MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (11-9, 2-6 WCC) welcomes the Portland Pilots (11-9, 5-3 WCC) to Malibu in the Western Waves night that will feature free boba to students as well as free Chick-fil-a post-game with line dancing.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Waves lost 51-53 on a buzzer beater in Moraga Thursday night. 
• Seleh Harmon netted multiple threes for the first game in over a month, leading the team with 15 points.
• Shorna Preston led the Waves on board with 12.
• Five of Pepperdine's six conference losses have now either come in overtime or by one possession.
 
GAME NOTES
• Finishing nonconference 9-3, it is the program's fourth best start ever and best in 45 years.
• Nine nonconference wins is the most for a second-year head coach since DeLisha Milton-Jones in 2018.
• Up to this point in the season, Elli Guiney has made 40 from distance, 12 away from breaking into the top 10 in the record books.
• 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 30th in defensive rebounds and 48th in free throw percentage at 75.7 percent.
• 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.
• Twelve in the WCC in scoring, Guiney has scored double digits 13 times, setting four new career-highs and leading the Waves in half of the games played.
• With a three-point percentage of .400, Guiney is second in the West Coast Conference in accuracy from beyond the arc.
• Through the past five games, junior Lina Falk is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 a game.
• Falk leads the team from the charity line in the last five at .917 as well as from deep, shooting .450 on 20 attempts.
• Falk shattered her previous scoring record of 20 points last Thursday against Pacific, leading the team with 26 points, shooting 4-5 from deep.
• Athletically and academically a junior, Lina Falk comes to Malibu from Sacramento State.
• Coming from Dodge City Community College, Shorna Preston from Australia is shining bright in the move to DI basketball.
• Second in the conference in rebounds, Shorna is averaging 9.4 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 less than .40 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 11.4 points per game and 5.5 rebounds.
• Fiso's younger sister, Katie, is a sophomore at the University of Oregon leading her team with 15.5 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.
• In her second year at the helm, this season will be Faulkner's first curated of players orignating from her and her staff.
• Last season, the Waves were undefeated in nonconference play at home for the first time in five years. 
• Expecting a baby girl in February, Faulkner will have her third child in the middle of the 2025-26 campaign.
• Filling in the head coach role on the road while Katie Faulkner cannot travel due to the incoming addition to her family is assistant coach Brian Porth.
• In his second year with the Waves, Porth comes to Malibu from Southern Methodist University, where he spent two seasons.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH PORTLAND
• All-time, Pepperdine trails the series with Portland 38-21.
• In Malibu however, the Waves hold a 24-14 advantage over the Pilots.
• Last season, Pepperdine dropped both contests against Portland, taking them to overtime in Firestone before falling 75-77.
• Pepperdine has not beat Portland since the 2018-19 season.
• The Waves travel to Portland as a part of the final regular season road trip this season, going eight games between meetings with the Pilots.
 
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
• With an identical overall record of 11-9, Portland is 5-3 in conference play.
• Last time out, the Pilots lost at LMU 68-77.
• 2-3 on the road in conference play, the Pilots are looking to break even in Malibu.
• As the only player averaging double digits, Dyani Ananiev leads her team with 10.9 per game.
• Defensively, Julia Dalen leads the pack with 5.4 a game.
• Dalen also leads the conference, as well as being one of the top in the nation, in blocks with 3.4 per game.
 
Tipoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Students will be able to catch the free shuttle to get a ride down to Firestone for free boba, free tshirts, and a ticket voucher for Chick-Fil-A after the game that will be accompanied with line dancing right outside Firestone. As part of the "Western Waves" night, fans are encouraged to wear western-themed apparel. The game 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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