MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine women's basketball team dropped 77-63 to #20 Gonzaga on Thursday afternoon in Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
The Waves (6-7, 1-2 WCC) were behind early in the game to the Zags (13-2, 3-0 WCC), though Pepperdine outscored the opposition in the fourth quarter 21-20.
 
BIG WAVES

• Sophomore guard Ally Stedman (Phoenix, Ariz./Pinnacle HS) led the Waves with 16 points, collecting four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
• Graduate forward Theresa Grace Mbanefo (Otsego, Minn./Blaine HS/Cornell) almost finished with a double-double but was a rebound shy at 15 points and nine boards.
• Junior guard Jane Nwaba (Carson, Calif./Palisades Charter HS) scored 14 points, eight of which came from the free throw line. She accrued seven rebounds as well as two blocks and a steal.
• Graduate guard Marly Walls (Bardstown, Ky./Nelson County HS/Bucknell) dropped in 10 points alongside three assists and two steals.

GAME RECAP
 
In the first quarter, the Waves and Zags exchanged baskets throughout the first eight minutes, before Gonzaga ended the quarter on a seven-point scoring run to take a 24-16 lead.
 
The Zags continued the scoring run at the start of the second quarter and made six straight points. Pepperdine drained four points on free throws and a Mbanefo layup to cut the deficit to 10 and make the score 30-20. Back and forth buckets from both squads before the Zags hit a layup and one from long range to extend the lead to 39-22. Nwaba sank four free throws before the Waves and Zags each had a basket to make it 42-28. Gonzaga made a bucket at the buzzer to go into the break with a 16-point lead.
 
Following halftime, Walls scored a layup, though the Zags hit back-to-back layups to extend the lead at 48-30. Gonzaga then drained seven straight points making it 55-34. With under a minute left in the third quarter, the Waves earned a free throw and Stedman sank one from long range, 57-42.
 
In the final frame, both squads each had a bucket, before Pepperdine scored seven consecutive points to cut the Gonzaga advantage to eight, 59-51. The Zags had a seven-point scoring run of their own to get the lead back to double-digits, 69-53. Both squads took turns at the free throw line before the Zags collected the last layup and held onto the ball for the final 15 seconds to take home the victory.
 
STATS

• Gonzaga outshot Pepperdine 43.9% to 34.5%.
• The Zags forced 10 Waves' turnovers.
• Gonzaga out-rebounded Pepperdine 44-35.

UP NEXT
 
The Waves will still be in Malibu to host Portland on Saturday, Dec. 31. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the WCC Network.