Final Stats

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - For the third straight game the Pepperdine women's basketball team started hot against one of the top teams in the WCC, but couldn't close out the win, falling 68-64 to San Diego at home on Thursday night.

Pepperdine jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first half, but the Toreros closed the period on a run and then took over the lead for good early in the second half. The Waves made a late run, but couldn't pull closer than within four points in the final minute.

"It's great to start well and get some confidence, but if we can't rebound we're not going to win," said head coach Ryan Weisenberg. "That was our problem tonight. We were hitting shots and went on a nice run in the first half, but we just didn't box out and they got us on the offensive boards."

A 16-0 run made it an 18-7 Waves lead with 12:00 to play in the first half. Allie Green (Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento HS) then knocked down a three to give the Waves a 26-14 lead at the 8:35 mark, which was their largest advantage of the game. The Toreros closed the half on a 13-2 run, however, pulling to within one, 32-31, at the break.

Keitra Wallace (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS) led all scorers in the first half with 12 points. The Waves built their early lead thanks to eight USD turnovers through the first 10 minutes of play. Pepperdine went into the break with a 10-5 lead in the giveaway department.

The Toreros carried their momentum into the second half, though, opening with the first six points of the period to take a 37-32 lead. USD had 10 offensive boards in the first five minutes of the second half to help build the lead and grabbed 26 offensive rebounds for the game.

USD took a 57-45 lead with 6:51 to play, but Green scored six-straight points out of a timeout to bring the Waves within six at the final media timeout of the game. The Waves kept it going, working their way to the line on their next two possessions to pull within three, 57-54, at the 3:23 mark. The Toreros answered with two straight baskets, and then USD got a three-point play with less than two minutes to play to go up by eight. A Green three made it 64-59 with under a minute to play and after three USD free throws, Ea Shoushtari (Los Angeles, Calif./L.A.C.E.S.) hit a triple to again make it a four-point game, but that was as close as the Waves would come.

USD finished with 16 offensive rebounds in the second half and won the overall rebounding battle, 55-31. Both totals were the most Pepperdine has given up this season.

The Waves had four players score in double figures, with Wallace, Shoushtari and Green all putting up 16 and Bria Richardson (Hawthorne, Calif./Serra HS) adding 12. Pepperdine did hit six threes in the game, three of which came from Shoushtari, to just one long ball for the Toreros. USD owned a 34-18 points in the paint advantage and a 25-9 second chance points edge.

The loss drops the Waves to 6-9 overall, 1-3 WCC while the Toreros improve to 14-2, 4-1 WCC. Pepperdine will be back in action on Saturday when they host BYU for a noon contest.