Pepperdine University
5-6 (1-0WCC)
Santa Clara
4-8 (0-1WCC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 14 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 55 |
| Pepperdine | 14 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 56 |
Pepperdine Wins WCC Opener, 56-55, Over Santa Clara
12/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MALIBU, Calif. " The Pepperdine women's basketball team hung on for a thrilling 56-55 win over Santa Clara to open West Coast Conference play on Thursday afternoon.
In a game that saw seven lead changes and seven ties, the Waves got the final stop they needed as Santa Clara's shot attempt with just seconds left went wide. Pepperdine moves to 5-6 overall and 1-0 in WCC action, while the Broncos fall to 4-8, 0-1 WCC.
Rose Pflug scored five points in the fourth quarter and finished with a career-high 11 on the day, while Yasmine Robinson-Bacote notched her fifth double-double of the year with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Santa Clara's Kyla Martin led all players with 17 points in the game.
 | BIG WAVES |
• Pflug hit three of the Waves' five 3-pointers in the game to score 11 points.
• Barbara Sitanggan finished with six assists and three steals to lead Pepperdine in both categories.
| KEY STATS |
• Neither team shot particularly well in the defensive-minded contest, with Pepperdine narrowly outshooting Santa Clara 34.3%-33.3%.
• The Waves had 16 offensive rebounds in the game and scored 12 second-chance points.
| PLAY-BY-PLAY |
The Waves and Broncos played even through the first half, 30-30, matching each other's score in both the first and second quarters. The teams were tied six times and the lead changed four times in the opening two quarters.
A 10-0 run early in the third quarter, capped by a three from Pflug, gave Pepperdine a 42-32 lead at the 4:44 mark. Santa Clara responded with a 9-0 run of their own to make it a 42-41 game heading to the fourth quarter. The Waves went up by five thanks to a 6-0 run midway through the final period, but the Broncos promptly cut it back to a one-possession game heading into the final two minutes.
The teams traded free throws, with Santa Clara hitting two to make it a 56-55 game with 38 seconds to go. The Waves got off a three in their final possession, but it rimmed out with 6.8 seconds to play, giving the Broncos one final chance. Santa Clara got off a look from the free throw line that went wide, and the ball was knocked out of bounds as time expired to give the Waves the win.
| QUOTABLE |
"For us to come out and beat an experienced team like Santa Clara, means we've come a long way," said Head Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. "Our non-conference schedule did what it's supposed to do, and that's preparing us to compete in conference play."
"There was a moment in the game when our defense really kicked in and we went up by 10, and then there was a moment right after that where we fell apart defensively and they were able to get to their sweet spots on the floor," said Milton-Jones. "But we recovered and regrouped, and got to talk about how we got to that point. We needed to do things that were successful for us, and that was hunkering down on the defensive end and being stingy, only giving them one possession and then being done, and grabbing the rebounds so we could get out and run. If they were going to play in a zone all night, we needed to push the tempo. Once we were able to establish our tempo, that's when the game opened up for us."
| UP NEXT |
Pepperdine continues conference play with another home game, taking on San Diego on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Waves head to Gonzaga and San Francisco next week.
