The Pepperdine women's basketball team lost 48-72 to San Francisco Thursday night in Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
The Waves (8-14, 3-10) were competitive with the Dons (11-12, 8-6) the majority of the game, but a slow first quarter would set a deficit too high to overcome for the remaining three quarters.
 
BIG WAVES
 
Freshman Chloe Sotell (Samford, Conn.) led the team with 13 points, including three of Pepperdine's five from distance.
 
Senior Maggie Vick (Morristown, Tenn.) had a team-high five rebounds with a bucket of her own.
 
Senior Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C.) got into double-digits with 10 points, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists.
 
KEY STATS
 
The Dons hit nine behind the arc tonight, compared to Pepperdine's five.
 
The Waves turned the ball over 20 times, compared to USF's 10.
 
Overall, the Waves shot .426 from the field, narrowly lower than San Francisco's .439 percent.
 
 
RECAP
 
Keeping pace with the Dons in the opening minutes, Pepperdine and San Francisco went almost two full minutes without a basket as the score stood at 9-7 with a Don advantage halfway through the first, thanks to five by senior Makena Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) and a jumper from Vick. The latter half of the quarter, San Francisco would go on a 15-3 run, aided by four Pepperdine turnovers. At the end of the quarter, Pepperdine trailed 24-10.
 
The second quarter opened with a layup from Harkey as the Waves tried to get back into the game one basket at a time. Hitting five threes in the quarter, the Dons were outpacing Pepperdine in every possession, extending their lead to 43-22 headed into the half. 
Sotell opened the third for Pepperdine with five points in 39 seconds, but an identical three point shot and set of free throws by the Dons would erase all progress for the Waves. Senior Ella Brubaker (University Place, Wash.) had a set of layups towards the end of the quarter as the Dons held a 59-35 lead headed into the final quarter.
 
The first points of the fourth quarter came nearly two minutes in, with a three from Sotell. While shots were going in for Pepperdine, there was less overall opportunity to score. With fewer looks at the basket, Pepperdine's 47 shots on the night did not rival San Francisco's 66. Tonight's FGA is the lowest for the Waves since Nov. 4 in the 59-57 overtime win against Cal State Fullerton.
 
The Waves lost 48-72 in their first of three games in a five day span.
 
UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine goes North, taking on the Pacific Tigers in Stockton, Calif. Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game can be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).