SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—  A closely contested game between the Pepperdine women’s basketball team and the University of San Francisco on Thursday night at the War Memorial Stadium ended with the Dons edging the Waves 81-75.

San Francisco (13-8, 4-3) took an early lead in the first half, scoring seven points before the Waves (6-13,1-5) made their first basket. The Dons held on to the lead until Shannon Johnson (Highland Village, Texas/ Marcus HS) shot a three-pointer with 4:35 left in the first half, to give Pepperdine its first lead of the game (24-22). San Francisco responded with a two point field goal to tie the contest. Another three-point shot by Taylor Smith (Waialua, Hawaii/ Kalaheo HS) put the Waves back in the lead (27-26) and they finished the first half with a five point lead over the Dons, 33-28.

 

Daphanie Kennedy (Oakland, Calif./ Kearny HS) scored 15 points in the first half, while shooting 7-of-14 on field goals and 1-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc.

 

A faster paced and more physical second half saw the Dons regain the lead and widen the gap by as much as four points over the Waves (70-66). Kennedy notched a three-pointer to put Pepperdine within one point of San Francisco.  The Dons responded with a shot beyond the arc by Shay Rollins (73-69). With 54 seconds left in the game, the Waves were trailing by four. A series of fouls and free shots by San Francisco ended the game with the Dons ahead by six (81-75).

 

The Waves shot 45.6% in the paint to the Dons 44.6%. Pepperdine out shot San Francisco on free throws 87.5% to 80%. Kennedy finished the game one point shy of her season-high, with 26 points and six rebounds. Smith was the second highest scorer for the Waves with 14 points and 3 rebounds, shooting 5-of-8 from the field.

 

Next up for the Waves, is University of San Diego on Sat. (Feb. 2), at 2 p.m. in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, located in San Diego, Calif.