MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (1-0) welcomes Westmont College (0-0) to Firestone Fieldhouse in the first home game of the season.
"I believe that this team is a team that will compete in every game," Head Coach
Katie Faulkner said. "We've got a devoted group of people who are dedicated to getting better."
- The Waves won the season opener at CSU Fullerton 84-70 on the road Tuesday night.
- In the 84-70 win, four different Waves found themselves in double digits.
- Elli Guiney scored a career-high with 14, while Meghan Fiso scored 13 and Finley led the squad with 17.
- Freshman Seleh Harmon scored 15 in her first collegiate game, hitting 5-7 from distance.
- Harmon currently leads the conference in both field goal and three-point percentage at .714.
GAME NOTES
- 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.
- Of the 12 new players in Malibu, three come from different regions of Australia.
- Bella Green, Zoe Shanahan, and Shorna Preston are the three representing the land down under for the Waves this season.
- As one true freshman and two transfers,the trio of Waves will log their first DI minutes this season with Pepperdine as Green comes to Malibu from West Florida and Preston comes off a title run with Dodge City Community College.
- 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.
- The Waves currently have one AP Top-25 team slated with a game at #18 USC Nov. 28.
- Two trips highlight the Waves' non-conference with a trip up to Utah Valley as well as a short flight to Flagstaff, Ariz. to face Northern Arizona.
SERIES HISTORY
- In just three games between the Waves and Warriors, Pepperdine is 1-2.
- The most recent matchup was the 2020-21 season where the Waves opened the season with a 68-56 win against Westmont.
- This will be the first game between the two squads in five years.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
- With just one exhibition game under Westmont's belt, there are no statistics from this year's squad to reference for the Saturday matchup.
- Last season, the Warriors went 18-11, including 13-7 in PacWest play.
- Kirsten Moore and her staff bring back an experienced roster with seven upperclassmen.
- Sage Kramer is the most notable returner on the Warriors, who averaged 15.8 points a game last year.
Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+ with stats available at
www.pepperdinewaves.com
ABOUT PEPPERDINE ATHLETICS
Pepperdine University boasts one of the most successful athletic programs in the country for a school of its size. The Waves have claimed 10 NCAA Division I team championships and 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit
here.
FOLLOW
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