Box Score PORTLAND, Ore. – Two last second free throws did not fall as the Pepperdine women's basketball team fell to Portland on Saturday afternoon 69-67. Hannah Friend led the Waves with 21 points.
The Waves (9-10, 3-6 WCC) and Pilots (13-7, 6-3 WCC) played down to the wire, the lead going back and forth in the last minute before the Pilots prevailed.
 
BIG WAVES

• Graduate transfer Hannah Friend (San Clemente, Calif./Sacramento State) had 21 points, leading all scorers. She also had three rebounds.
• Senior guard Deezha Battle (Albuquerque, N.M./Cochise College) had 14 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 2-of-4 from three.
• Redshirt-freshman guard Jayla Ruffus-Milner (North Hills, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) had 12 points and four rebounds.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The game started off slow for the Waves, as the Pilots started off the game with a 10-2 lead. However, the Waves surged back, going on a 16-2 run and took an 18-14 lead into the second. Friend had seven points in the first.

In the second, the Pilots came back, going on a 9-point run at one point in the game. After a 10-6 run to end the period, the Pilots led 31-26 at the half.

The third quarter was very back and forth, with each team shooting the ball well. The Waves took a one-point lead on a Battle three-pointer with 6:29 left on the clock, but the Pilots retook the lead, pushing it to five to end the quarter at 51-46.

The final period of play proved to be the best, as with two minutes to play, the Waves came back to tie the game at 65 points apiece. Pepperdine then took the lead on a Friend layup. Portland retook the lead on a layup of its own before the Waves had a chance to tie or retake the lead with two free throws with just three seconds on the clock. The free throws did not fall, and Portland made a free throw of their own to take the victory 69-67.
KEY STATS

• Both teams shot the ball well, with the Pilots having the slight edge over the Waves, 43.6% to 41%.
• Pepperdine shot the deep ball better, making 33% of threes. Portland shot just 22% from beyond the arc.
• The Pilots outrebounded the Waves 46-30.

UP NEXT
The Waves are back in action next week, hosting Pacific on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Saint Mary's on Saturday at 2 p.m.