MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (15-11, 6-8 WCC) welcome the Toreros of San Diego (9-18, 3-11 WCC) to Malibu Thursday night before hosting Santa Clara (20-7, 10-4 WCC) for senior day Saturday afternoon for the final two home games of conference play.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Waves fought all 40 minutes on the road, dropping the sole regular season game against San Francisco 70-81. 
• Meghan Fiso led the team with 18 points, followed closely behind by Bella Green who had 17 and Elli Guiney who finished with 16. 
•With 17 points and 12 rebounds, Green secured her third double-double of the season.
• Through the last five games, three Waves are in double digits, with Guiney leading the pack at 15.8 per game.
 
GAME NOTES
• Finishing nonconference 9-3, it is the program's fourth best start ever and best in 45 years.
•  Securing six conference wins, it is the most for the program in six years, last doing so when posting an 8-10 conference record in the 2019-2020 season.
• With nine nonconference wins, it is the most for a second-year head coach since DeLisha Milton-Jones in 2018.
• Through conference play, the Waves lead the conference in field goal percentage, shooting .447 as a team.
• Nationally, Pepperdine is 24th in defensive rebounds and 41st in free throw percentage at 76.1 percent.
• Elli Guiney, the sole sophomore on the Waves squad, has emerged as the team's leading scorer this season, averaging 14.2 per game.
• 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.
• Ninth in the WCC in scoring, Guiney has set four new career-highs in her sophomore year, dropping at least twenty in six different games this year.
• With a three-point percentage of .386, Guiney is one away from cracking the record books for most threes in a single season, currently at 51.
• Through the past five games, junior Lina Falk is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.0 pet game. 
• Leading the team from deep in accuracy at 40 percent, Falk is close to cracking the record books for three point percentage, a list that hasn't changed in seven years.
• Athletically and academically a junior, Lina Falk comes to Malibu from Sacramento State.
• In the last five games, graduate Bella Green leads the squad in field goal percentage, shooting .514.
• Green is averaging 9.6 points through the last five, the most off the bench.
• Last Thursday, Green grabbed her 1,000th career rebound. 
• 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.
• 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 11.5 points per game and 5.0 rebounds.
• Fiso's younger sister, Katie, is a sophomore at the University of Oregon leading her team with 14.2 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 originating from her and her staff.
• Last season, the Waves were undefeated in nonconference play at home for the first time in five years. 
• Having her third child and second girl last Monday, Faulkner returned to coaching just 10 days after the birth of Cali Jo.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH SAN DIEGO
• Pepperdine narrowly leads the series against San Diego 51-46.
• In Malibu, the Waves are 25-20.
• Earlier this season, the Waves lost a close battle in San Diego 51-54.
• Pepperdine last beat San Diego in Firestone Fieldhouse last year by a score of 63-49.
• In the matchup earlier this season, Meghan Fiso led the team with 16, followed by Lina Falk with 12 the only other Wave in double digits.
 
 
SCOUTING THE TOREROS
• 9-18 overall, San Diego is 3-11 in conference play.
• Besides Pepperdine, the Toreros have beat top-of-table LMU and Seattle. 
• Most recently, San Diego lost 56-66 against Gonzaga at home.
• Offensively, Kylie Ray leads the squad with 16.8 per game, followed by Olivia Owens and Hallie Rhodes who also crack double-digits.
• Defensively, Eva Ruse leads the Toreros in rebounds, averaging 5.7 a game.
 
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH SANTA CLARA
• The Waves look to even the all-time series against the Broncos, currently 45-46.
• In Malibu, Pepperdine is 19-22 against Santa Clara.
• Earlier this season, the Waves secured their first conference win on the road over the Broncos, pulling out a thrilling 74-72 victory.
• The last win over Santa Clara in Firestone for Pepperdine was in the 2022-23 season, where the Waves went 3-0 over the Broncos that season.
 
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
• Sitting at 20-7, the Broncos are 10-4 in conference play.
• Most recently, Santa Clara beat Portland on the road 77-66.
• Before coming to Malibu, the Broncos host Saint Mary's Thursday night.
• Maia Jones leads the team with 15.0 points per game, followed closely by Sophie Glancey who posts 14.6 on average.
• Ashley Hawkins leads the conference in assists, averaging just over six a game.
 
Pepperdine hosts San Diego as a part of the Play4Kay game Thursday night. Fans are encouraged to wear pink with scrunchies being given away to the first fans in attendance. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday's game will have commemorative Firestone Fieldhouse floor replica panels being given away to celebrate the program's final full season in the historic building. The games 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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