LAS VEGAS – The #9 seeded Pepperdine women's basketball team ended its season in the opening round of the University Credit Union West Coast Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon, falling 85-73 to #8 seed Loyola Marymount at the Orleans Arena.
The Waves (5-18, 2-16 WCC) got off to a hot start, but the Lions (5-18, 4-14 WCC) had an offensive explosion that was just too much to handle.
BIG WAVES

• Junior guard Cheyenne Givens (Gardena, Calif./LA Trade Tech) led the Waves with 17 points. She shot 6-for-11 from the field and made five of six free throws.
• Freshman forward Kendyl Carson (Juneau, Alaska/Juneau Douglas HS) had 14 points, shooting 5-for-16 from the field.
• Junior guard Malia Bambrick (Santa Clarita, Calif./Bishop Alemany HS) had 15 points, making two three pointers and bringing down three rebounds.
• Senior forward Monique Andriuolo (Melbourne, Australia/Maribyrnong Secondary College) led the Waves with 10 rebounds. She also scored eight points.

 
KEY STATS

• Both teams shot well, but the Lions outshot the Waves 52%-42%
• LMU made 50% of their shots from beyond the arc, and the Waves made just 28% of their threes.
• Both teams were nearly identical at the glass, with LMU just getting one more rebound than the Waves (33-32)

 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Lions started out the game hot, getting a quick 6-0 run over the Waves to take an 8-2 lead. Pepperdine had a five-point run of their own, and got the game tied at 13 thanks to an Andriuolo layup with three minutes to play in the first quarter. The Waves took a five-point lead with less than a minute left thanks to a Carson three, and led the Lions 20-18 after one, as LMU hit a three-pointer of their own as time expired.
 
In the second quarter, the Waves started off similarly to the first, keeping their lead until a minute and a half into the quarter, when the Lions took a 25-23 lead. The Lions then ran with it from there, building their lead to as many as eight points over the Waves. Loyola Marymount took a 41-35 lead into the half.
 
After the break, the Lions came out incredibly strong, starting the half on an 11-4 run. They kept the pressure on, building their lead to as many as 17 points in the quarter, and led 65-49 at the end of three quarters. In the fourth, Pepperdine fought back hard, as Bambrick made two three-pointers early to get the Waves to within 12 points. The Lions, however, kept up their scoring too much for the Waves to complete the comeback. Pepperdine got to within nine points but could get no further.  

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