MALIBU, Calif. — Kicking off its annual Pacific Northwest trip, the Pepperdine women's basketball team has a test at the West Coast Conference-leading #19 Gonzaga Bulldogs in Spokane, Wash. on Thursday.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be livestreamed on ESPN+ and broadcasted regionally via SWX Sports. All pertinent links can be found on the women's basketball team's schedule page at pepperdinewaves.com.
Thursday marks the Waves' first game against an opponent ranked in the AP Top 25 since facing the 17th-ranked Bulldogs on Jan. 28, 2023. Gonzaga holds a 30-48 lead in the all-time series and has won the last 12 meetings.
GAME #23: Pepperdine at #19 Gonzaga | Thursday, Feb. 8 | McCarthey Athletic Center | Spokane, Wash. | ESPN+ and SWX Sports | 6 p.m. PT
SCOUTING THE WAVES
Pepperdine is looking to steer out of an eight-game skid after taking on several of the league's top teams at home last week. The Waves are tied for eighth in the conference with San Diego, which they hold the tiebreaker over thanks to a 53-52 road win on Jan. 4.
Last week at home against San Francisco and Santa Clara, senior guard Jane Nwaba averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for the Waves — all of which led the team in both contests. The senior from Carson, Calif. scored a career-high 22 points against the Dons on 8-for-15 shooting from the field, which was Pepperdine's first 20-point individual performance in WCC action. She currently leads Pepperdine with 9.6 points, 7.5 rebounds (4th in the WCC), 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
So far, seven different Waves have led the team in scoring and eight have finished in double-figures during conference play. As a unit, Pepperdine's bench averages 22.6 points per game, which ranks 66th in Division I and second in the WCC behind Portland.
In the team's most recent outing against Santa Clara, Emerita Mashaire led the Waves with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting off the bench — including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. She, Nwaba and Helena Friend were the double-figure scorers for the Waves, while Maggie Vick chipped in seven points and five rebounds.
Friend, in particular, has made an immediate impact for Pepperdine ever since entering the starting lineup against San Francisco on Jan. 11. Over the last five games, Friend has averaged 9.0 points and 3.0 steals per game, the latter of which was boosted by a career-high five steals at Pacific and two, four-steal outings against Portland and Santa Clara.
Pepperdine has a 5-75 all time record against AP Top 25 opponents with its last win over a ranked opponent coming on Feb. 2, 2019 against #25 BYU. The Waves have a 0-12 record against the Bulldogs when Gonzaga is ranked.
This week, the Waves are searching for their first win in the McCarthey Athletic Center since 2007, however, the building holds additional historical importance for the Pepperdine women's basketball program. Pepperdine won the 2006 WCC Championship title in McCarthey Athletic Center after upsetting 1-seed Santa Clara 71-67 on March 5, 2006.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
In short: They're good.
To elaborate on the Bulldogs' success this year: Head Coach Lisa Fortier's squad is currently one of two ranked teams from outside the Power 6, boasts the nation's third-longest active win streak at 16 wins in a row — including upset wins over then-No. 3 Stanford and then-No. 20 Louisville — and has the WCC's best scoring offense (81.8 points per game) and the third-best scoring defense (61.8 points per game allowed).
The Bulldogs' last game decided by single digits was nearly two months ago, when Gonzaga beat Rice by eight. Ever since WCC play began, the Bulldogs have won each of their games by an average of 31.0 points.
Led by WCC Player of the Year candidate Yvonne Ejim and her league-leading 20.3 points per game, all five Bulldog starters average at least 10.0 points per game. Ejim was one of 16 finalists for the 2014 Wade Trophy, which is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in women's college basketball.
Bryanna Maxwell, she of 14.1 points per game (7th-WCC) is the league's leading three-point shooter, connecting on 2.8 threes per game on a 44.7% clip. Elsewhere in the backcourt, the Truong twins Kayleigh (12.7 PPG, 9th-WCC) and Kaylynne (11.1 PPG, 16th-WCC) have been stalwarts in Fortier's system; both players defend well and average over two made threes per game. This leaves Eliza Hollingsworth, a fifth-year Aussie who leads the team with 7.1 rebounds (6th-WCC) and 0.8 blocks per game (10th-WCC).
UP NEXT: Pepperdine heads to Portland to take on the Pilots on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m.
