It wasn't pretty early on, but McGowan made sure it was a masterpiece late.

Bradley took a 78-72 lead with 2:20 to play on a three-pointer by Phillip Gilbert, seemingly putting the Braves in the driver's seat.

Glen McGowan followed with a layup on which he was fouled, but he missed the free-throw conversion. After a miss by Bradley, the Waves went right back to McGowan for a dunk that cut the deficit to two.

The Braves answered with two free throws from James Gillingham to give themselves a four-point cushion with a minute to play.

Terrance Johnson's three-pointer cut the lead to one, and the Waves stopped the Braves on the ensuing possession, setting up a final chance with 20 seconds to play. Coach Paul Westphal elected to let his team play rather than calling a time out, and Shaun Davis found McGowan with 2.8 seconds left for his game-winning dunk.

A buzzer-beating attempt by Bradley's Mike Suggs was off-line, sealing the Waves' most exciting victory of the young season.

The game did not start out looking good for the Waves. Bradley made its first seven shots from the field in building a 30-14 lead at the midway point of the first half.

In a definitive coaching moment, Coach Westphal called time out, turned to his bench and said "anyone want to play today? I'm taking volunteers."

Keith Jarbo, Derick Grubb, and Chase Griffin were among the Waves who answered the call. Joining Terrance Johnson and Jesse Pinegar, this unit began a methodical comeback that resulted in a 23-10 advantage in the final ten minutes of the half.

Bradley's high-scoring trio didn't disappoint, as the Braves got a game-high 25 from Gilbert, 24 from James Gillingham, and 17 plus eleven rebounds from Marcellus Sommerville. But despite their red-hot shooting start, the Braves managed only a 43% clip for the game, tailing off badly in the second half.

Pepperdine answered with a solid scoring threesome of its own. McGowan finished with 24 points and six rebounds and was joined by Johnson and Alex Acker with 15 points apiece. Acker added team-highs of eight rebounds and five assists.The Waves shot 51% for the game despite a miserable 3-17 performance from three-point range.

Both teams performed outstandingly at the free throw line, as the Braves made 21 of 27 and the Waves did them one better, 22-26.

McGowan showed upperclassman leadership throughout, repeatedly calling out his teammates to play with fire. It was only fitting that he scored six of the team's last nine points and willed it to victory.