Now that’s one way to start the WCC Tournament.
The Pepperdine men’s basketball team knocked the socks off of No. 9 seed Pacific in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday, and then proceeded to mock their opponent on social media.
The Waves’ 102-43 win set a new WCC tournament record for margin of victory, and Pepperdine had clear control of the game by the end of the first half when it scored 56 points while only allowing nine.
The Waves’ 59-point win shattered the previous 40-point record set by Gonzaga in 2000.
CBS college hoops insider Jon Rothstein described Thursday’s game a “Sonny Corleone at the toll booth” type beatdown.
Rothstein wasn’t the only one who had jokes either after the game as Peppedine’s account on X jumped into the fray.
“is this how gonz*ga feels every night,” the team wrote.
Gonzaga, a member of the WCC, typically knocks around conference opponents during the regular season and it had a 102-76 win over Pacific on Feb. 17.
The victory certainly had the Pepperdine social media manager feeling themselves since the team account fired off several other posts that caught the attention of users on X.
“Pepperdine Basketball’s social admin having themselves an evening,” one person wrote.
This tournament will be Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar’s final one at the helm after six seasons with the program after it was announced earlier in the week that he would be leaving.
A search for his replacement is underway.
“Pepperdine benefited tremendously from Lorenzo Romar’s leadership, both on and off the court, and we owe a debt of gratitude to him for the way he loved his players, our basketball program, and the university,” said Tim Perrin, senior vice president for strategic implementation.
Pepperdine will next play the University of San Diego on Friday night.