PARADISE, Nev. — Pepperdine scored the first 26 points and cruised past Pacific 102-43 on Thursday night in the West Coast Conference tournament opener.
The 59-point victory is the fifth-largest in a conference tournament in Division I history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Waves opened leads of 26-0 and 39-2 and led 56-9 at halftime after shooting between 69% and 11% for the Tigers. Pacific lost its 17th straight game, with its last win coming in its last non-conference game, 80-66 over Cal Maritime on December 30.
Both programs will have new head coaches next season. Pacific fired Leonard Perry after the Tigers completed the regular season. Pepperdine has announced that Lorenzo Romar will not return to lead the Waves after the season concludes.
Jevon Porter led Pepperdine (12-19) with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
Judson Martindale led the Tigers (6-25) in scoring, finishing with 12 points and two blocks.
The eighth-seeded Waves advance to face fifth-seeded San Diego in the second round on Friday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
