Pepperdine University
Loyola Marymount
Waves Host LMU for First Iteration of the PCH Cup
1/5/2024 2:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MALIBU, Calif. — Playing in its West Coast Conference home opener, the Pepperdine women's basketball team hosts Loyola Marymount for 2023-24's first iteration of the PCH Cup rivalry series on Saturday at 2 p.m. It will also be the first half of a doubleheader with the men's team, which hosts Santa Clara at 7 p.m.
Blue replica jerseys will be given away to the first 50 students with valid Pepperdine IDs. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT; the game will be streamed on ESPN+. Tickets for both games in the doubleheader can be purchased at tickets.pepperdinewaves.com.
On Saturday, the Waves are looking to start 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2017-18. Pepperdine owns a 60-33 advantage in the all-time PCH Cup rivalry series. The Waves have won the last three meetings in Firestone Fieldhouse.
Like all rivalries, last year's edition of the PCH Cup in Malibu was a heated affair, yet the Waves prevailed for a 68-48 win. However, the Lions would even the season series in Gersten Pavilion with a 76-71 win less than a month later.
GAME #15: Pepperdine VS. LMU | Saturday, Jan. 6 | Firestone Fieldhouse | Malibu, Calif. | ESPN+ | 2 p.m. PT
SCOUTING THE WAVES
The Waves are coming off a come-from-behind, 53-52 road victory over the San Diego Toreros on Thursday. Senior Jane Nwaba was the heroine, making the go-ahead layup with 34 seconds left to give Pepperdine back-to-back wins in its WCC opener.
Nwaba (Carson, Calif./Palisades Charter HS) notched 14 points and tied her career high with 12 rebounds in Thursday's win over San Diego, giving her back-to-back games with a double-double. Her five double-doubles lead the team and are tied for the second most among WCC players.
Interim Head Coach Kelsey Keizer's squad got a lift from the return of graduate transfer forward Myra Gordon and the season debut of graduate transfer Mi'Cole Cayton — the only known eighth-year player in Division I — this past Saturday. Gordon was Pepperdine's third-leading scorer at 8.2 points per game before missing the last three games. She scored seven points off the bench in her return on Saturday.
So far, Pepperdine's defense hasn't let up in conference play. The Waves' defense leads the WCC in field goal percentage defense (37.2%), three-point percentage defense (25.8%) and defensive rebounds per game (27.3). They are second in blocks per game (4.5); KK Brodie leads Pepperdine and is 74th among D1 players with 1.55 blocks per game.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
The Lions are looking to rebound after a 63-38 home loss to San Francisco on Thursday, in which senior forward Alexis Mark was the lone bright spot for LMU with 18 points and six boards. LMU connected on a season-low 23.6% of its field goals — including a 17.4% clip from beyond the arc — and was held under 40 points for the first time since scoring 39 against Portland on Jan. 28, 2023.
The PCH Cup rivals aim to improve on their eighth- and ninth-place standings in the WCC Preseason Poll. Part of the uncertainty around both teams was their rosters: Like Pepperdine, LMU brought in 10 newcomers in the offseason, essentially giving the teams clean slates for 2023-24.
The aforementioned Mark was one of the holdovers from a year ago, and she leads the Lions by averaging 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Mark and fellow returners Amaya Oliver (9.2 points, team-high 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game) and Nicole Rodriguez (9.8 points per game) are the top three scorers for the Lions; however, LMU has had to adapt to playing without Rodriguez, who has missed the last two games with an injury. Her status for Saturday is unknown as of press time.
Transfers Cynthia Ezeja (Pitt), Soufia Inoussa (New Mexico State) and Sydney Gandy (Idaho) round out the LMU starters, and each brings something different to the table. Ezeja has been an effective rebounder (5.3 per game) and rim protector (0.7 blocks per game) albeit in limited minutes. Inoussa has started in all 13 games and ranks among LMU's top five players with 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Gandy has attempted 55 threes this year — good for second on the team — yet only averages 1.1 makes per game.
UP NEXT: Pepperdine will make its first trip to the Bay Area next Thursday to take on San Francisco at 6 p.m. Like all WCC games, it will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
