PORTLAND, Ore.  – Pepperdine women's basketball (18-11, 9-8 WCC) beat the Portland Pilots (16-13, 10-7 WCC) in the Chiles Center for the first time since 2010.
 
"We decided toughness and togetherness were what was demanded of us tonight on the road," head coach Katie Faulkner said. "I am so proud of yet again another selfless team effort to gut out a win!"
 
Outscoring the Pilots in all four quarters, the Waves were in control throughout the game, conceding the lead for just 33 seconds of the 40 minutes.
 
Narrowly holding the advantage through the first quarter, the Waves escaped the first up 15-14. Led by Lina Falk who had five, Meghan FIso was right behind with four. The duo played the entire quarter, giving Pepperdine as big as an eight point lead before the home team shaved it down to a one-point game by the end of the opening 10 minutes.
 
In a defense-intensive second quarter, a total of just 18 points was scored between the two teams. Portland took a brief two-point lead before free throws from Shorna Preston and a driving layup by Fiso gave Pepperdine the lead back, one they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. Letting up just seven in the entirety of the quarter, the Waves held a 26-21 lead at the half.
 
As both sides broke out offensively, scoring became more frequent as both sides nearly doubled their first half output in the third quarter alone. Twelve fouls in the 10-minute stretch slowed play, but Pepperdine was able to keep the home team at bay. Five from Falk and Ivory Finley guided the team in the third, shooting .500 from the field to take a 47-41 lead to the fourth.
 
Closing out the fourth, 16 fouls were called between the two teams to slow play down on both ends of the court. Shooting a game-high .615 from the field, including 2-3 from deep, Pepperdine played their game to keep the lead, eventually forcing Portland to foul for possession. Falk scored seven in the closing quarter to cap off her team-leading 17 on the night. The Waves secured a 70-63 win, the first in the Chiles Center in 16 years.
 
Moving to 9-8 in conference play with one game to go in the regular season, Pepperdine is making one final push for seeding in the WCC tournament next week in Las Vegas, Nev. A win Saturday combined with a pair of losses from Portland and San Francisco move Pepperdine from the seventh to the fifth seed, a difference in playing the second or third round in the tournament.
 
GAME NOTES
 

• Lina Falk led the Waves with 17 points, followed by Ivory Finley who had 13.
• Five Waves scored double digits in the team win.
• Leading the team in rebounds, Shorna Preston grabbed nine.
• As a team, the Waves outrebounded the Pilots 45-34.
• Pepperdine outshot Portland from the field .459 to .318.
• Portland scored more from distance, with nine threes compared to Pepperdine's six.
• The Waves are now 7-2 through the last nine.
• Putting the work in under the basket, Pepperdine secured 40 in the paint compared to the Pilot's 24.

 
Pepperdine concludes the regular season on the road at the Seattle University Saturday. The game, with a tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m., 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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