SoCal College Game Report

Pepperdine Hammers Norfolk State--(November 22, 1997)

Maybe Norfolk State wants to rethink it's move from Division II to Division I. In the span of four days, they play Pepperdine (last night), California-Fullerton (tonight) and on Tuesday, Long Beach State. Norfolk State (0-2) is in Division I for the first time this year, moving up from Division II, where they traditionally were a power in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. But all that's changed now. Now they'll be playing bona fide D-I teams, and if Pepperdine is any measuring stick, they'll be in for a less-than pleasant experience this year.

After barely squeaking by in its first game against UC Irvine 50-46 (UCI also won last night over Chico State, to break UCI's 14 game losing streak), Pepperdine literally hammered an over-matched and overwhelmed Norfolk State last night 99-57 at Pepperdine's Firestone Fieldhouse. Jelani Gardner helped push a much faster and more uptempo game from the Waves than the UCI game, and scored 18 points in the process. Brian Hill had a team high 20, omma'A Givens scored 17, Kelvin Gibbs had 11 points and 11 boards and Gerald Brown had 13 points. Pepperdine shot an impressive 61.8% (34 for 55) from the field. Pepperdine forced 21 from NSU, which only shot 32.7%. The Spartans played so poorly in the second half, and Pepperdine's defense was just so much better that NSU only hit 6 of 31 shots in the second half.

"I think we're ready," Gardner told the LA Times last night. "I think we have the talent to play with any team in the country, as long as we play our style." Based on his and Givens performance together, he's probably right. Sort of what UCLA and Cal should have looked like this year; but that's another story.

NSU had suffered a loss even before the season started when Swingman Tajai Young, the rookie of the year in the CIAA last year, left the school. The 6'-5", Young averaged 12.8 points per game and 3.4 rebounds for the Spartans who finished 17-10 last season.

42 points was the most that Pepperdine has scored since 1975-76, when Pepperdine racked up 48 agaisnt Portland.

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