LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (4-2) out-rebounded No. 18 USC (5-2) 35-32, but it was not enough as the Waves dropped Friday afternoon's contest 52-82.
 
"Games like that teach you a lot about yourself this early in the season and provide a road map for where we need to continue to improve," head coach Katie Faulkner said.  "I'm happy with our efforts on the boards, but we need to find a way to execute when we are down."
 
Sitting at 16th in the nation for threes per game, the Waves do not shy away from the long shot. Netting just one from distance all afternoon proved to be crutching to the offense.
 
The first five minutes was defense-heavy as Pepperdine hung around with the No. 18 team in the country by a score of 6-8. Scoring a total of 10 in the first quarter, five different Waves scored a bucket in the 10-minute stretch as Elli Guiney led the squad in assists with two. The Trojans closed out the first on a 4-13 run, stretching the deficit to 10-21 with a fourth of the game gone.
 
USC opened the second quarter on a 16-3 sprint, leaving the Waves trailing 37-13 with seven left to go in the half. Bella Green grabbed three rebounds as Guiney and Meghan Fiso put up five each to give the Waves a fighting chance. Fiso hit Pepperdine's sole three of the afternoon with two to go in the half. Trailing 26-47 at the break, the Waves were looking for a change heading to the latter 20 minutes of play.
 
Keeping pace in the third quarter, the two squads were near identical in scoring with the Trojans holding the slight edge 13-15.
 
USC stretched their lead in the fourth period, highlighted by five from distance at a .500 shooting percentage. Closing out the game, the Waves fell 52-82.
 
Up next, Pepperdine hosts the Lancers of California Baptist in Malibu Wednesday. As the first night home game for the Waves, tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the first 100 fans in attendance getting free hot coco with ugly sweater t-shirts also being given away. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) and live stats will be available at pepperdinewaves.com
 
GAME NOTES
 

• For the fifth game of the season, Guiney led the Waves on offense with 12 points.
• Green led the squad on board with nine.
• The Waves shot a season-low .340 from the field, including just one three.
• Pepperdine outrebounded USC 35-32.
• More consistent from the charity stripe, the Waves shot .882 compared to the Trojans .667.
• 52 points is the least the Waves have scored since March 1 of this calendar year against Oregon State.
• The 18 turnovers on the afternoon were double USC's nine.
• Second chance points were equal between the two squads at 10 a piece.

 
 
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.
 
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