SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Pepperdine women's basketball players Helena Friend and Jane Nwaba were named 2023-24 West Coast Conference Honorable Mention All-Academic selections, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.

To be eligible for the WCC's academic awards, players must have a 3.20-grade point average or higher, play in at least 50% of the team's games and be a significant contributor to the team. Freshmen, redshirt freshmen and transfers in their first year of play at their current WCC institutions were not considered for the award.

A political science major from Huntington Beach, Calif., Friend maintained a 3.214 grade point average last semester. On the court, Friend has become a regular starter and one of Pepperdine's leaders on defense this season. Once the calendar flipped to 2024, Friend worked her way into the starting lineup, where she was Pepperdine's second-leading scorer at 7.5 points per game in conference play. This is Friend's second honorable mention selection.

Nwaba, who completed her bachelor's degree in psychology in December and is pursuing her MA in psychology at the Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology, maintained a 3.447 grade point average this season. On the court, Nwaba averages 10.4 points., 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game — all of which lead the Waves. The senior from Carson, Calif. is one double-double away from entering Pepperdine's top-10 career and single-season double-double rankings. This is Nwaba's third honorable mention selection.

Friend, Nwaba and the Waves will take on 8-seed San Diego in the Credit Union 1 WCC Championships, held in Las Vegas, Nev. tomorrow at noon.