The Pepperdine women's basketball team goes up North to take on the Gaels of Saint Mary's Thursday before passing over Malibu to play at San Diego Saturday.
 
GAME #15 –  Thursday (Jan. 16) Pepperdine at Saint Mary's (9-7,5-2) in University Credit Union Pavillion. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
 
GAME #16 –  Saturday (Jan. 18) Pepperdine at San Diego (4-11,0-6) in Jenny Craig Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
COVERAGE: Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Live stats can be found at www.pepperdinewaves.com
 
SERIES VS. SAINT MARYS: Although Pepperdine holds the advantage in Malibu at 22-15 over the Gaels, Moraga has historically held difficulties for the Waves with a 8-30 visiting record. The last win against Saint Mary's came in the latter half of the 2021-22 season in a 70-65 overtime victory in Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
SCOUTING THE GAELS: So far this season,the Gaels are 9-7 with a 5-2 conference record. Similar non-conference opponents include UC Riverside and Cal Baptist, two opponents the Gaels lost to who the Waves beat. In conference, Saint Mary's has only lost to San Francisco and Washington State while beating Santa Clara in overtime, who Pepperdine fell to by one at the start of conference play. Senior Makena Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) is an impact  transfer for the Waves this season, previously spending three years in Moraga. Mastora averaged 7.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per game last season with the Gaels, improving on her game since coming to Malibu.
 
SERIES VS. SAN DIEGO: The Waves hold a winning record of 50-44 all-time over the Toreros, including a 63-49 win in Firestone Fieldhouse Jan. 2 this season. Senior Ella Brubaker (University Place, Wash.) led the team with 14 points, followed closely behind by Mastora who had 13. Pepperdine outscored San Diego in three of the quarters, squashing any hope for a Torero comeback by the time the final 10 minutes came around.
 
SCOUTING THE TOREROS: Since last seeing the Toreros two weeks ago, they have lost to Pacific and Santa Clara while postponing familiar LA foe Loyola Marymount due to the fires still burning in the surrounding areas. Kylie Horstmeyer still leads the team in points, averaging 11.3 while Lauren McCall is over double anyone on the squad beyond the arc with 21 threes on the season.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Due to the ongoing fires around Los Angeles county, the most recent two games scheduled for the Waves against Portland and LMU were postponed to Feb. 10 and Jan. 28, respectively. Pepperdine last took the court two weeks ago at San Francisco Jan. 4 in a 60-76 loss. Freshman Chloe Sotell led the squad with 16 points while senior Emerita Mashaire had her first double-digit game of the season with 11. The Waves outshot the Dons from three, but could not make up the ground that was lost in the paint.
 
IN THE WCC: Currently in the top 25 for scoring, senior Ella Brubaker sits at 19 averaging 12.0 and freshman Chloe Sotell sits at 22nd averaging 11.0 points per game. The sole freshman on the roster appears in multiple categories among the top 25. For threes per game, she is third amongst all players with an average of 2.2 a game as well as 7th in the same category when just regarding conference games. Senior Makena Mastora is tied with the freshman, averaging 2.0 threes a game in conference play while also breaking the top-25 for rebounding in all games at 24th with an average of 4.6 a game. On the defensive side of the ball, senior Megan Harkey is 6th in the conference for blocks, averaging 1.3 a game.
 
SOARING SOTELL: Sitting eighth in the conference in assists and sixth in assist/turnover ratio through five games, Chloe is growing into her own and serving a pivotal role as her first season of collegiate basketball gets underway. The Connecticut native leads the team with 31 three-pointers, averaging 11 points over the season, including 13.3 the past six games. The last two games out, Sotell has dished out an average of 5.7 assists.
 
BREWING WITH BRUBAKER: Tying her highest D-I performance three separate times this season, the senior is shaping up to have her best year yet with the Waves. Leading the team, the Washington native has 168 points, averaging 12.0 a game. Currently 21st in the conference, the senior is averaging 1.2 steals per game.
 
AT THE HELM: Katie Faulkner is entering her first year as the head coach of the Waves. Previously, Faulkner served as an assistant at the University of Washington for three seasons. During her tenure, Faulkner took Washington to the WNIT Final four in the program's first postseason berth in six years. Prior to joining the Huskies, the Montana alumnae served as an assistant coach at Oregon State from 2016-2021. In those five seasons, the Beavers garnered a 118-37 record while going to the NCAA tournament four years in a row, including a 2018 Elite Eight appearance.
 

FIRE RELIEF: To assist those affected by the LA County fires, please visit this link for a list of ways to donate including the Pepperdine Strong Fund, the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu, the Malibu Urgent Care Center and more. Pepperdine is incredibly grateful to the firefighters and first responders who have kept thousands safe during these events.

CATCH THE WAVES — Season tickets for Pepperdine men's and women's basketball are currently on sale at PepperdineWaves.com/Tickets (http://pepperdinewaves.com/tickets). Single game tickets are also available for purchase. Season ticket prices begin at $99 and fans have the opportunity to purchase a pass for priority parking near Firestone Fieldhouse for $200.