The Pepperdine women's basketball team lost a close 54-63 battle to Oregon State Thursday night in Gill Coliseum.
 
The Waves (8-12, 3-8) kept it close all night, aided by points beyond the arc, but the Beavers (10-13, 6-6) showed up defensively in the fourth quarter, allowing just six points in the 54-63 heartbreaker.
 
 
BIG WAVES
 
Senior Ornela Muca (Athens, Greece) led Pepperdine with 15 points, including shooting  a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe.
 
Senior Malia Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) was the other Wave in double digits tonight, scoring 12 with four rebounds and two assists.
 
KEY STATS
 
Pepperdine hit six threes, outshooting Oregon State from distance .375 to .286 .
 
The Waves capitalized on Beaver turnovers, scoring 19 off Oregon State mistakes.
 
Oregon State held the advantage in rebounds 44-28.
 
RECAP
 
Entering the game today, the Waves knew it would be a battle, but wIth Faulkner and company leading the charge, Pepperdine was ready for the fight.
 
Starting the game off, senior Maggie Vick (Morristown, Tenn.) cashed in on the first turnover of the night by the Beavs, putting the Waves on the board first with a mid-range jumper. Freshman Chloe Sotell (Samford, Conn) followed with a three as Oregon State tried to pull away early. Two crucial fouls by the Beavers on three-point shots gave the Waves six free throws to keep the game within reach as Oregon State took a 22-17 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
 
Vick and senior Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C.) had the first baskets for the Waves in the second quarter, offsetting four Oregon State points. Pepperdine closed out the half with five unanswered points by Mastora and senior Emerita Mashaire (Helsinki, Finland) who hit a long jumper at the buzzer to bring the Waves within four, trailing 31-35 at half.
 
The third quarter was by far the best for the Waves. Shooting .462 from the field, including 4-for-5 from three, Pepperdine was on Oregon State's heels. Two of those four came from Mastora, who was 3-for-4 from distance on the night. At the end of three, the Waves were within one possession with a score of 48-51 headed to the fourth.
 
Both teams struggled to find any offense in the fourth as only one basket was scored in the opening three minutes. Key turnovers and missed opportunities to rebound proved detrimental to Pepperdine, who was forced to foul to get the ball back into their hands at the end of the game.
 
The Waves lost a close one 54-63 in the first meetup with Oregon State in over a decade.
 
UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine heads two hours north to Portland, taking on the Pilots Saturday night at the Chiles Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the game can be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).