MALIBU, Calif. – Led by 21 points from sophomore guard
Malia Bambrick, the Pepperdine women's basketball team picked up its first victory of the year on Sunday, defeating Cal Poly 63-53. The win was
Kristen Dowling's first victory as head coach of the Waves.
The Waves (1-1) trailed the Mustangs (0-2) following the first quarter, but a 16-6 margin of scoring in the second led the way to victory.
BIG WAVES
- Sophomore guard Malia Bambrick (Santa Clarita, Calif./Bishop Alemany HS) led all scorers in the game with 21 points shooting 8-13 from the field and 5-8 from three. She also tacked on three rebounds and one assist.
- Senior guard Paige Fecske (Studio City, Calif./Chaminade HS) had 15 points on the night, shooting 3-10 from beyond the arc.
- Senior guard Barbara Sitanggan (Fullerton, Calif./Troy HS) scored five points, brought down five rebounds and dished out six assists.
GAME RECAP
The Mustangs jumped out to an early lead in the first, scoring the first six points of the game. Bambrick made the Waves' first basket three minutes into the game. Cal Poly scored six unanswered points to take a 14-6 lead with 3:30 left in the quarter. The Waves then got a three pointer from
Monique Andriuolo (Melbourne, Australia/Maribyrnong Secondary College) and one from
Deezha Battle (Albuquerque, N.M./Cochise College) to cut the lead down to 17-12. Jumpers from each team to end the quarter gave the Mustangs a 19-14 lead after 10 minutes of play. Pepperdine took the game over in the second, allowing the Mustangs just two three-pointers in the quarter. To end the half, the Waves went on a 13-0 run, highlighted by six points from Fecske to take a 30-25 lead into the half.
After the break, the Mustangs scored first on a jumper. Then Fecske completed a three-point play and Sitanggan knocked down a three to give the Waves a 36-29 lead with 8:17 left in the quarter. Bambrick hit two three pointers in the third. Helping the Waves to a 50-38 lead going into the final 10 minutes of play. In the fourth, the Mustangs mounted a comeback, outscoring the Waves 15-13 in the quarter. However, clutch shooting from Bambrick and Fecske kept the Waves ahead, as the pair combined for nine of the Waves' 13 points in the quarter, securing the 10-point victory for the Waves.
HIGHLIGHTS
KEY STATS
- The difference in the game was three-point shooting. The Waves shot 44% (12-27) from beyond the arc, while the Mustangs made just three deep balls.
- Pepperdine was out-rebounded 43-39, but had one more offensive rebound (15-14).
- The Waves got 16 points off the bench as opposed to Cal Poly's 10.
UP NEXT
The Waves are back in action on Friday, Nov. 15, hosting Hawaii at 7 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse.
