But Devin Montgomery and Boomer Brazzle felt recent history needed to be rewritten.

The first half was reminiscent of the Waves' early-season loss at Utah, as Santa Clara came out firing and turned a see-saw battle into a double-digit lead late in the first half. The Waves could not close out on Steve Ross and were dominated inside by freshman Jordan Legge, and the game had the feel of one of those tailor-made WCC upsets.

Trailing 44-32 after the Broncos extended a nine-point halftime lead by opening the second half with a three-pointer, the Waves answered with a 27-6 run, and with five minutes remaining, the Waves had turned a 12-point deficit into a nine-point lead, 59-50.

Santa Clara was not finished yet. They went on a 17-10 run of their own to trail just 69-67 after a three-pointer by Brian Vaka with a minute to play. But the Waves sank their free throws down the stretch, and Santa Clara went cold, helping Pepperdine hold on for a hard-earned 74-67 win.

Boomer Brazzle came up huge for the Waves for the third time in five conference games, registering a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brazzle also hit four free throws in the waning moments of the game to preserve victory.

But arguably the MVP of this game was Devin Montgomery. The junior point guard controlled the pace of the game throughout, keeping the Waves close in the first half and taking charge in the second. He tallied 18 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, but the stats hardly tell the story. Montgomery truly had his way with the Broncos defense, making seemingly all the right decisions as he made 5-9 from the floor but more importantly, found the open man for backbreaking three-pointers several times down the stretch.

Cedric Suitt gutted out four points, seven rebounds, and two blocks despite sore ribs. He suffered a bruised ribcage earlier this week in practice and re-aggrivated the injury midway through the first half. But he returned after halftime and played a key defensive role in the comeback.

Jimmy Miggins had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Terrance Johnson scored 14. Glen McGowan was limited by foul trouble and managed just two points and four rebounds.

Rebounding was key yet again for Pepperdine. In a microcosm of the season, the Waves (12-6 overall, 5-0 WCC) were beaten badly on the boards in the first half but rallied to draw even in the category in the second.

The Broncos, who started the season a dismal 1-8 before rallying heading into conference play, now drop to 7-11, 2-3 in the WCC. Ross finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while great-looking freshman Legge tallied 17 points and 8 boards. Usually-reliable Kyle Bailey was unable to help his team with a 1-12 shooting performance before fouling out late.

Notes:

* Brazzle registered his second double-double in three games, leading the Waves in scoring for the third time this year. The Waves have had six different players come through with top-point honors in games this year.

* Montgomery matched his Pepperdine high with 18 points and set a team season-high mark with his seven assists.