Thursday, March 2
Las Vegas, Nev.
12:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
vs
Santa Clara (WCC 1st Round)
Photo by: Charlie Blake
Women's Basketball Set to Take on Santa Clara in First Round of WCC Tournament
2/28/2023 8:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MALIBU, Calif. – The #9-seeded Pepperdine women's basketball team opens up the University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament by taking on #8-seeded Santa Clara at 12 p.m.
GAME #29: Thursday (March 2) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.: #9 Pepperdine (10-18, 5-13 WCC) vs. #8 Santa Clara (15-16, 6-12 WCC) at 12 PM.
TV COVERAGE: The first and second rounds will be broadcasted on the Bally Sports family of networks, as well as by both BYUtv and WCCsports.com – with no geo-restrictions. Links to the broadcasts as well as live stats are available on the women's basketball schedule page on PepperdineWaves.com. Fans can also follow @WavesHoops on Twitter for live, in-game updates.
WAVECASTS: All Pepperdine WCC Tournament games, men's and women's, can be listened to online via WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, a 2015 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who is now in his 38th season, will be behind the microphone.
SERIES VS. SANTA CLARA: The Waves have a one game advantage (43-42) over the Broncos in the overall series. Pepperdine defeated Santa Clara both times this season, including the most recent victory coming in the regular season finale in Firestone Fieldhouse, when the Waves took down the Broncos 74-59. Pepperdine has a 7-2 overall record at the WCC Tournament over Santa Clara.
2021-22 WCC TOURNAMENT: Last year, the Waves fell in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament to Loyola Marymount 64-54. The tournament was eventually won by Gonzaga who defeated BYU 71-59.
WCC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The Waves enter their 31st WCC Tournament with an all-time record of 27-27. Pepperdine won three championships in 2002, 2003 and 2006 and have reached the semifinal twice in the past three seasons.
WCC LEADERS: Pepperdine has multiple players in the top-20 in WCC Stats. Ally Stedman is third in the conference in steals (1.8) and seventh in points (15.6). Marly Walls ranks fourth in assists (4.4), ninth in steals (1.5), and 14th in both points (12.3) and rebounds (5.4). Theresa Grace Mbanefo is fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (49.2%), 13th in points (12.3) and 18th in blocked shots (0.6). Becky Obinma ranks sixth in rebounds (6.7) and 11th in blocked shots (0.8). KK Brodie is 10th in the conference in blocked shots (0.9). Meaali'i Amosa is 13th in the WCC for rebounds (5.5). Jane Nwaba ranks 19th in assists (2.3).
LAST GAME: Pepperdine defeated Santa Clara in the regular-season finale 74-59 last Saturday afternoon in Firestone Fieldhouse. Becky Obinma collected career-highs in points (19) and rebounds (14) for her fifth double-double. Theresa Grace Mbanefo tied her season-high 20 points. Mbanefo had eight rebounds and also tied her season-high in assists with four. Marly Walls dished a career-high 12 assists.
AT THE HELM: Brian Rosario is currently the acting head coach for the Waves. He is in his fourth season at Pepperdine and has helped the Waves to a 39-68 overall record through three seasons.
THE SQUAD: The Waves bring back eight returners and add six newcomers to the team. The returners include a redshirt senior (Obinma), two juniors (Carson and Jane Nwaba), a redshirt junior (Isabel Montoya), three sophomores (Amosa, Helena Friend and Stedman) and redshirt sophomore (Rosemary Odebumni). New to Malibu are graduate student transfers Theresa Grace Mbanefo and Marly Walls, and four true freshmen in KK Brodie, Drea Brumfield, Hailey Hoff and Hailey Johnson.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY: Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 20 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2021-22). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #55 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
GAME #29: Thursday (March 2) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.: #9 Pepperdine (10-18, 5-13 WCC) vs. #8 Santa Clara (15-16, 6-12 WCC) at 12 PM.
TV COVERAGE: The first and second rounds will be broadcasted on the Bally Sports family of networks, as well as by both BYUtv and WCCsports.com – with no geo-restrictions. Links to the broadcasts as well as live stats are available on the women's basketball schedule page on PepperdineWaves.com. Fans can also follow @WavesHoops on Twitter for live, in-game updates.
WAVECASTS: All Pepperdine WCC Tournament games, men's and women's, can be listened to online via WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, a 2015 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who is now in his 38th season, will be behind the microphone.
SERIES VS. SANTA CLARA: The Waves have a one game advantage (43-42) over the Broncos in the overall series. Pepperdine defeated Santa Clara both times this season, including the most recent victory coming in the regular season finale in Firestone Fieldhouse, when the Waves took down the Broncos 74-59. Pepperdine has a 7-2 overall record at the WCC Tournament over Santa Clara.
2021-22 WCC TOURNAMENT: Last year, the Waves fell in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament to Loyola Marymount 64-54. The tournament was eventually won by Gonzaga who defeated BYU 71-59.
WCC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The Waves enter their 31st WCC Tournament with an all-time record of 27-27. Pepperdine won three championships in 2002, 2003 and 2006 and have reached the semifinal twice in the past three seasons.
WCC LEADERS: Pepperdine has multiple players in the top-20 in WCC Stats. Ally Stedman is third in the conference in steals (1.8) and seventh in points (15.6). Marly Walls ranks fourth in assists (4.4), ninth in steals (1.5), and 14th in both points (12.3) and rebounds (5.4). Theresa Grace Mbanefo is fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (49.2%), 13th in points (12.3) and 18th in blocked shots (0.6). Becky Obinma ranks sixth in rebounds (6.7) and 11th in blocked shots (0.8). KK Brodie is 10th in the conference in blocked shots (0.9). Meaali'i Amosa is 13th in the WCC for rebounds (5.5). Jane Nwaba ranks 19th in assists (2.3).
LAST GAME: Pepperdine defeated Santa Clara in the regular-season finale 74-59 last Saturday afternoon in Firestone Fieldhouse. Becky Obinma collected career-highs in points (19) and rebounds (14) for her fifth double-double. Theresa Grace Mbanefo tied her season-high 20 points. Mbanefo had eight rebounds and also tied her season-high in assists with four. Marly Walls dished a career-high 12 assists.
AT THE HELM: Brian Rosario is currently the acting head coach for the Waves. He is in his fourth season at Pepperdine and has helped the Waves to a 39-68 overall record through three seasons.
THE SQUAD: The Waves bring back eight returners and add six newcomers to the team. The returners include a redshirt senior (Obinma), two juniors (Carson and Jane Nwaba), a redshirt junior (Isabel Montoya), three sophomores (Amosa, Helena Friend and Stedman) and redshirt sophomore (Rosemary Odebumni). New to Malibu are graduate student transfers Theresa Grace Mbanefo and Marly Walls, and four true freshmen in KK Brodie, Drea Brumfield, Hailey Hoff and Hailey Johnson.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY: Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 20 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2021-22). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #55 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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