Monday, November 2
Portland, Ore.
7:00 PM
Pepperdine University
1-0,0-0WCC
59
at
43
Portland State
0-1,0-0Big Sky
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine | 13 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 59 |
| Portland St. | 14 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 43 |
11/2/2026 10:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PORTLAND, Ore. – Pepperdine women's basketball (1-0) beat Portland State (0-1) 59-43 to open the 2026-27 campaign Monday night at the Viking Pavilion.
"Road wins are never easy, but I was proud of our defensive effort and ability to stay connected when it mattered," Head coach Katie Faulkner said. "We have to get better at things, but we are a culture rooted in growth, so that's what we're gonna do."
Getting out to a slow start, Pepperdine was looking for a rhythm as the Vikings seemed to have an answer for all the Waves' offense. As the two squads continued to trade baskets, it was near even at the end of the first quarter with Pepperdine trailing Portland State 13-14.
The Waves defense took over in the middle of the game, allowing just five points in the second quarter. Swinging the score eight, six points from Maggie Mendelson and a three from Zoe Shanahan boosted Pepperdine in front, taking a 26-19 lead into the locker room at the half.
Defense continued to shut down the Viking offense to open the second half, again allowing just five points in the third quarter as the Waves had the best offensive quarter of the game, putting up 18. Seleh Harmon dropped the second and final three of the night for Pepperdine, leading the squad in the 10-minute period with seven as Mendelson was not far behind with five of her own. Heading into the final quarter, the Waves were up 44-24.
The fourth quarter saw the most points of the night as both teams combined for 34 points. After the Waves took the biggest lead of the night at 23, the Viking offense started to have shots fall. Despite outscoring Pepperdine 19-15, the work the Waves had put in the rest of the game provided a large enough buffer. Harmon and Elli Guiney led the squad with four apiece in the quarter as Pepperdine closed the game out to win 59-43.
With 40 points in the paint tonight, Pepperdine found a way to score when shots from distance weren't falling. Maggie Mendelson, the breakout player of the game, is the biggest reason for the Waves' success tonight with her first career double-double, scoring 17 while grabbing 17 rebounds. The graduate also put up four blocks, almost half of the team's 10. Pepperdine has not blocked 10 or more shots for nearly two whole years, last doing so Nov. 27, 2024 at CSUN.
GAME NOTES
The Waves host their home opener Thursday as the first half of a doubleheader, hosting UC Santa Barbara. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. with the game available to stream 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 recent success in the WNIT which included runs to the Super Sixteen in 2019 and 2026.
TICKETS
Single game tickets are on sale now, starting as low as $11! Season tickets are also on sale with the opportunity to become a founding season ticket member for the Mountain at Mullin Park starting at $85. For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's basketball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWBB.
"Road wins are never easy, but I was proud of our defensive effort and ability to stay connected when it mattered," Head coach Katie Faulkner said. "We have to get better at things, but we are a culture rooted in growth, so that's what we're gonna do."
Getting out to a slow start, Pepperdine was looking for a rhythm as the Vikings seemed to have an answer for all the Waves' offense. As the two squads continued to trade baskets, it was near even at the end of the first quarter with Pepperdine trailing Portland State 13-14.
The Waves defense took over in the middle of the game, allowing just five points in the second quarter. Swinging the score eight, six points from Maggie Mendelson and a three from Zoe Shanahan boosted Pepperdine in front, taking a 26-19 lead into the locker room at the half.
Defense continued to shut down the Viking offense to open the second half, again allowing just five points in the third quarter as the Waves had the best offensive quarter of the game, putting up 18. Seleh Harmon dropped the second and final three of the night for Pepperdine, leading the squad in the 10-minute period with seven as Mendelson was not far behind with five of her own. Heading into the final quarter, the Waves were up 44-24.
The fourth quarter saw the most points of the night as both teams combined for 34 points. After the Waves took the biggest lead of the night at 23, the Viking offense started to have shots fall. Despite outscoring Pepperdine 19-15, the work the Waves had put in the rest of the game provided a large enough buffer. Harmon and Elli Guiney led the squad with four apiece in the quarter as Pepperdine closed the game out to win 59-43.
With 40 points in the paint tonight, Pepperdine found a way to score when shots from distance weren't falling. Maggie Mendelson, the breakout player of the game, is the biggest reason for the Waves' success tonight with her first career double-double, scoring 17 while grabbing 17 rebounds. The graduate also put up four blocks, almost half of the team's 10. Pepperdine has not blocked 10 or more shots for nearly two whole years, last doing so Nov. 27, 2024 at CSUN.
GAME NOTES
- Maggie Mendelson secured her first career double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds to go along with four blocks.
- Seleh Harmon was the second-leading scorer behind Mendelson with 13 points, hitting one of the Waves' two threes all night.
- The third and final Wave in double digits was Taija Sta. Maria, who notched 11 points.
- Elli Guiney grabbed the second-most boards tonight with seven, blocking three shots of her own.
- As a team, the Waves shot just over 41 percent from the field, but were ice cold from distance, hitting just two of 13.
- All available players saw minutes on the court tonight.
- Freshmen Evelyn Martyn, Freya Bijkerk, and Landrie Callahan made their collegiate debuts.
- Martyn and Callahan scored their first collegiate baskets tonight.
- Zoe Shanahan made her first three of her collegiate career in the first half.
The Waves host their home opener Thursday as the first half of a doubleheader, hosting UC Santa Barbara. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. with the game available to stream 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 recent success in the WNIT which included runs to the Super Sixteen in 2019 and 2026.
TICKETS
Single game tickets are on sale now, starting as low as $11! Season tickets are also on sale with the opportunity to become a founding season ticket member for the Mountain at Mullin Park starting at $85. For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's basketball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWBB.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballTeam Stats
PEP
PSU
FG%
.411
.200
3FG%
.154
.200
FT%
.688
.647
RB
54
39
TO
18
10
STL
4
6
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
