PROVO, Utah – The Pepperdine women's basketball team overcame an 11-point deficit on Thursday night, but could not complete the comeback against BYU, falling 64-62. Barbara Sitanggan led the Waves with 14 points.

The Waves (14-13, 8-9 WCC) had a chance to win the game late, but a shot sailed long, allowing the Cougars (17-10, 12-5 WCC) to come away with the victory.

BIG WAVES

·       Senior guard Barbara Sitanggan (Fullerton, Calif./Troy HS) led the Waves with 14 points. Her two made shots were from beyond the arc, and she mad eight of nine free throws.

·       Junior forward Monique Andriuolo (Melbourne, Australia/Maribyrnong Secondary College) had her third double-double of the season, dropping 13 points and bringing down 11 rebounds.

·       Sophomore guard Malia Bambrick (Santa Clarita, Calif./Bishop Alemany HS) also had 13 points, shooting 5-for-14 from the field and 3-for-6 from three.

GAME RECAP

The Cougars got off to a hot start, going on an 8-2 run to open the game. Pepperdine got back into it, coming within two points at 11-9 with 2:25 left. However, BYU went on another small run, and took an 18-12 lead into the second quarter. Bambrick had five points in the first.

In the second, the Cougars got their largest lead of the night, leading the Waves 25-14 with 6:40 on the clock. A 10-point run for the Waves got the score to 25-24, but BYU then scored eight in a row. At the end of the half, the Cougars lead 34-27.

The third was the Waves' best quarter of the game. Pepperdine outscored BYU 19-9 in the quarter. Andriuolo hit three three-pointers, scoring 11 total points in the quarter, as the Waves took a 46-43 lead into the final 10 minutes.

Both teams traded leads in the fourth quarter, culminating in a 63-60 BYU lead with a minute left to play. Sitanggan made four free throws in a row to give the Waves a 64-63 lead. BYU then made two free throws to take a one-point lead. The Waves had an open shot with four seconds left, but the shot sailed long, and BYU drew a foul to secure the victory.

NOTABLES

In other West Coast Conference games, Santa Clara defeated Saint Mary's guaranteeing the Waves at worst the six-seed at next week's University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament. This means that the Waves receive a bye to Friday's games.

UP NEXT

 The regular-season finale is Saturday as the Waves head to San Diego to take on the Toreros. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.