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Pepperdine University Athletics

Friend vs UCR
Morgan Davenport
67
Winner Pepperdine PEP 1-3,0-0 WCC
58
UC Riverside UCR 0-5,0-0 Big West
Winner
Pepperdine PEP
1-3,0-0 WCC
67
Final
58
UC Riverside UCR
0-5,0-0 Big West
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Pepperdine PEP 25 7 14 21 67
UC Riverside UCR 12 28 9 9 58

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | by Athletic Communications

Women's Basketball Defeats UC Riverside in Consolation

ANCHORAGE, Alaska  – The Pepperdine women's basketball team earned its first win of the season 3, 413 miles from home, taking a 67-58 win over fellow SoCal school UC Riverside and earning the consolation prize in the 2022 Great Alaska Shootout. Sophomore Helena Friend helped spark the Waves off the bench with career highs in both points (12) and steals (two). 

 

After leading by as many as 16 in the first quarter, the Waves (1-3) pushed past a tumultuous second period to outscore the Highlanders (0-5) 35-18 in the second half. Pepperdine spread the scoring wealth evenly amongst each other, with four players dipping into double-digits.

 

BIG WAVES 

  • Graduate transfer Marly Walls (Bardstown, Ky./Bucknell) accrued 13 points – of which came in the second half –five boards and dished out six assists for the Waves.

  • Sophomore Meaali'i Amosa (Garden Grove, Calif./Mater Dei HS) had 13 points, two steals and led the team with seven rebounds, including a three-point bucket from the top of the key in the first half. 

  • Sophomore Helena Friend (Huntington Beach, Calif./Blair Academy) scored a career-high 12 points -- including a three to help seal the win -- and grabbed two steals, also a career high.

  • Sophomore Ally Stedman (Phoenix, Ariz./Pinnacle HS) knocked down 12 points and dished out a career-high five assists.

 

GAME RECAP 

Pepperdine opened up the evening on fire, scoring 25 points with the help of the Waves' post presence. Amosa and Theresa Grace Mbanefo (Otsego, Minn./Cornell) drilled the ball inside, going for seven and six points respectively in the period, as Stedman fell into true form with eight points, two assists and three steals. The Waves led by as much as 16 at one point, including a 7-0 run that saw two of the aforementioned Stedman steals.

The Highlanders learned from their first quarter errors, however, and came storming back, scoring 28 points compared to Pepperdine's seven, leading to a 40-32 halftime score. The Waves shot a mere 37.5% in that quarter, in stark contrast to a 58.8% first period. 

 

The tides began to change in the third quarter as Pepperdine chipped away at the Riverside lead, instituting a full-court press that helped the Waves outscore the Highlanders 14-9, making the score 49-46 in UCR's favor. Amosa scored six of her 13 total points that period, all from inside the paint.

 

The Waves kept up the pressure on UC Riverside in the final quarter, led by Walls who continuously broke through the Highlanders' press. Pepperdine outscored the Highlanders 21-9 in the fourth, going 10-for-10 at the free throw line to push the Waves up nine for a final score of 67-58.  

 

STATS 

  • The Waves outscored UC Riverside 35-18 in the final two quarters. 

  • Going into the fourth, Pepperdine was down eight points but ended up winning by nine.

  • Pepperdine pounded the paint inside, earning 32 points from short-range compared to the Highlanders 18 points from inside. 

  • The Waves out-rebounded Riverside 29-15, earning 11 second-chance points. 

  • Pepperdine forced 24 Highlander turnovers.

 

UP NEXT 

 

Pepperdine will travel back to Malibu for its home opener hosting Concordia University Irvine on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the WCC Network. 

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