Pepperdine University
Washington State
Pepperdine Ends 2024 On the Road
12/27/2024 2:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Pepperdine women's basketball team closes out 2024 on the road in Washington with a pair of games against the Washington State Cougars and Gonzaga Bulldogs.
GAME #11 – Saturday (Dec. 28) Pepperdine (5-5, 0-1) vs. Washington State (6-6, 1-0) at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.
GAME #12 – Monday (Dec. 30) Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga (6-7, 1-1) at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
COVERAGE: Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Live stats can be found at www.pepperdinewaves.com
SERIES VS. WASHINGTON STATE: With this being Washington State's first year in the West Coast Conference, the Waves have only faced the Cougars a total of three times, most recently in the 2019-2020 season. Pepperdine looks to even the series, currently standing at 1-2 with both losses coming in Pullman.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS: Boasting a 6-6 schedule, notable wins for Washington State include a 75-74 victory in the Discover Puerto Rico Shootout over Virginia and a 65-42 win over San Diego to start the first season in the WCC conference 1-0. Senior Tara Wallack leads the Cougars averaging 14.1 points per game, followed closely behind by sophomore Eleonora Villa who is averaging 13.9 points per game. The Cougars currently sit at second in the NCAA for blocks per game, averaging 7.2.
SERIES VS. GONZAGA: Through 80 games, Pepperdine is 30-50 against Gonzaga. The Waves have not beat the Bulldogs since the 2016-2017 season. The last win in Spokane ages back to the 2006-07 season. Win or lose, a game has not had a margin less than 10 points between the two squads since 2014.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Gonzaga sits right in the middle of NET ranking for the WCC, currently at fifth in the conference and 161st overall. To open up conference play, the Bulldogs' 22 conference win streak came to an end in a 58-73 loss against the San Francisco Dons. Graduate Yvonne Ejim, the 2024 WCC player of the year, WCC defensive player of the year, Becky Hammon player of the year, and AP All-American Honorable mention is picking up where she left off last season, averaging 20.5 points per game, scoring double digits in every game and recording five double-doubles.
LAST TIME OUT: Opening conference play at home, Pepperdine lost a heartbreaker Saturday, Dec. 21 in a 69-70 loss to Santa Clara in Malibu. In her team-leading 17 point performance, senior Ella Brubaker (University Place, Wash.) surpassed 1,500 career points. A total of five Waves scored double digits in the Saturday afternoon game, including senior Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C.) who scored 12 and led the team in rebounds with seven.
THE SQUAD: Pepperdine returns eight on the 12-person roster. New faces include transfers Malia and Makena Mastora, sisters from Cal State San Marcos and Saint Mary's, respectively. Other new faces include graduate Ornela Muca from Cal and freshman Chloe Sotell from Stamford, Conn.
SOARING SOTELL: Chloe is growing into her own and serving a pivotal role as her first season of collegiate basketball gets underway. Over the past five games, Sotell has averaged 16.2 ppg and 3.2 assists. The Connecticut native is the only freshman on the team and currently has the second-most points scored through the first nine games, including a team-high 23 threes.
BREWING WITH BRUBAKER: Tying her highest D-I performance three separate times this season, the senior is shaping up to have her best year yet with the Waves. Leading the team, the Washington native has 118 points, averaging 11.8 a game, and a .875 free throw percentage. The Washington native currently sits at 38th in the NCAA in free throw percentage.
AT THE HELM: Katie Faulkner is entering her first year as the head coach of the Waves. Previously, Faulkner served as an assistant at the University of Washington for three seasons. During her tenure, Faulkner took Washington to the WNIT Final four in the program's first postseason berth in six years. Prior to joining the Huskies, the Montana alumnae served as an assistant coach at Oregon State from 2016-2021. In those five seasons, the Beavers garnered a 118-37 record while going to the NCAA tournament four years in a row, including a 2018 Elite Eight appearance.
CATCH THE WAVES — Season tickets for Pepperdine men's and women's basketball are currently on sale at PepperdineWaves.com/Tickets (http://pepperdinewaves.com/tickets). Single game tickets are also available for purchase. Season ticket prices begin at $99 and fans have the opportunity to purchase a pass for priority parking near Firestone Fieldhouse for $200.
