MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (11-8, 2-5 WCC) lost a closely contested battle to Oregon State (14-6, 6-1 WCC) 68-69 inside Firestone Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon.
 
"Heartbreaking loss. No way around it," head coach Katie Faulkner said. "But there's so much good surrounding this team that I know we will bounce back."
 
Starting off hot, both teams were scoring early and often. Finding an offensive groove from distance, four different Waves hit a three in the opening 10 minutes, keeping pace with the Beavers in the paint to have a tied 21-21 game after 10.
 
Two more Waves joined the party from distance as Seleh Harmon and Irune Orio netted a triple in the second quarter. Outshot .385 to .316 from the field, Oregon State took the one-point advantage into the locker room. With half the game gone, Pepperdine trailed 35-36.
 
After the Beavers scored the opening four of the third quarter, Pepperdine went on an unprecedented 19-0 run, highlighted by 14 from Elli Guiney, shooting a perfect 4-4 from distance in the five minute stretch. Flipping the script after a timeout, Oregon State went on small run of their own, closing out the third with a 7-2 run as Pepperdine held the 56-47 advantage with one quarter to go.
 
Holding onto the momentum, the visitors continued to cut the Wave advantage in the fourth, outscoring Pepperdine 11-2 to bring the game back within a one score game with just under six minutes left. A combined 14 points would be scored between the two teams in the final minutes as the margins never landed outside one possession. Ten free throw chances for Oregon State opposed to Pepperdine's one in the final quarter would give the Beavers the chance to take the lead as time ran out, defeating the Waves 68-69.
 
Playing nearly every game in the margins, five of the Waves losses this season have come from a combined 15 points.
 
GAME NOTES
 

• Bella Green had her first double-double of the season with 10 boards and 10 points.
• Elli Guiney matched her career-high, leading the Waves on offense with 26 points.
• Meghan Fiso is the third and final Wave who scored double digits this afternoon with 13.
• With the second-lowest amount of turnovers this season, the Waves took care of the ball better than the Beavers with 11 turnovers compared to the opponent's 17.
• The Waves were outrebounded 26-39.
• Green's stat line of 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four steals, is one of one in the WCC and one of 27 in the entire NCAA.
• Over doubling Oregon State's points from distance, Pepperdine had 13 threes compared to the Beavers' six.

 
Looking to bounce back with the first conference win on the road, Pepperdine heads to Moraga to face Saint Mary's next Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available at 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.
 
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