EROSMALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's basketball team returns to Firestone Fieldhouse for a game against San Diego this Thursday at 6 p.m.
Free belt bags will be given to the first 50 students in attendance at Thursday's game, which doubles as the Waves' Mental Health Game. Like all West Coast Conference games, it will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Waves have a 49-42 lead in the all-time series with their most recent win coming on Jan. 4, when senior Jane Nwaba made a go-ahead layup with 34 seconds left to seal a 53-52 victory. In that game, Nwaba led the team with 14 points and tied her career-high with 12 rebounds. Helena Friend added nine points off the bench — including a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter that helped the Waves pull off the comeback.
GAME #25: Pepperdine vs. San Diego | Thursday, Feb. 15 | Firestone Fieldhouse | Malibu, Calif. | ESPN+ | 6 p.m. PT
SCOUTING THE WAVES
Thursday's home game comes at an opportune time for the Waves, who return from their annual Pacific Northwest swing against Gonzaga and Portland — the top two teams in the WCC. Pepperdine is looking to get back on track against the Toreros, who earned their first win in conference play on Feb. 3 against San Francisco.
Last Saturday against Portland, the Waves hung with the Pilots for the first half until the Pilots' press stymied the Waves into turning the ball over 24 times. Nwaba led Pepperdine with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Friend reached double-figures for the fifth time in the last seven games with 11 points.
Nwaba continues to lead the Waves in nearly every statistical category with 9.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. However, the Waves have five more players averaging at least 5.0 points per game.
All told, seven different Waves have led the team in scoring during WCC play, while eight have finished in double-figures in that same span. This balanced output has helped the Waves' bench average 22.0 points per game, which ranks second in the WCC and 69th in Division I.
SCOUTING THE TOREROS
In San Diego's most recent outing against Santa Clara, Harsimran Kaur scored a career-high 18 points to lead three Toreros in double-figures during the 83-57 road loss. Kylie Horstmeyer chipped in 12 points while Veronica Sheffey added 11.
Sophomore guard Veronica Sheffey is USD's lone double-figure scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game on 41.1% shooting. The offense runs through Sheffey, who averages 5.1 assists per game — good for third in the WCC.
The three-point-averse Toreros rank dead-last in the league with 3.2 made threes per game on a 27.7% clip (8th-WCC). However, teams have connected on 36.3% of their attempts from beyond the arc against USD, which is the highest mark among WCC teams.
While the Toreros lack in outside shooting and scoring, the team makes up for it on the glass, Individually, Kasey Neubert ranks second in the conference at 9.8 rebounds per game, while Harsimran Kaur is tied for 16th at 4.6 boards per game. When USD wins the battle of the boards, the team is 5-6.
UP NEXT: On Saturday, Pepperdine heads to Saint Mary's for its final road trip in WCC play before the 2024 Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship, held in Las Vegas, Nev.
