SAN DIEGO – Pepperdine and San Diego traded baskets early, but the Toreros used two 15-0 runs and its stingy defense to beat the Waves, 70-45.

The Waves (3-12, 0-11 WCC) struggled against the Toreros' (8-4, 5-2 WCC) tenacious defense, allowing USD to score 29 points off of 24 Pepperdine turnovers.

BIG WAVES

• Junior guard Malia Bambrick (Santa Clarita, Calif./Bishop Alemany HS) led the Waves with 12 points, including 2-for-3 shooting from three. Saturday was her tenth game scoring in double-figure scoring this season, which is a team-high.

• Junior guard Cheyenne Givens (Gardena, Calif./LA Trade Tech) notched her eighth double-figure scoring game with 10 points. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

• Redshirt sophomore forward Jayda Ruffus-Milner (North Hills, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) led the team with two assists. She also scored 10 points and added six rebounds. 

GAME RECAP

The Waves traded baskets with the Toreros to open the game, first with a mid-range jumper from Bambrick, then with a reverse layup from Jayda Ruffus-Milner. A pair of free throws from Givens gave the Waves a 6-5 lead with 6:45 to go in the first. But San Diego's defense — which came into the contest surrendering only 57.2 points, averaging 14.5 steams and forcing 25 turnovers per game — locked down the Waves for the rest of the quarter.

The Toreros went on a 15-0 run to close the quarter. Two more free throws from Jayda Ruffus-Milner broke San Diego's run, but the Toreros responded with a three to end the quarter with a 23-8 lead.

Pepperdine worked the ball inside to Tara Dusharm (Foley, Minn./Saint Louis) early in the second quarter, who brought Pepperdine into double-digits with her first basket of the game. This kicked off a mini-run for Pepperdine, as Givens then found Bambrick in transition for a three to make the score 23-13.

San Diego answered with back-to-back threes of its own, and used its defense to keep the Waves at arm's length for the rest of the quarter. With 90 seconds to go, Pepperdine chipped into USD's lead with a free throw from Dusharm and a layup from Jayda Ruffus-Milner, but the Waves trailed 43-21 at the half.

Givens opened the scoring with a runner in the lane, San Diego answered with a layup on the next possession, then the scoring stalled for both teams. The Toreros defense powered its offense yet again, this time by going on a 15-0 run, including a stretch in which they forced Pepperdine turnovers on three-straight possessions. Givens once again stopped USD's run with a jumper; she would end with four of Pepperdine's six points in the third quarter.

The Waves' offense showed some signs of life in the fourth quarter. Bambrick hit her second three of the night to put Pepperdine on the board first, then Cydney Rivera (Cypress, Texas/Collin College) went 3-3 at the charity stripe after getting fouled on a corner three.

Midway through the quarter, the Ruffus-Milner twins went on a 5-0 run of their own. Jayla Ruffus-Milner (North Hills, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) scored on a put-back off Jayda's missed three-pointer, Jayla made a pair of free throws, then Jayda split a pair of free throws after drawing an over-the-back call on the other end. Dusharm's layup and Jayda Ruffus-Milner's put-back off a missed free throw rounded out Pepperdine's fourth-quarter scoring.

Pepperdine outscored USD 18-7 in the fourth quarter.

KEY STATS

• Pepperdine shot 28% from the field, including 2-9 (22%) from three.

• San Diego scored 29 points off of 24 Pepperdine turnovers, 16 of which were off steals.

• The Toreros out-rebounded the Waves 48-32.

• Pepperdine (65%) out-shot San Diego (62%) from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT

The Waves will host Loyola Marymount for the second game of the PCH Cup on Saturday, February 13. Tip-off is scheduled for noon PT on the WCC Network.