LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (4-1) will celebrate Black Friday in the Galen Center, taking on the nationally-ranked USC Trojans (4-2) at 2 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Waves rolled over San Jose State at home with a final score of 76-52.
• Elli Guiney led the team for the fourth game this season with 19 points.
• Meghan Fiso led the Waves for the first game this season defensively, coming away from Sunday with 10 boards. 

 
GAME NOTES
• Starting the season at 4-1, it is Pepperdine's best start since the 2018-19 season.
• Through five games, the Waves have the No. 2 offense in the league, including first in both threes made and three-point percentage.
• With a 3-pt percentage of .397, the Waves are 14th in the nation.
• Elli Guiney, the sole sophomore on the Waves squad, has proven to be a difference maker five games into the season.
• Sixth in the WCC in scoring, Guiney has scored double digits four times, setting three new career-highs, two against DI opponents, most recently dropping 24 against NAU.
• Freshman Seleh Harmon has come off the bench in all give games, impacting the style of play greatly each time.
• In the West Coast Conference, Harmon is first in 3-point field goal percentage (.556), and first in 3 pointers per game with 3.0.
• Being just one of two teams at the DI level without a single player returning for the 2025-26 season, Coach Faulkner and her staff hit the transfer portal to build a team from scratch.
• Four freshmen are joined by eight transfers to make up the squad of 12.
• Five transfers come from Division one schools with a DII guard as well as a forward from a junior college in Dodge City, Kan.
• Outside of the United States, the Waves represent five different countries in Canada, Romania, Germany, Australia, and Spain.
• Irune Orio, a transfer from Xavier, is the Spanish representative while Ilinca Belegante comes from Romania. Lina Falk is the sole German and Taija St. Maria represents the north as the Canadian on the Waves.
• The three Australians all come from different areas with one from Perth, one from Melbourne, and the final from the Gold Coast.
• Makena Mastora, a graduate transfer into the Pepperdine women's basketball program last year, is now on the other side as an assistant coach.
• The Waves currently have one AP Top-25 team slated with a game at #18 USC Nov. 28.
• With the new addition of Seattle to the West Coast Conference, the schedule format leaves Pepperdine not traveling to Oregon State or Pacific. 
• In addition, the Waves will not host San Francisco or Gonzaga to Malibu, just playing on the road against the two opponents.
 
SERIES HISTORY

• Hunting for the first win against the Trojans, the Waves are 0-19 all-time versus the Los Angeles rival.
• This game will be the 10th inside the Galen Center, where Pepperdine is 0-9.
• The two have not played in over a decade, with the last matchup coming in the 2012-13 season.

 
 
SCOUTING THE TROJANS

• Sitting at 4-2, the nationally-ranked Trojans have only lost to teams in the Top-25 with a loss at Crypto Arena to No. 2 South Carolina and on the road to No. 24 Notre Dame.
• Just six games into the season, four Trojans average double digits per game, with Jazzy Davidson leading the way with 16.0 ppg.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Davidson also leads the charge with 7.2 boards per game.

 
Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+ with stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Pepperdine women's basketball has made four NCAA postseason appearances in its history, having won the WCC regular-season four times and the WCC Tournament on three occasions. With six All-American selections in program history, the Waves have also seen success in the WNIT Tournament which included a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2019.
 
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
 
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's soccer news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWBB.