MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (12-9, 3-6 WCC) will host newest-West Coast Conference opponent Seattle (5-15, 1-8 WCC) before heading north to face Santa Clara (17-5, 7-2 WCC) this weekend.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Waves beat the Pilots of Portland for the first time in seven years, by a score of 86-68.
• Lina Falk led the team with 25, netting a career-high field goals of 11 as well as a career-high four steals.
• Defensively, Bella Green led the team on rebounds with eight.
• Four Waves scored double digits in the victory as Elli Guiney, Meghan Fiso, and Bella Green joined Falk. 
 
 
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 31st in defensive rebounds and 45th in free throw percentage at 76 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 14 times, setting four new career-highs and leading the Waves in half of the games played.
• With a three-point percentage of .383, Guiney is third in the West Coast Conference in accuracy from beyond the arc.
• Through the past five games, junior Lina Falk is first on the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 a game.
• Falk leads the team from the charity line in the last five at .900 as well as from deep, shooting an unprecedented .545 on 22 attempts.
• Falk shattered her previous scoring record of 20 points at home 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.
• In the last five games, graduate Bella Green leads the swuad in field goal percentage, shooting .560.
• Green also has the second-highest rebound average through the most recent games with 5.4 on average.
• Green, a transfer from West Florida, logged her first division I minutes with the Waves this season, finding her stride as the bulk of the season gets underway.
• Graduate Meghan Fiso comes to Pepperdine from San Diego State, second on the team with an average of 11.4 points per game and 5.0 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 SEATTLE
• In just four games all-time with the Redhawks, Pepperdine leads the series 3-1.
• At Firestone Fieldhouse, the Waves look to secure a winning record, currently 1-1 against Seattle in Malibu.
• Pepperdine has not met with the newest WCC opponent since the 2018-19 season, defeating them on the road 78-64. 
• The last matchup in Malibu resulted in a 62-65 loss for the Waves with the sole win in Malibu coming in the first battle between the two teams in the 2012-13 season.
 
 
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
• Sitting at 5-15, Seattle is 1-8 in conference play so far, with the sole win coming over San Diego.
• Last time out, the Redhawks lost 53-67 at home in the Redhawk Center.
• Former Wave Ella Brubaker leads Seattle, most recently scoring a career-high 26 points, averaging 15.4 per game.
• Tamia Stricklin, the other Redhawk in double digit averages, scored 11.4 per game.
• Defensively, Stricklin grabs an average of 6.1 boards per game.
•Seattle is first in the conference in free throw percentage, averaging .787 from the charity stripe.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH SANTA CLARA
• The Waves look to inch closer back to .500 in the all-time series with the Broncos, currently trailing 44-46.
• On the road, Pepperdine is 9-0 in neutral games, but 16-24 in Santa Clara.
• Last season, the Waves lost both matchups against the Broncos, 46-54 on the road and a close 69-70 in Malibu.
• The last win for the Waves over Santa Clara came in the 2022-23 season, where Pepperdine  swept the Broncos 3-0 that year.
 
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
• Under first year head coach Loree Payne, Santa Clara is at the top of the table with a 7-2 WCC record, sitting at 17-5 overall.
• The last home game for the Broncos resulted in a loss against Portland, last beating Gonzaga in the Leavey Center Jan. 4.
• With five different Broncos averaging double digits per game, Maia Jones and Sophia Glancey are tied at the top with 14.6 on average a piece.
• Defensively, Glancey grabs 7.0 rebounds on average, followed closely by Delainey Miller who averages 5.4 boards per game.
 
Tipoff for Thursday's game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Celebrating National Girls and Women's in Sports Day prematurely for the national day on Feb. 4, commemorative tote bags will be given to the first fans in attendance. 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.
 
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