Thursday, November 5
Malibu, Calif.
5:00 PM
Pepperdine University
1-1,0-0WCC
54
vs
58
UC Santa Barbara
2-0,0-0Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Santa Barbara | 26 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 58 |
| Pepperdine | 16 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 54 |
11/5/2026 8:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (1-1) fell just short of a comeback victory Thursday night in the 2026-27 home opener at Firestone Fieldhouse, falling to UC Santa Barbara (2-0) 54-58.
Elli Guiney paced Pepperdine with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, and Seleh Harmon reached 10 points. Maggie Mendelson was just two points shy of a double-double, recording eight points and 14 rebounds.
"Credit to them, they shot the ball well and were able to disrupt our execution in the second half," head coach Katie Faulkner said. "The good news is we have time to learn and grow from this game and we will do that."
UCSB came out challenging Pepperdine's offense with a full court press, delaying the inevitable as the Waves got on the board with a Keandra Koorits triple. The Gauchos controlled the first quarter as USCB hit four from deep and led for all but 30 seconds in the frame. Both squads were nearly even in shot attempts but UCSB's .778 percent conversion from beyond the arc was the difference as Pepperdine trailed 16-26 going into the second quarter.
Slowly but surely, the Waves turned the tide on the Gauchos in frame number two. Despite just six combined points through the first 4:50 of the quarter, a nice rebound and putback from Maggie Mendelson and a triple from Seleh Harmon helped pull Pepperdine within three at 31-28. The Waves kept the momentum going as Taija Sta. Maria took it coast-to-coast off a rebound to give Pepperdine a 33-31 lead. The Waves would outscore UCSB 19-7 in the quarter and go into the locker room with a 35-33 advantage.
A low-scoring third quarter would see both teams start sluggish out of the break. Elli Guiney made a pair of free throws and Lina Falk sank another from the charity stripe, but the first field goal wouldn't go down until 4:20 left in the frame, from Guiney nonetheless. Guiney tallied nine points in the stanza as it was all tied up 45-45 headed to the final 10 minutes.
Quarter number four was a back-and-forth battle as the Gauchos began to take the lead 50-56. The Waves kept within an arms length as Harmon answered with a score inside the paint, but UCSB got a late bucket and kept Pepperdine scoreless for the final 1:29 as the Waves fell 54-58.
The Waves stay home for the week, hosting Cal State Dominguez Hills Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be streaming live 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.
Elli Guiney paced Pepperdine with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, and Seleh Harmon reached 10 points. Maggie Mendelson was just two points shy of a double-double, recording eight points and 14 rebounds.
"Credit to them, they shot the ball well and were able to disrupt our execution in the second half," head coach Katie Faulkner said. "The good news is we have time to learn and grow from this game and we will do that."
UCSB came out challenging Pepperdine's offense with a full court press, delaying the inevitable as the Waves got on the board with a Keandra Koorits triple. The Gauchos controlled the first quarter as USCB hit four from deep and led for all but 30 seconds in the frame. Both squads were nearly even in shot attempts but UCSB's .778 percent conversion from beyond the arc was the difference as Pepperdine trailed 16-26 going into the second quarter.
Slowly but surely, the Waves turned the tide on the Gauchos in frame number two. Despite just six combined points through the first 4:50 of the quarter, a nice rebound and putback from Maggie Mendelson and a triple from Seleh Harmon helped pull Pepperdine within three at 31-28. The Waves kept the momentum going as Taija Sta. Maria took it coast-to-coast off a rebound to give Pepperdine a 33-31 lead. The Waves would outscore UCSB 19-7 in the quarter and go into the locker room with a 35-33 advantage.
A low-scoring third quarter would see both teams start sluggish out of the break. Elli Guiney made a pair of free throws and Lina Falk sank another from the charity stripe, but the first field goal wouldn't go down until 4:20 left in the frame, from Guiney nonetheless. Guiney tallied nine points in the stanza as it was all tied up 45-45 headed to the final 10 minutes.
Quarter number four was a back-and-forth battle as the Gauchos began to take the lead 50-56. The Waves kept within an arms length as Harmon answered with a score inside the paint, but UCSB got a late bucket and kept Pepperdine scoreless for the final 1:29 as the Waves fell 54-58.
The Waves stay home for the week, hosting Cal State Dominguez Hills Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be streaming live 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
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballTeam Stats
UCSB
PEP
FG%
.349
.383
3FG%
.474
.316
FT%
.714
.667
RB
35
38
TO
15
22
STL
13
4
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
3
