In early February the Pepperdine women’s basketball team was hovering around .500. In the course of four games the team has turned it around. The Waves made a big statement in their final home matches of the season upsetting both second-place Portland 64-55 on Thursday and first-place Gonzaga 72-62 on Saturday. With the victory the Waves improved to 8-4 in conference play (15-11 overall) and extended their season-best winning streak to four games.
On Thursday against Portland (9-3 16-11) the Waves were impressive at the start scoring a layup off junior center Miranda Ayim’s tip. In their first defensive stint the Waves forced a shot clock violation on the Pilots.
Shooting became a problem for them shortly thereafter as they allowed Portland to take a 9-4 lead. But the Waves’ high-pressure defense kept the score close.
“Our defense was what we needed it to be it was what it has been all year said Head Coach Julie Rousseau. We have relied on it all year long and it hasn’t failed us.”
The combination of poor shooting and a tough defense by the Waves kept the score low for much of the first half. With 12:12 left in the half the Waves trailed 11-9.
Sophomore guard Joy Lelo drew the and1 foul off a strong drive to the basket and a few possessions later senior guard Jessica Ross proved once again to be strong from behind the arc to give the Waves the lead. A 7-2 scoring run followed putting the Waves up by three with 9:16 left in the half.
“Our shooting percentages are never going to be great Rousseau said. But bottom line is we keep defending and attacking the basket and good things happen for us.”
Lelo put the Waves up by double digits with a three pointer improving upon their 28.6 percent three-point shooting in the first half and when the buzzer sounded the Waves exited to the locker room up 33-27.
The start of the second half played in favor of the Waves for the first three minutes. Sloppy defense by Pepperdine allowed the Pilots to climb within one so Rousseau called a timeout.
Junior forward Taylor Smith put the Waves back in control of the game with a three-point basket with 12:13 left. This was followed by a 7-0 Waves scoring run and the team led 55-44. The closest the Pilots came the rest of the game was four with one minute left to play. But the Waves’ defense held them off sealing the 64-55 victory for Pepperdine.
“It was a total team effort … everyone that came in contributed. That’s the way we play Rousseau said.
The Waves’ match-up against Gonzaga Saturday afternoon was a completely different story than the last time the teams met on Thursday Jan. 22. Before, Gonzaga rolled over the Waves, 66-43, but this time the Waves came out with intensity to defeat the Bulldogs 72-62.
As is customary before the final home game of each season, the women’s basketball program honored seniors Ross, Nakeya Isabell, Alisha Bryant, Dana Huley and Taylor Smith prior to tipoff.
Isabell was a key player in the game, scoring the first layup and getting a steal in the backcourt during the team’s first defensive opportunity. She ended the game with 19 points and seven of the teams 17 steals. In steals, Isabell is currently ranked tenth in the nation and is a vital asset to her team’s third place national ranking.
Once Gonzaga put up its first two points 2:30 into the game, the rest of the half consisted mostly of back-and-forth shooting.Everyone was having fun and contributing and our defense is just doing a great job right now said Isabell of the team’s play.
The Bulldogs were able to bring the game within three after two three-pointers by forward Kayla Standish. However, Pepperdine followed with multiple well-executed half-court possessions, stopping any chance the Bulldogs had at taking the lead.
At the half, the Waves were shooting 60 percent from behind the arc and 40 percent from the floor.
It (the teams performance) says a lot about the postseason but we have two more games and can’t look that far ahead Rousseau said.
After two Gonzaga steals, Pepperdine’s lead decreased to three and they were forced to call a timeout. Helped by the team’s suffocating defense, Ayim went on an individual 4-0 run and put the Waves back up by 10 with 2:02 left. Gonzaga, which resorted to intentional fouling in the final two minutes of the game, was never able to close the 10-point gap created by the Waves.
Today was about our seniors and the seniors started it off for us they played hard Rousseau said. They set the tone and everybody just kind of followed suit which is what they have been doing all season.”
Isabell who is one of the team’s leading seniors said the game will help propel them into the off-season.
“We do have two more games but it was definitely a confident booster for us Isabell said. I think just playing together and having good pressure defense will help us be successful [in the postseason].”
The Waves next game is tonight at the McKeaon Pavilion against No. -6 Saint Mary’s.