The Pepperdine women's basketball team lost 54-68 to the Saint Mary's Gaels Saturday afternoon in Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
The Waves (8-18, 3-14) outscored the Gaels (13-12, 9-7) from three, but could not find offensive rhythm from mid-range to secure a win.
 
BIG WAVES
 
Freshman Chloe Sotell (Samford, Conn) was the only Wave in double digits in the afternoon, scoring 16 with four assists and two steals.
 
Senior Makena Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) grabbed a team-high six boards for the Waves, tacking on seven points and three assists.
 
Senior Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C.) off the bench had seven points, four rebounds, and a block.
 
KEY STATS
 
46 field goal attempts is the lowest on the season for the Waves, compared to the Gaels' 54.
 
Pepperdine had 10 more turnovers than Saint Mary's 21-10.
 
Out-rebounding the Gaels, the Waves held the advantage on the afternoon 31-25.
 
 
RECAP
 
Starting the game off aggressive, the Waves opened the first quarter with two defensive rebounds and a block to kickstart offense. On the other end of the court, Sotell aided her team shooting 2-for-2 beyond the arc as Pepperdine led 10-8 halfway through the quarter. Another two threes from Sotell and senior Malia Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) gave the Waves a 16-15 lead but no points in the final 2:30 put Pepperdine down 16-21 at the end of one.
 
Three points in six minutes gave the Gaels the opportunity to extend their lead 19-27 with four left in the half. Sotell would lead her team with five in the quarter, but Pepperdine was outscored 18-12 in the quarter to go down 28-39 at the half.
 
Going cold from three in the third quarter, the Waves were forced to look inside for points. Harkey led the quad with five in the 10-minute stretch as the team was 1-7 from range. Compared to a .429 shooting percentage in the first half, the Waves were just .320 from the field in the second half, including 3-14 from distance.
 
Defensively, Makena led the fourth with three rebounds, posting a team high for the quarter on the other end of the court as well with five points. Nine total turnovers in the second half made a comeback difficult for the Waves as the Gaels finished the game doubling up Pepperdine 8-4 in the final 3:54.
 
UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine gets a week off, playing next Saturday down the road at LMU with a 2 p.m. tipoff. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).