MALIBU, Calif. — After taking a break for the holidays, the Pepperdine women's basketball team wraps up its non-conference slate with a matinee game against Division II school Cal State LA this Friday, Dec. 29.
The game is the first half of a Waves doubleheader with the men's team, which plays non-Division I Westcliff at 6 p.m. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT; the game will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Tickets for both games can be purchased at tickets.pepperdinewaves.com.
Both teams met in an exhibition game last season, in which the Golden Eagles shocked the Waves by beating them 90-74 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Three Waves finished in double-figures including Helena Friend, who chipped in 10 points and five rebounds off the bench. Cal State LA stars Nicole Flennaugh and Lily Buggs combined for 57 points and 14 made threes for the Golden Eagles.
GAME #13: Pepperdine vs. Cal State LA | Friday, Dec. 29 | Firestone Fieldhouse | Malibu, Calif. | ESPN+ | 2 p.m. PT
SCOUTING THE WAVES
Pepperdine looks to rebound from an 80-62 home loss on Dec. 18 to Northern Arizona — the reigning Big Sky Regular Season Champions. In that game, Pepperdine freshman Jorynn Ross set career highs with 16 points and seven rebounds to lead the Waves, plus she added two steals and a block on defense. This stat-line helped her become the first Wave to win back-to-back WCC Freshman of the Week honors since the award was established in 2020-21.
Ross has been a bright spot for the Waves lately. Over the last five games, the freshman from Milwaukee, Wisc. has averaged 10.2 points (on 66.67% shooting), 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 24 minutes per game. She is connecting on 53.7% of her field goals, which leads the team.
Elsewhere, senior forward Jane Nwaba continues to be a double-double machine for the Waves, averaging 9.0 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. Her three double-doubles lead the team and are tied for third-most among WCC players.
Junior guard Ella Brubaker leads the Waves in scoring at 9.5 points in a mere 17.3 minutes per game. Before the NAU game, Brubaker led the Waves in scoring for six consecutive games, in which she averaged 14.3 points per game on 50.8% shooting. She leads the team with 17 made threes and is shooting 47.2% from beyond the arc.
As a team, the Waves still have one of the better defenses among WCC teams, limiting teams to 63.3 points per game (3rd-WCC) on 37.9% shooting (2nd-WCC) — including a league-low 25.8% from three. Offensively, Pepperdine's bench has averaged 23.9 points per game, which ranks 80th in Division I and third in the WCC. Pepperdine has had a double-digit score off the bench in eight of its 12 games this season.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Picked to finish first in the California Collegiate Athletic Association preseason poll, the Cal State LA Golden Eagles are looking to go further in the NCAA Division II Tournament this year. The Golden Eagles went 20-9 and earned a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell 69-66 to the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets in the first round.
The Golden Eagles have tested themselves with two exhibition games against two Division I schools: UNLV (95-59 loss) and San Diego State (76-71). Friday's game will be the Golden Eagles' final non-conference exhibition game before returning to conference play in 2024.
Cal State LA brings back two All-CCAA Selections in Lily Buggs (9.7 points, 6.7 rebounds per game) and Nicole Flennaugh (14.4 points, 3.4 assists per game) — the latter of whom was a WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-American honorable mention selection after setting the conference's single-season made threes record with 255. Cal Poly Pomona transfer Donja Payne has fit in well with the squad, averaging 9.1 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds in a mere 19 minutes per game.
UP NEXT: WCC play begins for the Waves on the road, as they travel to San Diego to face the Toreros on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 4:30 p.m. PT. The Waves' first home non-conference game will be against PCH Cup rival Loyola Marymount on Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. All WCC games will be livestreamed on ESPN+.
