MALIBU, California – Behind a 57% shooting performance in the first half, the Pepperdine women's basketball team earned a convincing 66-50 win over the visiting UAB Blazers on Wednesday afternoon inside Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Waves (2-2) had a balanced scoring attack, with three double-figure scorers including Eve Braslis, who led the way with 14. Pepperdine dominated throughout the entirety of the afternoon, opening up an 18-point lead in the second half while only allowing UAB (3-2) to take the lead one time in the first 30 seconds of the game.
BIG WAVES
- Redshirt junior forward Eve Braslis (Newton, Victoria, Australia) had 14 points, shooting 6-for-12, bringing down six rebounds
- Redshirt junior forward Becky Obinma (Menifee, Calif./Rosary Academy/TCU) had 12 points, shooting 6-for-9 and had nine rebounds.
- Sophomore forward Jane Nwaba (Carson, Calif./Palisades Charter HS) collected 11 points while shooting 5-for-7. She brought down five rebounds and had two blocks.
- Sophomore forward Kendyl Carson (Juneau, Alaska/Juneau Douglas HS) had nine points, four assists and three rebounds.
- Senior guard Cheyenne Givens (Gardena, Calif./Serra HS/Los Angeles Trade-Tech) tied her career-high of nine assists to go with four points on the day.
GAME RECAP
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, but the Waves found the bottom of the net halfway through the first quarter while going on a 9-0 run to open up a 13-4 lead at the midway point of the first quarter. A Blazer layup stopped the run but Pepperdine answered with a layup by Obinma. Through the first 6:06 of the game, the Waves shot 7-for-9 from the floor. UAB cut the lead to two and gained back momentum after a fastbreak layup and an offensive foul by Pepperdine. The Waves had the opportunity to take the final shot of the quarter but missed a layup to keep the lead at four, 21-17, heading to the second quarter.
The teams traded baskets at the beginning of the second quarter, with Pepperdine able to maintain a small lead. Pepperdine held a four-point lead at 27-23 with 6:57 remaining in the first half. Following that, the Waves did not give up a field goal the remainder of the half while going on a 9-0 to build the halftime lead to 36-24.
A Braslis layup started the scoring in the third quarter but UAB quickly answered with a jumper. Ally Stedman (Phoenix, Ariz./Pinnacle HS) launched her first three of the game, opening the lead to 16 and forcing a UAB timeout just two minutes into the second half. Pepperdine endured a scoring drought of three minutes prior to the first media timeout of the half and in this stretch, the Blazers went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 12. In the final three minutes of the third, UAB outscored the Waves 5-4 to make it a 50-37 game heading to the fourth quarter.
Braslis opened the scoring in the fourth, but the Blazers would not go away as they scored the next seven to make it a 52-44 game. A basket by Obinma stopped the Blazer run with 6:31 remaining in the game and began a 10-2 run for Pepperdine. The Waves were able to capitalize on UAB turnovers in the fourth, with a Malia Bambrick (Santa Clarita, Calif./Bishop Alemany HS) jumper giving Pepperdine a 62-46 lead.
Helena Friend (Huntington Beach, Calif./Blair Academy) scored the first points of her career on a layup with 1:14 left in the game.
STATS
- The Waves held a 57.1% to 30.3% shooting advantage in the first half. Pepperdine held UAB to just 32.8% shooting for the game while the Waves were at 46.0%.
- 48 of the 66 Pepperdine points were scored in the paint, while the Waves held UAB to just 24 points in the paint.
- Pepperdine held a 23-13 bench scoring advantage.
- The Waves held UAB to 2-for-21 (9.5%) shooting beyond the arc.
- Pepperdine only trailed for 26 seconds the entire game.
HIGHLIGHTS
QUOTABLE
Head Coach
Kristen Dowling:
Redshirt junior forward
Eve Braslis:
UP NEXT
The Waves wrap up their homestand on Saturday, Nov. 27 hosting Cal State Fullerton. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. PT.
