A tough defensive battle did not break in the Pepperdine women's basketball team's favor in a close 61-68 loss to Long Beach State Sunday afternoon. 
 
The Waves (4-3) kept even with the Beach (3-3) the entire 40 minutes but LBSU won the rebounding battle which proved to be the difference in the game. Three starters on LBSU's squad racked up 34 of the team's 53 rebounds in the game.

Despite the loss, for the third time in four games a Wave set another career-high. This time, freshman Chloe Sotell (Samford, Conn.) scored 19 points in Sunday's game, shattering her previous record of 12 points set at the beginning of the season vs. Cal State Fullerton Nov. 7.
 
"We are in the process of becoming a good basketball team. You have to find different ways to win when things aren't going your way," Head coach Katie Faulkner said. "It's still early, and to miss on as many little things and still be in the game shows there's something there to build off and grow from."
 
BIG WAVES
 
Senior Ella Brubaker (University Place, Wash.) led the Waves in two categories with 20 points and seven rebounds. 13 of those 20 points came in the first half, including seven consecutively near the end of the second quarter.
 
In addition to her career-high, Sotell also dished out two assists. The Connecticut native shot .471 from the field as well as .375 from three. 
 
Senior Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C.) was the third Wave in double digits this afternoon with 10 points, also contributing four rebounds and two blocks.
 
KEY STATS
 
The Waves outshot Long Beach from three, good for 6-21 beyond the arc compared to LBSU's 1-21.
 
Offensive rebounds took the game out of Pepperdine's reach as LBSU knocked down 21 second-chance points compared to the Waves' three.
 
Long Beach scored 54 of their 68 points in the paint, compared to Pepperdine's 24 in the same region.
 
The teams were even from the field, both shooting 38.3 percent for the entire game.
 
RECAP
 
From the first minutes of the game, it was evident that the contest would be a battle and neither team would lead by more than a possession for all but 2:30 of the opening ten minutes. Senior Makena Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) led the Waves in the first quarter with five points. Pepperdine was able to capitalize on Long Beach fouls while LBSU outrebounded the Waves 17-10, partial reason for the back-and-forth nature of the game.
 
Shooting a game-high 53.8 percent from the field in the second quarter, Pepperdine knocked down seven of its 13 shots from the field. The Waves went on their best scoring run of the game near the end of the first half. Down 26-32 nearing the end of the second quarter, Brubaker would score the next seven, and a layup by Harkey right before time expired would give the Waves a three-point advantage heading to the locker room.
 
The second half began similarly to the first. Sotell scored two-thirds of the Waves' points in the third quarter, finding two beyond the arc in a 12-point ten minute performance. Long Beach gained two on Pepperdine, making it a one-point game headed into the fourth.
 
LBSU took the lead early in the fourth and held it for the remainder of the game. Shooting just 17.6 percent from the field, the shots stopped falling and the Waves were unable to block out senior Long Beach State guard Lovely Sonnier. Four points in the paint for the Waves was not enough to maintain the lead as LBSU was able to get 16 in the paint in the fourth to secure the win for the home team. An even game ended haphazardly for the Waves in a 61-68 final.
 
 
UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine returns home this Friday for a duel against Nevada. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. – Bring your ugliest Christmas sweater to win the contest at halftime!