave up on the season, pulling a major upset with a win at San Diego and winning two pre-conference tournaments, but it was a year more for grooming youngsters like Alex Acker, Terrance Johnson, Robert Turner and David Patten than thinking about NCAA Tournament bids and legitimate battles with Gonzaga.

The Waves trailed 54-45 with 10:53 remaining and still trailed by nine with just over nine minutes remaining. But a furious comeback pulled Pepperdine back, and when Mike Westphal hit a free throw with five minutes left, Pepperdine led 61-60.

The teams traded baskets the next four possessions, including three in a row that ended with 3-pointers, the third of which, by Adam Caporn of St. Mary's (15-14), put the Gaels ahead 70-68 with two minutes left.

Pepperdine had two chances to tie, but Miggins missed from the lane and Westphal couldn't convert a 3-point attempt with 1:10 left.

St. Mary's ran the shot clock down on its next possession, but when Daniel Kickert missed on a jumper, Boomer Brazzle fouled Jonathan Sanders on the rebound, sending Sanders to the free-throw line and Brazzle to the bench with his fifth foul.

Sanders hit both free throws to make it 72-68 with 38 seconds remaining.

Pepperdine missed its next three shots to end any hopes of moving on to the semifinals. Westphal did hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to make it 73-71, but Kickert hit two free throws with eight seconds remaining to put the Gaels ahead 75-71.

Miggins had 23 points to lead Pepperdine while Acker added 12. Sanders had 23 for St. Mary's.

St. Mary's shot 70 percent in the second half and connected on their first 10 shots of the half.

``These guys never gave up, and I'm proud of them for that,'' coach Westphal said. ``They were dealt a lot of bad luck but they hung in there, and if you would've told me that we'd go through the adversity that we went through and still won the number of games we did, I would've told you you were crazy. But it's a testament to the character of this team.''

St. Mary's will face top-seeded Gonzaga in the semifinals tonight at 9 p.m. In the other semifinal, host San Diego, the second seed, plays San Francisco, which beat Loyola Marymount in the second round Saturday.