Mychel Thompson scored 26 points and Lorne Jackson added 23 as No. 6 seed Pepperdine held on for an 84-81 victory Friday night over No. 7 seed San Diego in the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament.
The Waves (12-20) face No. 3 seed San Francisco (16-13) in a quarterfinal matchup Saturday night.
Chris Gabriel led San Diego (6-24) with 18 points.
Pepperdine led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but the Toreros went on a 24-12 run, capped by three consecutive 3-pointers to pull within 83-81 with 5.9 seconds left.
They then fouled Thompson, who made 1 of 2 free throws.
A desperation 60-foot shot by Jordan Mackie hit the backboard just right of the rim.
Pepperdine won the game at the line, making 36 of 44 free throws, while San Diego hit 17 of 27.
