The Pepperdine women's basketball team's shots stopped falling in the second half, quickly diminishing an early lead in the 41-56 loss. 
 
The Waves (6-9, 1-5) led the Gaels (10-7, 6-2) in the first half, but offense fizzled out in the latter 20 minutes of the game.
 
BIG WAVES
 
Senior Makena Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) got the first double-double of the season for the Waves with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Senior Maggie Vick (Morristown, Tenn.) had the second-most rebounds with nine and notched five points.
 
KEY STATS
 
The Waves out-rebounded their opponent for the fourth time this season 49-39.
 
Saint Mary's grabbed 12 steals compared to Pepperdine's four, contributing to the lopsided stat line for points off turnovers, which the Gaels led 24-6.
 
Shooting 21.2 percent from the field, Pepperdine could not get shots to fall.
 
RECAP
 
It was a slow start for both teams from the tip. With neither team able to find the basket in the opening minutes, the first points were scored on free throws by senior Malia Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) to give the Waves an early 2-0 lead.
 
Things picked up after the first timeout and both teams started to find more of a rhythm. Five points from both Mastora sisters and two baskets from behind the arc aided Pepperdine in maintaining their lead over Saint Mary's 17-10 after the opening quarter.
 
The Gaels started to come back in the second quarter, but the Waves held defensively to keep up. Leading by nine with 8:35 to go, three buckets from range for the Gaels would erase the Pepperdine advantage. Through the first half, Pepperdine was shooting 24 percent from the field compared to Saint Mary's 25 percent. For the first time this season, the Waves were tied at halftime, going into the locker room with a 26-26 game.
 
Going 1-for-8 from the field in the third quarter, offense was halted on all fronts for Pepperdine. An 8-0 Gael run quickly put the Waves in a hole that would prove to be too deep to climb out of for the remainder of the game.
 
Shooting slightly improved in the fourth, but going 0-for-11 from distance extinguished all momentum the Waves tried to gain.
 
Pepperdine lost 41-56 in Moraga.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Waves travel south to take on San Diego Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).