MALIBU, Calif. – Junior guard Rico Tucker scored a team-high 19 points, including a game-ending dunk in the final seconds, to lead the Pepperdine men’s basketball team to a 64-58 victory over Santa Clara in West Coast Conference action on Saturday night.

Pepperdine (9-17 overall, 3-7 WCC) surpassed its win total from the 2006-07 season in front of a Homecoming crowd of 1,997. Santa Clara dropped to 12-12, 4-5. Pepperdine defeated Santa Clara for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings in Malibu.

Tucker (San Diego, Calif./University HS/Minnesota) added five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Freshman forward Malcolm Thomas (San Diego, Calif./Crawford HS) recorded 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

With the Waves holding a one-point lead, Tucker worked his way down the lane and scored a lay-up to give Pepperdine a 60-57 lead with 1:19 to play. After the teams traded turnovers, Santa Clara’s John Bryant made one free throw with 25.8 seconds left, but Tucker did the same with 24.9 seconds remaining to make it 61-58. After a Bronco miss, junior guard Ryan Holmes (Phoenix, Ariz./Millennium HS/Phoenix CC) made one free throw to give the Waves a four-point lead at 62-58 with 13.1 seconds left.

Santa Clara’s last opportunity to get back into the game was thwarted when junior guard Mike Hornbuckle (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS/Azusa Pacific) stole the ball at halfcourt, then fed it to Tucker, who jammed it home with five seconds remaining.

Tucker was also a key figure down the stretch in Pepperdine’s 71-66 win at Portland on Monday night, when he scored eight of the game’s final 10 points. This marks the first time the Waves have won consecutive games since November.

“I think our guys deserve every single bit of attention and love that they’re getting, because they have the hearts of lions,” said Pepperdine interim coach Eric Bridgeland, who won his third game since taking over in January. “They play together and they believe and they deserve every ‘W’ that they get. We’re starting to form an identity. We’re starting to figure out what we do well.”

Amazingly, the Waves won the game despite being outshot 57.1 percent to 37.5 percent. But 18 offensive rebounds by Pepperdine coupled with a +11 difference on turnovers (22 to 11) made the difference.

The first-half shooting numbers tilted heavily in Santa Clara’s favor (.577 to .353), but still, the Waves went into the break with a 33-32 advantage. Santa Clara rode a 12-0 run early in the game out to a 14-4 lead with 12 ½ minutes to play. But the Waves rallied and tied the game at 18-18 after a three-pointer by freshman guard Jon Reed (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Peninsula HS). Tucker’s three-pointer with 35 seconds left was the final basket of the half and gave Pepperdine only its fifth halftime lead of the season.

Santa Clara’s only lead of the second half came at 43-42, but the Waves then went on an 8-0 run to make it 50-43. Pepperdine built its largest lead of the game at eight points at 53-45, though the Broncos rallied to keep the game close to the end.

The Waves have their home finale on Monday (Feb. 18) against #25 Saint Mary’s at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by FSN Prime Ticket. Fans can listen to Al Epstein’s call of the action at www.pepperdinesports.com.