MALIBU, Calif. – On the back of Monique Andriuolo's career-high 30 points and 17 rebounds, the Pepperdine women's basketball team defeated Saint Mary's in Firestone Fieldhouse 73-64 in overtime. Barbara Sitanggan had 17 points as well.

The Waves (11-10, 5-6 WCC) led the Gaels (10-12, 5-6 WCC) by as many as nine points in the game, but the Gaels battled back to force overtime.

BIG WAVES

·         Junior forward Monique Andriuolo (Melbourne, Australia/Maribyrnong Secondary College) had a career day, dropping 30 points and bringing down 17 boards for her second double-double fo the season.

·         Senior guard Barbara Sitanggan (Fullerton, Calif./Troy HS) had 17 points on the day, and shot a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. She also added six rebounds and two assists.

·         Senior guard Hannah Friend (San Clemente, Calif./Sacramento State) had nine points and six rebounds.

PLAY-BY-PLAY

Saint Mary's started the game with the hot hand, scoring the first two baskets. The Gaels led by as many as eight, their largest lead of the game, with 2:25 left on the clock and took a 15-11 lead into the second quarter.

Pepperdine took its first lead in the second, after a three-pointer from Deezha Battle (Albuquerque, N.M./Cochise College) at 7:43. The second was a back-and-forth quarter, with the teams exchanging leads throughout. The Waves held the upper hand at the end, as they led 30-29 at the halftime break.

The third quarter was similar to the second, with the Gaels and Waves going back and forth with the lead. Pepperdine went on a small run, scoring seven points in a row and led 45-40 after three quarters of play.

Saint Mary's tied the game at 50 with 7:22 left on the clock, and again at 53 with 3:49 left in the game. With just a minute to play, Jayla Ruffus-Milner (North Hills, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) scored a layup, but a three-pointer from Saint Mary's forced the game into overtime.

The Waves dominated the overtime period, going on two separate six-point runs to win the game by nine.

KEY STATS

·         Neither team shot the ball especially well, with both hovering around the 35% mark.

·         Each team made 33% of their three-point shots, but Saint Mary's made 10 to Pepperdine's five.

·         The Waves outrebounded the Gaels, bringing down 49 boards compared to 45 from Saint Mary's.

UP NEXT

The Waves hit the road next week, traveling to the Bay area to take on San Francisco on Thursday and Santa Clara on Saturday. Tip-off for the game against the Dons is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be streamed via the WCC Network.