The Pepperdine women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Thursday afternoon in a hard-fought 56-65 battle at UC Irvine.
 
The Waves (1-1) were up at half, but a big third quarter by the Anteaters (1-1) would swing momentum the opponent's way for the remainder of the game.
 
BIG WAVES
 
Graduate Makena Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) led the Waves in points with 13 going 8-for-9.
 
Freshman Chloe Sotell (Stamford, Conn.) scored 12, including two from beyond the arch, and tied for a team-high three assists.
 
KEY STATS
 
The Waves made four of the 24 three-pointers shot, shooting 16.7% compared to UC Irvine's 33.3%.
 
Pepperdine capitalized off of UC Irvine fouls, shooting 78.3% from the free throw line.
 
With seven lead changes and eight tied moments, the Waves were in the game for the whole 40 minutes, despite only holding the lead for just under three minutes.
 
RECAP
 
Last season, the Anteaters dropped the season opener to the Waves inside Firestone Fieldhouse. Trying to repeat the result, Pepperdine came out swinging. Senior Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C.) had the first five points for the Waves, accounting for nine of the 15 first-quarter points.
 
Trailing by seven entering the second quarter, Pepperdine locked down defensively. Senior Ella Burbaker (University Place, Wash.) had two steals, contributing to the defense's efforts in holding the Anteaters to just six points in 10 minutes. The Mastora sisters contributed nine of the quarters 15 points, including a three from graduate Malia Mastora (Alameda, Calif.).
 
At half, the Waves led by two in a 30-28 game.
 
Things started to unravel for Pepperdine in the third quarter. Being outscored 24-8, UC Irvine scored ten points off turnovers, compared to Pepperdine's zero. Brubaker had the most points of the quarter with four, followed by Sotell who drained her second three of the day to try and keep her team within striking distance.
 
Similar to Monday night's game, Pepperdine was brewing a comeback in the fourth quarter. Going on a 10 point run to start the last quarter, the Waves had cut the deficit to five with 3:30 to go in the game. The Waves would not be able to get closer than that, going back and forth with the Anteaters for the remainder of the game.
 
Pepperdine dropped its second game of the season 56-65.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Waves do not have to go far Tuesday as they battle UCLA in Pauley Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.