PULLMAN, Wash. – Pepperdine women's basketball (9-3, 0-0 WCC) travels to Pullman, Wash. to open up conference play against the Washington State Cougars (1-12, 0-0 WCC).
 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Waves are off to their best start in 45 years after a 69-63 win over CSUN before the Holidays.
• Cementing a 9-3 nonconference record, Pepperdine has already tallied more wins than their last two seasons (8 and 5 respectively).
• As conference play gets underway, the Waves are tied for 2nd overall record, trailing a 10-3 Santa Clara squad.

 
GAME NOTES
• Starting the season 9-3, it is the Waves' best start to a season since 1980 and the 4th best start in program history.
• Ranked in the College Insider's mid-major top 25 at no. 21, it is the Waves first appearance ever in the poll.
• Nine nonconference wins is the most for a second-year head coach since DeLisha Milton-Jones in 2018.
• Entering conference play, Seleh Harmon has made 30 from distance, 22 away from breaking into the top 10 in the record books and would place fourth all-time in shooting percentage at .429.
• Through the nonconference slate, the Waves are first in opponent field goal percentage and defensive rebounds in the West Coast Conference.
• Nationally, the Waves are 7th in defensive rebounds and 32nd in total rebounds with an average of 42.7 a game.
• Elli Guiney, the sole sophomore on the Waves squad, has proven to be a difference maker as she has started in every game for the Waves this season.
• Although a sophomore, this season is Guiney's first playing significant minutes, transferring in from UNLV averaging just 4.4 minutes a game last year.
• Tenth in the WCC in scoring, Guiney has scored double digits nine times, setting three new career-highs and leading the Waves in half of the games played.
• Freshman Seleh Harmon has come off the bench in every game this season, scoring double digits in seven of the 12 games played.
• In the West Coast Conference, Harmon is first in 3-point field goal percentage and 3 pointers per game with 2.5.
• With 30 made from three with more than half the season to go, Harmon is on pace to tie for first in the most three pointers ever made in a single season at 75.
• Coming from Dodge City Community College, Shorna Preston from Australia is shining bright in the move to DI basketball.
• First in the conference in rebounds, Shorna is averaging 9.5 a game.
• Preston earned the Waves' first player of the week this season from the West Coast Conference.
• Inching closer to cracking the record books, Preston is .37 away from cementing her name into the top 10 in rebound averages, which has remained stagnant since 1986.
• Graduate Meghan Fiso comes to Pepperdine from San Diego State, second on the team with an average of 10.7 points per game and 5.8 rebounds.
• Fiso's younger sister, Kate, is a sophomore at nationally-ranked Oregon leading her team with 14.6 points per game.
• 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.
• 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 WITH WASHINGTON STATE
• In just five matchups with the Cougars, Pepperdine is 1-4 all-time.
• The Waves have never beat Washington State on the road, 0-3 in the Beasley Coliseum.
• Last season, Pepperdine lost both matchups, 46-67 on the road and 49-57 in Malibu.
• The sole win against the Pullman, Wash. squad came in the 1983-84 season, beating the Cougars in a one possession game 78-75 in Firestone.
 
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
• Sitting at 1-12, Washington State has played five power four opponents and three ranked opponents so far this season.
• The sole win for the Cougars so far this season came against Miami, Ohio in the Paradise Jam 71-67.
• Last season, Washington State finished third in the conference, just behind Gonzaga and Portland who split the regular season title.
• With three players averaging double digits, Eleonora Villa leads her squad with 17.2 ppg.
• Defensively, Charlotte Abraham leads the charge with an average of 5.8 rebounds per game.
 
 
Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. Sunday before the Waves travel to Spokane, Wash. for a quick turnaround and a Tuesday game against Gonzaga. The games will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available on 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
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