MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (8-3) beat South Dakota (8-4) 73-65 in the second and final game for the Waves in the inaugural Malibu Classic.
"We talk about how great teams are able to respond well after failure," head coach
Katie Faulkner said. "I am happy with our response tonight, but more so because of the joy and character we played with in front of the Pepperdine faithful."
Holding the Coyotes to a .319 shooting percentage from the field all game, defense shut down any attempts at a South Dakota comeback as Pepperdine took the advantage in three of the four quarters.
Never trailing, the Waves led for nearly the entire game, aside from two ties early in the first quarter. After a 7-7 tie in the first, Pepperdine went on a 9-3 run to take a lead they would never relinquish.
Meghan Fiso had six in the opening 10 minutes, including a bucket from distance to help the Waves to a 21-17 lead after one.
The second quarter was neck-and-neck as both teams fought for good looks at the basket. Netting just one more on an identical 14 shots taken, Pepperdine narrowly stretched the lead, outpacing South Dakota 14-12 in the second quarter.
Lina Falk led the way with four points, bringing her total to a team-leading nine for the half. At the break, Pepperdine held onto a 35-29 lead.
South Dakota barely outscored Pepperdine in the third quarter 17-16 as the Waves went cold from beyond the arc for the 10-minute stretch. Going 0-4 from three, it was once again Fiso to lead the team in the quarter, scoring six.
Shorna Preston scored four with a quarter-high five rebounds to limit the Coyotes' chances with just one offensive rebound. Heading into the fourth, the Waves were up 51-46.
Elli Guiney scored seven of her 11 second half points in the final 10 minutes as Pepperdine closed out the night.
Taija Sta. Maria helped ice the game for Pepperdine, going 4-4 from the line as the Waves as a whole shot a near perfect .941 from the charity stripe. Defeating South Dakota 73-65, Pepperdine moves to 2-0 all-time against the Coyotes.
The Waves have one final game before the holiday break, taking on CSUN Saturday at home. As a part of a doubleheader with men's basketball, the game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. tipoff and will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Live stats will be available at
pepperdinewaves.com
GAME NOTES
- Meghan Fiso, for the second game in a row, scored a career-high with 19.
- Pepperdine outrebounded South Dakota 43-36, led by Shorna Preston who had eight.
- Elli Guiney and Lina Falk were the other two Waves in double digits tonight, scoring16 and 15, respectively.
- Both squads hit an even seven from three, South Dakota taking 12 more shots to reach that threshold.
- South Dakota doubled up Pepperdine's bench points, 14-7.
- The Coyotes had seven turnovers compared to the Waves' 17.
- Seleh Harmon has hit a three in five games straight, recording one from distance in every game but one so far this season.
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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