Nothing Free in Throws for Waves

Free-throw shooting or masonry? It’s getting difficult to tell with Pepperdine’s basketball team.

The Waves tossed up another load of bricks from the foul line Tuesday night, making only three of 17 free throws and squandering a four-point halftime lead in losing to San Jose State, 70-64, in a nonconference game before 1,094 at Firestone Fieldhouse.

When is the last time a team shot better from the three-point line (38.9%) than the free-throw line (17.6%)?

“I’ve never seen that,” Wave Coach Lorenzo Romar said. “No one tries to miss free throws. As much as it hurts, no one is going out and purposely trying to miss free throws. I can’t fault my kids.”

Pepperdine (1-3) has made only 38 of 87 free throws (43.7%) this season.

“I’ve been in this situation before,” Romar said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. All you can do is practice.”

Romar was more upset with Pepperdine’s defense in the second half. San Jose (3-1) quickly overtook the Waves behind forward Olivier Saint-Jean, who finished with game highs of 27 points and 12 rebounds.

The Spartans took their biggest lead, 55-46, with 8:12 to play and held off Pepperdine, which closed to within 66-62 on a three-point basket by guard Marques Johnson with 1:07 left. Saint-Jean countered with a breakaway dunk to snuff the comeback effort.