Gaels lose Bright, and game, against Waves

St. Mary’s began January with a win over Pepperdine in Malibu. The Gaels ended the month with a 67-62 loss to the Waves at McKeon Pavilion on Saturday, and they might have lost more than the game.

Point guard Aaron Bright injured his right ankle in the first half and didn’t return to the game.

The Waves (14-8, 7-4 WCC) had lost 17 straight to St. Mary’s.

Brad Waldow scored a game-high 25 points for the Gaels (17-5, 9-2), but went 7-for-14 at the foul line. In one second-half stretch, he missed five consecutive foul shots.

Now to Bright. With just more than two minutes left before halftime, the Stanford transfer drove the right side of the lane and lofted a floater that was off the mark. Waldow’s tip-in put St. Mary’s in front 33-22.

Of greater concern, though, was Bright’s condition. He was injured after the shot and re- mained down for an extended period before being helped off the floor.

Bright used crutches to get from the locker room to the bench in the second half. After the game, head coach Randy Bennett confirmed the ankle injury but was not sure of its severity.

Pepperdine went on an 11-0 run from the time of Bright’s injury until early in the second half. After halftime, the Waves shot 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) from the floor.

The Gaels came into Saturday averaging 8.6 more rebounds than their opponents. The Waves had a 31-27 edge on the boards.

So though Bennett said Bright’s absence was a factor in the Gaels’ loss, he didn’t use it as an excuse.

“Aaron has nothing to do with our defense and our rebounding,” Bennett said. “Those aren’t what make him a good player for us.”

Said Waldow: “It’s tough not having our point guard out there, but we have other point guards as well. … We’ve just got to be tougher next time when we lose one of our guys.”

Waldow’s three-point play with 3:20 left put the Gaels in front 59-58. The Waves got a break on the next possession. Waldow blocked Amadi Udenyi’s three-point try, but the ball went right to Pepperdine’s Stacy Davis near the basket.

He scored, got fouled and converted at the line. It was 61-59, Waves, with 2:58 remaining. They led the rest of the way.