LAS VEGAS, Nev. —  The Pepperdine women's basketball team mustered a late rally and competed for all 40 minutes, yet the Waves saw their season come to an end in the first round of the Credit Union 1 WCC Championship with a 79-64 loss to 8-seed San Diego on Thursday. 

For a Pepperdine team that was looking for its first win since January, Thursday's game had all the hallmarks of a redemption story. The Waves struck first, then hung with the Toreros even after USD's offense woke up in the second quarter. Once Pepperdine's back was against the wall, veterans stepped up at critical moments. Whether it was Megan Harkey opening the second quarter with four consecutive points, eighth-year senior Mi'Cole Cayton sparking a third-quarter comeback, or the consistent effort of Jane Nwaba in her 18-point swan song, Pepperdine wouldn't go quietly.

Yet two USD scoring runs — a 13-0 run in the second quarter and a 12-2 stretch in the third — were ultimately the difference.

"I'm proud of our young ladies," Interim head coach Kelsey Keizer said. "We've battled through a lot this season, starting way before the start of the season. I think these young ladies have shown so much grit, toughness and perseverance."

Nothing has been easy for the 2023-24 Waves, who suited up 10 newcomers this year, had several players hampered with injuries and couldn't quite put everything together once conference play rolled around. But the matchup with the 8-seeded Toreros was favorable — the Waves did beat them 53-52 in the conference opener — and Pepperdine's combination of size and reliance on defense helped against San Diego.

For several moments in the first half, it looked like Pepperdine would snap its 16-game losing skid.

"Over the last few games, we've competed and we have been growing," Keizer said. "We've been playing together and we've been more competitive. But I keep saying we've been great in moments, yet we've struggled to stack it throughout the game. I thought they continued to show their resilience."

Pepperdine's upperclassmen showed out early. Nwaba kicked off the scoring for the Waves by scoring the team's first six points — first off a pull-up jumper, then with back-to-back contested layups. As both teams see-sawed in the first quarter, Maggie Vick made a put-back to put Pepperdine up 10-6, then the Waves tied the game at 13-all with three free throws. The team carried that momentum into the second quarter, as Harkey scored four quick points and Las Vegas native Addi Melone nailed a three to make it a 20-17 game in favor of Pepperdine.

However, the Toreros turned the tide with a 13-0 run. San Diego took a 10-point lead with 3 minutes and 11 seconds in the half, which eventually snowballed to a 35-26 halftime advantage that put Pepperdine in an all-too-familiar position. The Waves needed answers.

Enter Cayton.

The eighth-year senior kicked off her big third quarter by finding Jorynn Ross for two points, then Cayton went on a personal 5-0 run that cut the deficit to five — first with a driving layup and then by nailing a deep three that prompted a USD timeout. All told, Cayton scored seven of her 11 points in the third quarter, helping Pepperdine to cut the Toreros' lead to single digits twice.

"With our season on the line, that riled everyone up," Nwaba said. "You saw that with Mi'Cole Cayton — she wanted it and we all wanted it too."

Unfortunately for Pepperdine, the team still trailed 53-38 heading into the fourth quarter. Although the Waves were in a similar position in their win at San Diego earlier this season, the Toreros held serve this time.

While Pepperdine used its full-court press for most of the fourth quarter, the Waves could only manage to pull within eight points of San Diego. Nwaba and Cayton went on a 7-0 run in 93 seconds to make it a 69-56 game, yet San Diego guard Veronica Sheffey's personal 5-0 run pushed the Toreros' lead to double-digits for good. Foul trouble caught up with the Waves late, hindering their comeback attempt. Half of USD's 26 fourth-quarter points came from the charity stripe — including 10 of its final 12 points.

With the loss, Pepperdine concludes its 48th season with a 5-25 record and a 1-15 record in WCC play. San Diego will take on the 5-seed Pacific Tigers tomorrow at noon.

BIG WAVES

• Jane Nwaba (Carson, Calif. Palisades Charter HS) was Pepperdine's leading scorer with 18 points, plus she added four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

• Mi'Cole Cayton (Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's HS) finished in double-figures in her second-consecutive start, scoring 11 points — including seven in the third quarter — and adding five assists, three steals, two rebounds and a block.

• Freshman Jorynn Ross (Milwaukee, Wisc./Summer Creek HS) had a solid showing in her first collegiate postseason game with 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.

• Playing in her hometown for the first time this season, Addi Melone (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) chipped in eight points and three assists.

KEY STATS

• Nine different Waves found the scoring column, helping Pepperdine's bench out-score San Diego's 22-21.

• The Toreros won the rebounding battle by a 35-28 margin, plus they won the turnover battle by committing 15 turnovers to the Waves' 16. 

• San Diego finished 26-of-34 from the free-throw line, while Pepperdine went 11-for-14.

• Harsimran Kaur led all players with 21 points and eight rebounds.