Suitt recorded a school-record ten blocked shots and six Waves scored in double figures to win the endurance challenge at the "Slim Gym."
Trailing 91-89 with a minute to play in the second overtime, the Waves got clutch baskets by Craig Lewis and Boomer Brazzle to take the lead, and late free throws by Mike Westphal and Gary Colbert preserved the win.
On November 20, the Waves played UC Irvine in one of the most terrific college basketball games in recent memory, falling 96-93 in two overtimes. This game was frighteningly reminiscent of that experience, as neither team led by more than four after halftime, enduring 25 lead changes and 19 ties before all was said and done.
Pepperdine basketball historians (both of them?) may look at Suitt's tremendous accomplishment and chalk it up to the double-overtime, but in fact Suitt registered his tenth and final block at the buzzer of regulation, arguably the play of the game as the senior center swatted Andre Laws, who had dribbled the length of the court for a sure game-winner.
Most remarkably of all, Suitt played in obvious agony all night. Nursing sore ribs he hurt in practice and re-injured in Thursday night's game at Santa Clara, Suitt gutted out the performance of his life, playing 32 minutes with a permanent grimace. He did exit the game for treatment on a couple of occasions, but more often, waved off any attempt by coach Westphal to show any mercy on him. It was the sort of determination and leadership that, frankly, isn't seen any more.
Suitt, who also registered eight rebounds and four points, may never be compared to Michael Jordan again in his life, but on this night, he had that aura about him.
The "usual suspects" took care of business at the offensive end for the Waves (13-6, 6-0 WCC). Devin Montgomery led the team with 19 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Montgomery has transformed into an outstanding floor leader. His decision-making and instincts, while not flawless yet, have improved by leaps and bounds. With a diverse arsenal of shooting a conference-best 47% beyond the arc, driving the lane to draw fouls, and finding the open man off his dribble-penetration, he is a near-impossible defensive assignment now.
Brazzle continued his January coming-out party with 16 points and seven rebounds. Lewis added 15 points; Glen McGowan and Terrance Johnson had 11; and Jimmy Miggins played an excellent all-around game with 14 points, six rebounds, an six assists.
For the Toreros (11-8, 3-3), WCC second-leading scorer Laws scored 30, and transfer sensation Jason Blair was solid with 17 points and eight rebounds. All Tom Lippold's 13 points came in the final minute of regulation and the overtimes.
Pepperdine holds on to sole possession of first place in the conference at 6-0. They face arch-rival Loyola Marymount twice next week in what could be their toughest remaining games before the rematch in Spokane.
After the double-OT disappointment in Irvine, the buzzer-beating heroics of Lewis against USC, and clashes with such national powers as Gonzaga, UCLA, BYU, Arizona, and Georgia, the Waves were prepared for a game like this. That's what tough non-conference scheduling does ... and suddenly, Pepperdine is the team no one wants to see anywhere near their bracket come March.
Not bad for a school that lost its head coach, four of its top six scorers, and was supposed to finish fourth in the conference while struggling to adjust to a new system.