MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine women's basketball team was unable to hold on against Portland on Saturday afternoon in Firestone Fieldhouse, falling 86-76.
 
The Waves (6-8, 1-3 WCC) and Pilots (10-5, 4-0 WCC) were neck-and-neck through the first half, but Portland took the momentum in the third quarter after tying the game at 44 and never letting up.
 
BIG WAVES

• Graduate forward Theresa Grace Mbanefo (Otesgo, Minn./Blaine HS/Cornell) drained 20 points by shooting 9-for-14. Mbanefo had three assists and brought down five rebounds.
• Graduate guard Marly Walls (Bardstown, Ky./Nelson County HS/Bucknell) also collected 20 points by shooting 9-for-15. She dished out six assists and had six rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Ally Stedman (Phoenix, Ariz./Pinnacle HS) had 13 points and four steals. 

GAME RECAP
 
At the start of the game, the Waves took a 4-0 advantage over the Pilots. Pepperdine had a layup and three-pointer to extend the lead by seven, 13-6. Portland then went on a seven-point scoring run and tied the game at 15-all. Pepperdine turned it up a notch and closed out the first quarter with a 24-18 lead.
 
In the second quarter, Portland scored the first bucket and was able to get within three, 24-21. Mbanefo and Walls each put up baskets and gave the Waves a seven-point lead again, 28-21. After exchanging baskets on both sides, Pepperdine had seven straight points to extend the advantage to double-digits, 37-26, but Portland had eight consecutive points of their own to get back within three. With under a minute to go, Portland sank two free throws and a layup to hold the Waves to a one-point lead, 41-40, heading into the break.
 
Following halftime, Portland and Pepperdine each had baskets, before the Pilots had a six-point scoring run to take the lead for the first time at 48-44. The Waves and Pilots battled back and forth, although Portland had five straight points to get the advantage to seven, 58-51. Rosemary Odebunmi (Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria/Sierra Canyon HS) drained two free throws with under 30 seconds left in the third to get the Waves within two, 60-58, heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
In the final frame, the Pilots scored the first five points to tack onto their lead, 64-58. Portland had another six straight points to get a double-digit advantage at 72-62. The Waves began to fight back and were able to get within three, 78-75, after a Stedman three-pointer. In the final two minutes, Portland regained control and closed out the game with three free throws to take home the win.
 
STATS

• The Waves out-rebounded the Pilots 33 to 29.
• Portland outshot Pepperdine 54.2% to 48.4%.
• The Pilots forced 21 Waves' turnovers.

NOTABLE
 

• Freshman guard Hailey Hoff (San Bruno, Calif./Capuchino HS) played a season-high 14 minutes in her second game as a Wave and notched six points. 

UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine will hit the road and travel back to Northern California to visit Pacific on Thursday, Jan. 5. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on the WCC Network.