MALIBU, Calif. — Four Pepperdine women's basketball players finished in double figures and the Waves used a strong second half to beat Cal State LA 78-70 in the team's regular-season non-conference finale on Friday.
The Waves (4-9) were led by an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double from Jane Nwaba (Carson, Calif./Palisades Charter HS), a Division I career-high 17 points from point guard Addi Melone (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS), and 15 points apiece from Ella Brubaker (University Place, Wash. Curtis HS) and Helena Friend (Huntington Beach, Calif./Blair Academy). Despite the result, the game was an exhibition for the Golden Eagles (5-4), who will continue CCAA play next week.
As a team, the Waves used a 9-3 run to start the third quarter to tie the game, then Nwaba, Melone and Friend took over to put the Golden Eagles away for good. In the second half, Pepperdine found most of its success driving to the basket; they out-shot Cal State LA by connecting on 51.4% of its field goals compared to the Golden Eagles' 38.7% clip.
BIG WAVES
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Jane Nwaba (Carson, Calif./Palisades Charter HS) recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds — both were career highs. Defensively, she also had four steals, which was also a career-high.
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Addi Melone (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) scored a season-high 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, plus added six rebounds and two assists.
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Making her second Division I start, Ella Brubaker (University Place, Wash. Curtis HS) added 15 points, nine of which were off threes.
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Helena Friend (Huntington Beach, Calif./Blair Academy) also had her best game in a Pepperdine uniform with 15 points on 6-for-8 (75%) shooting off the bench.
KEY STATS
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Pepperdine out-rebounded Cal State LA 47 to 39. Of those 47 rebounds, 14 were on the offensive glass.
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The Waves connected on 41.5% of their field goals compared to the Golden Eagles' 37.9% clip.
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Friday's win was the second time the Waves have had at least four players finish in double-figures this season.
The Golden Eagles got off to a hot start by taking a quick 4-0 lead, yet five-straight points from Melone swung the game back in Pepperdine's favor. However, Cal State LA went on a 14-2 run in the first quarter to take an 18-7 lead. Brubaker answered the call by hitting a corner three to put Pepperdine within eight, then she sank two free throws to help Pepperdine make it a 21-12 game after the first 10 minutes of action.
Pepperdine's defense tightened up in the second quarter, as they didn't allow a Cal State LA field goal for the first three-and-a-half minutes. In that span, Friend got to work by banking in a difficult jumper through contact, then making the free throw to complete the three-point play. Nwaba's layup with 6 minutes and 48 seconds to go cut the Golden Eagles' lead to four, 21-17, yet a three on the other end momentarily gave momentum back to the visitors. Another Brubaker three, then free throws from Nwaba made it a one-possession game until the Golden Eagles went on a mini 7-0 run to help them take a 34-28 lead heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Waves quickly flipped the script on a game, as a Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C./Northwest Guilford HS) layup on the first possession of the second half helped spur a 9-3 Pepperdine run. The Waves found most of their success driving to the basket and drawing fouls: Brubaker made a pair of free throws, then back-to-back layups from Nwaba tied the game at 43-all. On Pepperdine's next possession, Melone corralled a Pepperdine miss, sank a turnaround jumper and gave the Waves a 45-43 lead.
From that point forward, Pepperdine never trailed.
Sparked by a Brubaker three, the Waves went on a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter and take a 57-48 lead. From there, the Waves didn't look back: Emerita Mashaire (Helsinki, Finland/HBA Marksy) chipped in three points, then Melone's three-pointer with 3 minutes and 21 seconds left gave Pepperdine a double-digit lead. The Golden Eagles turned to their press to try to get back in the game, but the Waves made seven free throws in the last 66 seconds to ice the game.
UP NEXT: Pepperdine begins West Coast Conference play at San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 4:30 p.m. All WCC games will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
