By Hailey Amato
Staff Writer
Two down,12 games to go.
The goal of the Pepperdine women’s basketball team is to go undefeated in West Coast Conference play. So far they’ve done just that.
Last weekend the team defeated its first two conference rivals. Friday, the Waves kicked off conference play by defeating Gonzaga 78-63. The following night, Pepperdine went on to beat University of Portland 88-54.
“We played well,” sophomore guard Kelli Spencer said. “These two wins help us to know we can compete with other teams in the WCC, especially with some mentally tough games coming up.”
Even with the loss of their starting guard Shandrika Lee, the Waves are on top of their game.
“We’ve faced adversity with injuries all season,” Head Coach Mark Trahk said. “We lost Shannon Mayberry to injury, and she was a starter last season. Others were out for a couple weeks. Now we’re without Lee, but you have to credit how well this team has kept it together. Our goals remain the same.”
Before her injury, Lee averaged 17.6 points per game and was the Wave’s leading scorer.
Lee was injured in the championship game of the Pepperdine Holiday Classic Tournament. The 64-58 win over Toledo was bittersweet for the Waves when Lee tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee Dec. 29. Lee led the game with 23 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists. She was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
She underwent surgery on Friday and will not return for the remainder of the season.
“It’s been a definite adjustment to play without her,” assistant coach Derick Winn said. “She was on her way to what we feel would have been an All-American year. It’s different without her quickness on the court. Offensively, she was a great three-point shooter. Teams hated to see number 35. Others like Tamara McDonald are really having to pick up their game.”
In her absence teammates are stepping up.
“We’re getting great leadership from the seniors right now,” Lee said. “I watched my team play last weekend and I think we’re playing with a sense of urgency, but we’re playing together.”
Playing together was key on Saturday as victory came easily for the Waves at the Firestone Fieldhouse. The win improved Pepperdine’s overall record to 10-5 for the season and a perfect 2-0 in conference play.
“It’s definitely important to win games on your home court,” Winn said. “We did that this weekend.”
Sophomore guard Shannell Law led the Waves’ scoring with 14 points and was joined by junior guard Nicole Funn with 12, senior guard Damaris Hinojosa with 12, Spencer with 10, and freshman forward Kelsey Ball with 10.
Pepperdine displayed an unbeatable offense the entire game.
“We did a number on them,” Winn said. “We shot the ball well, had good ball movement, and it was a chance to give reserves some good minutes.”
At the 16:09 mark of the first half Pepperdine went on a run of 23 uncontested points, holding the Pilots scoreless for almost eight minutes. The Waves held a 52-19 lead at halftime.
“We just came out ready to go, like we were on a mission,” senior forward Anna Lembke said. “We attacked them and controlled the game from the get-go.”
The offense didn’t let up the second half.
“They didn’t let up because they’re basketball players,” Trahk said. “They know they have a job to do, to execute regardless of the score, whether they are leading or trailing. They know they have to play hard every minute of every game because that is their responsibility.”
Pepperdine shot 60.3 percent, while Portland struggled to make 39.6 percent. Part of the reason Pepperdine shot so well was making the extra pass and turning a good shot into a better shot, Winn said.
“We hit the open man and made those high percentage shots,” Trahk said. “There was good shot selection by our players.”
In addition, the Waves controlled the boards with a 36-24 rebound advantage.
Pepperdine was also in control on Friday, in the first WCC game of the year, when the Waves defeated the visiting Gonzaga Bulldogs. This win, Pepperdine’s 18th consecutive against Gonzaga, brought the Waves to 9-5 for the season and 1-0 in WCC play.
“Against Gonzaga we executed our game plan well,” Spencer said. “We answered all the runs they had. Our ability to minimize mistakes and just follow the game plan helped us win.”
Senior guard McDonald registered a career-high 22 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
“The presence of our point guard controlled the game,” Winn said. “Our defense took them out of their offense completely.”
Senior forward Keani Christianson had 14 points, Funn had 11 points and Law had 10 points for the Waves.
“Depth is one of our strengths,” Trahk said. “We have 10 players who can play all the time. Plus some of them can shoot the ball pretty good.”
The Waves led 37-32 going into the locker room at the half. In the second half both teams took control of the lead multiple times and tied up the score on two occasions. With 9:25 remaining in regulation, Pepperdine seized the lead off a three-point basket by Law.
“Our composure helped us finish strong,” Lembke said. “That’s been something we’ve struggled with in the past so it’s great to see it come together in our game against Gonzaga.”
The Wave’s offense outscored Gonzaga 26 to 14 in the final nine minutes to beat the Bulldogs by 15.
“We pride ourselves in our last four minutes of basketball,” Winn said. “That’s when games are won or lost. We need to finish. Our team stepped up, took care of the ball and made their free throws.”
Pepperdine shot 48.1 percent from the field, forced their opponents to turn the ball over 23 times, and held a 39-29 rebound advantage on the boards.
The Waves finished non-conference play Jan. 6 and Jan. 8 with games against Portland State and Stanford. Pepperdine’s road trip ended with a 79-65 decision against Portland State and a painful 98-58 loss to Stanford.
Pepperdine’s win against Portland snapped a four-game home winning streak for the Vikings. The Waves went on a 9-0 run in the final 2:21 to grab the victory. In the first game without Lee, Christianson and McDonald each scored 18.
The loss to Stanford was the first time the two teams had met in 18 years.
“As a coach, you’re always wondering how a team will come back from a double digit loss,” Winn said. “It takes a special team to be blown out like that and then bounce back to blow someone else out. It really showed a lot of heart.”
The Waves used the game as motivation to start out conference play on a different note.
“It was a disappointing loss to Stanford,” Lembke said. “We were eager to prove ourselves in our next games and I think we did that.”
Up next for the Waves is a road trip with WCC match ups against Santa Clara today, the University of San Diego Saturday, and local rival Loyola Marymount on Jan. 25.
January 16, 2003