MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (10-6, 1-3 WCC) forced overtime with Loyola Marymount (9-7, 3-2) before falling in overtime 78-83 Thursday night.
 
"I thought we battled back really well to force overtime," head coach Katie Faulkner said. "Credit to LMU, we will grow from this and take it into our next game."
 
Tipping the game off, Pepperdine rode the confidence of the home win last Friday, shooting the ball early and often. Driving for nearly all buckets, just one from distance gave Pepperdine 16 points in the paint to open the game. Setting the precedent for a high scoring game, the Waves held the advantage 23-17 after one with Meghan Fiso leading the way with six points.
 
Elli Guiney led the Waves in the second quarter, scoring her first from beyond the arc and posting six, followed by Shorna Preston who put up four, grabbing eight rebounds. Narrowly outscored in the second quarter, Bella Green secured a layup as time expired to give Pepperdine the 37-35 lead heading into halftime.
 
The third quarter proved detrimental to the Waves. Scoring just nine points in the 10-minute stretch, Guiney and Taija Sta. Maria were the only two to score for the home team in the quarter. WIth the momentum swing and an uneven box score, the Waves were staring down a 48-57 nine-point deficit heading into the fourth, despite holding a lead nearly the entire first half.
 
Fighting back in the fourth, Pepperdine went to work. Green led the way, scoring 12 in the fourth, including the game-tying basket as regulation neared a close. The unsung hero was Ivory Finley, who netted a block and a steal on top of scoring five of her own.
 
With just over two seconds left in regulation, LMU called a timeout to advance the ball and shorten the court. Driving in for the game-winner, it would be Shorna Preston to secure her sole block of the game to send it into extra time, both teams knotted 73-73 at the end of regulation.
 
As overtime began, the whistle tightened and momentum shifted entirely to the visiting side. Netting just one from the field in overtime, the Lions saw eight of their 10 points come from the charity stripe. Pepperdine was able to squeak out five points, but could not overcome the advantage LMU gained with the clock stopped as they fell 78-83 for the first conference loss in Firestone Fieldhouse this season.
 
With just one day of rest, the Waves head down to San Diego to take on the Toreros Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. as Pepperdine looks to pick up the second win of conference play. The game will stream on ESPN+ (subscription required) and live stats will be available at pepperdinewaves.com.
 
GAME NOTES
 

• Elli Guiney led the Waves in her third 20+ point performance of the season with 22.
• Defensively, Shorna Preston grabbed 12 rebounds for a total of 15 on the night.
• Ivory Finley had the best 3 point percentage on the night, hitting two of four shot from distance.
• Bella Green posted a season-high 15 points.
• Lina Falk and Preston dished out a game-high five assists.
• The Waves had 48 in the paint, beating LMU's 32.
• Relying on the bench more than the past few games, Pepperdine outscored the Lions 23-20 outside of the starting five.
• Shooting between the two squads was almost dead even, Pepperdine narrowly holding the .508 advantage over LMU's .493.
• Preston has had a block in 15 straight games, securing one in all but the season-opener at CSU Fullerton.

 
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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