MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (14-9, 5-6 WCC) will host Washington State (5-20, 4-8 WCC) as they look to avenge the first conference loss of the season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Waves secured the first road conference win of the season over Santa Clara 74-72.
• It was Pepperdine's highest NET ranked win of the season with the Broncos sitting at 62 prior to game time.
• Lina Falk and Shorna Preston split the title of leading scorer with 15 apiece, followed closely by Taija Sta. Maria and Meghan Fiso who both secured 14.
• Falk also led the team on the glass with ten rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
 
GAME NOTES
• Finishing nonconference 9-3, it is the program's fourth best start ever and best in 45 years.
• Nine nonconference wins is the most for a second-year head coach since DeLisha Milton-Jones in 2018.
• Up to this point in the season, Elli Guiney has made 40 from distance, 12 away from breaking into the top 10 in the record books.
• Through the nonconference slate, the Waves are first in opponent field goal percentage and defensive rebounds in the West Coast Conference.
• Nationally, the Waves are 31st in defensive rebounds and 45th in free throw percentage at 76 percent.
• Guiney, the sole sophomore on the Waves squad, has proven to be a difference maker as she has started in every game for the Waves this season.
• 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.
• Eleventh in the WCC in scoring, Guiney has set four new career-highs in her sophomore year, leading the squad in points per game as well as
• With a three-point percentage of .385, Guiney has hit a team-high 45 beyond the arc.
• Through the past five games, junior Lina Falk is averaging 13.4 per game, behind only Guiney who is averaging 15.8
• Falk shattered her previous scoring record of 20 points at home against Pacific, leading the team with 26 points, shooting 4-5 from deep.
• Leading the team from deep in accuracy, Falk sinks just over 41 percent of threes shot.
• 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 .618.
• Green also has the highest rebound average through the most recent games with 7.4 on average.
• Just four away from 1,000 career rebounds, Green hopes to hit that milestone against Washington State.
• 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 5.0 rebounds.
• Fiso's younger sister, Katie, is a sophomore at the University of Oregon leading her team with 15.0 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 orignating from her and her staff.
• Last season, the Waves were undefeated in nonconference play at home for the first time in five years. 
• Expecting a baby girl in February, Faulkner will have her third child in the middle of the 2025-26 campaign.
• Filling in the head coach role on the road while Katie Faulkner cannot travel due to the incoming addition to her family is assistant coach Brian Porth.
• In his second year with the Waves, Porth comes to Malibu from Southern Methodist University, where he spent two seasons.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH WASHINGTON STATE
• All-time the Waves are 1-5 against the Cougars.
• The sole win came in the first meeting between the two squads in 1983-84 season.
• With just two games played in Firestone Fieldhouse, Pepperdine is 1-1 in Malibu.
• Earlier this season, Pepperdine dropped a close one 63-66 to open conference play in Pullman.
• Elli Guiney and Meghan Fiso put up career-highs against the Cougars in the most recent match up in December.
 
 
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
• So far this season, Washington State is 5-20 overall, including a 4-8 conference record.
• Eleonora Villa stands out from the pack offensively, averaging 17.7 points per game while Charlotte Abraham averages a team-leading 6.3 boards per game.
• Since last seeing the Cougars, they have picked up wins over Seattle, Saint Mary's and most recently, San Diego 80-76 this past Thursday. .
 
Tipoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. As the program's Jr. Waves game, Pepperdine will be celebrating Willie's Birthday Bash, signing autographs post game. The game 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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