SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (15-11, 6-8 WCC) hung with the Dons of San Francisco (15-10, 8-6 WCC) all game, but came up short for the second road loss in a row.
 
"On the road, every possession demands our full presence," head coach Katie Faulkner said. "We battled at times, but this one showed us where our focus needs to be sharper moving forward."
 
Shooting .279 from the field, the Waves offense struggled to find the basket tonight. Limiting turnovers with just eight, compared to San Francisco's 21, Pepperdine hung in the game for the entire 40 minutes, unable to break through to complete the comeback by the final buzzer.
 
With just 10 points in the opening quarter, Elli Guiney carried the offense with seven points, assisted by Meghan Fiso who tacked on three. After ten, Pepperdine trailed 10-17.
 
Spreading the offense more in the latter 10 minutes of the half, four different Waves scored in the second quarter with Bella Green leading the way netting five, grabbing a quarter-high four boards as well. Shooting .333 from the field in the second, Pepperdine increased their shot percentage to .267 for the half, falling behind the Dons who were shooting .464, including .300 from distance. At the break, the Waves trailed 23-32.
 
Coming out of the half, the Waves responded well, shooting .500 from the field with three from deep. Matching the spike in offensive intensity, the Dons outpaced Pepperdine in the third, shooting .706 with four from distance. Fiso and Lina Falk dropped seven apiece, while Green lead the team with nine. Despite the best quarter showing of the night, San Francisco still managed to stretch their lead, leading the Waves 51-64.
 
Carrying the same intensity into the final quarter, Pepperdine never gave up, consistently getting the deficit within a couple possessions. Even though the Waves outscored the Dons in the fourth, San Francisco had an answer for every run Pepperdine attempted to make. A combined 17 free throws halted momentum for both ends as points were traded at the charity stripe. Pepperdine ran out of time to get the offense in a groove, falling 70-81 in the Sobrato Center Saturday night.
 
GAME NOTES
 

• Meghan Fiso led the Waves with 18 points tonight.
• Bella Green secured her third double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
• Lina Falk snatched a career-high 6 steals tonight, leading the team.
• Pepperdine took care of the ball with just eight turnovers, compared to San Francisco's 21.
• Pepperdine struggled to find an offensive rhythm, shooting .279 compared to the Dons' .526.
• The Waves matched San Francisco's points from distance with eight apiece.
• San Francisco doubled Pepperdine's 20 points in the paint with 40.
• The Waves have won just one in conference on the road, coming at Santa Clara.

 
Pepperdine is back home next week for the final two home games of conference play. The Waves host San Diego for the annual Play4Kay Game Thursday night. With tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m., the game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available at 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.
 
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