MALIBU, Calif. —  The Pepperdine women's basketball team fought valiantly for three quarters, yet the Saint Mary's Gaels pulled ahead in the second half to hand the Waves a 69-48 loss in the West Coast Conference regular-season finale.

The Waves (5-24, 1-15 WCC) led for 22 minutes and change thanks to a solid first quarter of play, while the Gaels (13-17, 6-10 WCC) got back into the game by forcing 13 second-half turnovers. All told, Pepperdine out-rebounded Saint Mary's 33-26 and was more accurate at the free-throw line while the Gaels out-shot the Waves by making 51% of their field goals to Pepperdine's 36% mark.

Playing her 53rd and final game in Firestone Fieldhouse, senior Jane Nwaba (Carson, Calif. Palisades Charter HS) led Pepperdine once again with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C./Northwest Guilford HS) also finished with 12 points, while graduate senior Mi'Cole Cayton (Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's HS) chipped in nine points. 

 

BIG WAVES

• Jane Nwaba (Carson, Calif. Palisades Charter HS) finished with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.

• Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C./Northwest Guilford HS) also finished with 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting, plus she had four rebounds and a block.

• Mi'Cole Cayton (Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's HS) added nine points, five rebounds and three assists in her first start of the season.

In a game where Pepperdine inducted forward Miranda Ayim into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame, the frontcourt set the tone early. Harkey scored on back-to-back possessions, and a pair of Maggie Vick (Morristown, Tenn./Lakeway Christian HS) free throws put the Waves up 6-2 in the first three minutes of action. Pepperdine connected on 50% of its field goals in the first quarter as the Waves led by as many as eight off Nwaba's three-pointer with 3 minutes and 46 seconds to go.

Heading into the second quarter with a 19-13 lead, the Waves nearly saw their lead slip away when the Gaels opened the quarter on a 5-0 run while Pepperdine's offense stalled. But Nwaba drove through traffic and Addi Melone (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) nailed a three to push Pepperdine's lead back to six, yet the Gaels made it a one-possession game with a three on the other end. The Waves' lead shrunk down to one point until on their final possession, Nwaba found Cayton in front of the Gaels' bench for a three that gave Pepperdine a 29-25 advantage at halftime.

During the second half, Pepperdine led by as many as four points off Nwaba's second three of the game, which made the score 32-28 with over nine minutes left. However, Saint Mary's went on a 9-0 run over the next 4 minutes and 5 seconds to put the Waves on their heels. Harkey made two of Pepperdine's four goals in the third quarter to help keep Pepperdine afloat, but Saint Mary's eventually took a 46-38 lead heading into the final frame.

Unfortunately for the Waves, they could only manage to pull within seven of the Gaels before a decisive 14-3 run midway through the fourth quarter put the game out of reach.

UP NEXT: The Waves will be the 9-seed in the 2024 Credit Union 1 WCC Championship and play 8-seed San Diego on Thursday, March 7 at noon. All WCC Championship games will be live-streamed on ESPN+.