Final Stats

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine women's basketball team opened West Coast Conference play on Monday night, falling at home to defending WCC champs Gonzaga, 74-57.

Pepperdine cut it to a two-point game at the half with a strong second-quarter run, but the Waves couldn't hold on late as the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half. Pepperdine falls to 4-8 overall, 0-1 WCC with the loss, while Gonzaga moves to 9-4, 1-0 WCC.

The Waves came out hot in the first quarter, with Erica Ogwumike (Cypress, Texas/Cypress Woods HS) scoring three-straight baskets to give Pepperdine a 6-0 lead. Gonzaga wouldn't score its first bucket until the 6:55 mark in the opening quarter, but then went on a 21-4 run to take a 21-10 lead into the second period.

The visitors would push it to a 16-point advantage in the second, but Allie Green (Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento HS) helped spark a Waves' run with back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the quarter. Green's triples would cut it to a 26-18 Gonzaga lead at the 5:02 mark and the Waves would end the half on a 16-2 run, making it a 28-26 game going into the half. Pepperdine outscored the Zags 16-7 in the second quarter.

Ogwumike led all players with nine points in the first half and Green had eight. Both teams shot 35 percent from the floor in the half, with Green's two triples being the only two long balls for Pepperdine. Gonzaga was 6-for-18 from 3-point territory in the opening two quarters.

An early run out of the break in the second half for Gonzaga put the Bulldogs up by 10 points, 39-29. The Zags led 53-39 heading to the final quarter. Gonzaga would pull away and push it to a 24-point lead in the fourth period.

Pepperdine finished shooting 35.7 percent from the field, while Gonzaga shot 43.5 percent. The Bulldogs shot 51.5 percent in the second half, hitting 17 field goals in the final two quarters.

Ogwumike led the Waves with 15 points in the game, while Gonzaga's Jill Barta had 16 points. Keitra Wallace (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS) also added 13 points for Pepperdine and had a team-high seven rebounds.

The Waves will be back in action on Wednesday when they host Portland for a 2 p.m. contest. That game can be seen live on TheW.tv. Pepperdine then has a nine-day break before resuming WCC play at cross-town rival LMU on January 2.