PORTLAND, Ore. – Pepperdine women's basketball (17-11, 8-8 WCC) hits the road to take on the Portland Pilots (16-12, 10-6 WCC) Thursday night before driving to Seattle to conclude the regular season against the Redhawks (5-22, 1-15 WCC) Saturday.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Waves swept last week, beating San Diego and Santa Clara at home in convincing fashion.
• Beating Santa Clara for the second time this season Saturday, Elli Guiney led the squad with 20.
•Taija Sta. Maria secured her first double-double of the season in points and assists while Lina Falk got her second of the year, in points and rebounds.
• Pepperdine is 6-2 through the last eight games, dating back to the last time the team faced Portland.
 
GAME NOTES
• Securing eight conference wins so far, 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 .444 as a team.
• Nationally, Pepperdine is 17th in defensive rebounds, averaging 28.9 a game.
• 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.
• Tenth in the WCC in scoring, Guiney has set four new career-highs in her sophomore year, dropping at least twenty in seven different games this year.
• With a three-point percentage of .393, Guiney currently sits at 6th in the record book for threes in a single season with 55.
• Through the past five games, junior Lina Falk is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.2 pergame. 
• Securing a double-double against Santa Clara last week with 15 points and 10 rebounds, the German native has notched two so far this season.
• Athletically and academically a junior, Lina Falk comes to Malibu from Sacramento State.
• In the last five games, graduate Bella Green is shooting .424 from the field, including .500 from deep.
• Green is averaging 7.8 points through the last five, the most off the bench.
• Last Week, 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.
• Graduate Meghan Fiso comes to Pepperdine from San Diego State, second on the team with an average of 11.4 points per game and 4.9 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 at the beginning of the month, Faulkner returned to coaching just 10 days after the birth of Cali Jo.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH PORTLAND
• Inching back towards .500 against the Pilots, Pepperdine is 39-41 all-time against Portland.
•On the road, the Waves are 12-26.
• Earlier this season in Malibu, Pepperdine trounched Portland 86-68 in a Thursday night showdown.
• With the win at home being the Waves' first win over Portland since the 2018-19 season, Pepperdine has not left the Chiles Center victorious since the 2010.
• In the win in January, four Waves saw souble digit scoring at the hands of Lina Falk, Elli Guiney, Meghan Fiso, and Bella Green.
 
 
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
• 16-12 overall, Portland currently sits fifth in conference with a 10-6 record.
• Since playing the Waves, Portland is 5-2, including 3-1 at home.
• Most recently, Portland beat Seattle on the road 65-61.
• Offensively, the Pilots have two who average double digits with Dyani Anaviev and Florence Dallow scoring 10.7 and 10.1 per game, respectively. 
• Defensively, Julia Dalen leads the team in average rebounds per game with 5.4, but has not played since January 17.
 
 
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH SEATTLE
• In just five games against the Redhawks, Pepperdine is 4-1 all time.
• Earlier this season, the Waves defeated Seattle in Malibu by a score of 90-63, where all five starters scored double digits.
• The sole loss in the all-time series came at home, with the last game on the road coming in non-conference play in 2018.
• As the first year for the Redhawks in the West Coast conference, Pepperdine is currently 1-0 in WCC play against the Washington foes.
 
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
• Sitting at 5-22, the Redhawks are 1-15 in conference play with their sole win coming against San Diego.
• Most recently, Seattle lost at home by just four points to Portland.
• Before Pepperdine concludes their regular season Saturday, Seattle heads to Washington State Thursday.
• Former Wave Ella Brubaker leads her team offensively, with an average of 16.2 points per game.
• Defensively, Tamia Stricklin leads on boards with 5.8 boards per game, the only other Redhawk to also average double digits with 10.3 points per 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
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