MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (7-2) beat California State University, Los Angeles (4-2) 80-72 in Firestone Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon to extend the program's best start in 25 years.
"This start is special, and it speaks to everyone involved: players, staff, and the culture we're building," head coach
Katie Faulkner said. "The process matters to us, and nights like this are a byproduct of people doing their job the right way, together."
Breaking through a slight offensive slump, the Waves scored 80 on the night, the most in nearly a month. Led by
Shorna Preston, her 20 points and 10 rebounds are good for her third double-double in a row. So far this season, the junior is the only one to record a double-double.
Bella Green almost added her name to the double-double column, with nine rebounds and eight points.
Starting off in a sprint, the Waves opened the afternoon game with a 10-3 run, highlighted by 7 from Preston. With the opposition going on their own 5-13 stretch, Pepperdine found themselves down 15-16 with four to go in the first. Freshman Seleh Haron scored five to finish out the quarter, putting the Waves up 24-20.
Outscored in the second quarter, it was a battle of two defensive showings as the two teams combined for 28 in the 10-minute stretch. Preston secured the first half of her double-double with 11 points in the first half. Shooting just 23.5 percent from the field in the second quarter, defense kept Pepperdine in front 37-35 as both teams headed for the locker room.
Holding the Golden Eagles to the lowest quarter total in the third, Pepperdine locked down even more on defense to allow only 14 points by the opposition, while scoring 22 of their own. Harmon and
Elli Guiney split the highest point total of the quarter with five a piece, while Preston held it down on the defensive front with three defensive rebounds. Leading by as much as 15 in the period, the Waves entered the fourth leading 59-49.
Closing the game out shooting .563 from the field, including hitting three of five from distance, the Waves found good looks to keep the Golden Eagles at bay.
Meghan Fiso led the squad with six points in the fourth, while Guiney and Preston weren't far behind with five apiece. As the final whistle blew, the Waves walked away victorious by a final score of 80-72. Starting the season 7-2, Pepperdine has not posted such a favorable record since the 2000-01 season, before anyone on the squad was even born.
The Waves have a busy week before the holidays, hosting the inaugural Malibu Classic Dec. 16-18 inside Firestone Fieldhouse. Pepperdine will open up the multi-team event with a game against North Dakota State Tuesday with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) and live stats will be available at
pepperdinewaves.com
GAME NOTES
- Shorna Preston recorded her third double-double in a row with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
- Preston led the squad with 20 points, followed closely behind by Elli Guiney with 15.
- On boards, Green was the closest to Preston's 10 with nine of her own.
- Cutting down on turnovers from last game against Fresno State, the Waves still had more than the Golden Eagles by a count of 11 versus nine.
- Four blocks on the night for Preston matches her season high, also recording four against San Jose St. Nov. 23.
- Harmon was two shy of a career-high, scoring 13 on the afternoon.
- Over half the Waves' points came in the paint with 46 compared to CSULA's 24.
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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