JANE LEE
Assistant Sports Editor
Coming off a three-game win streak, the Pepperdine women’s basketball team suffered a setback, falling to West Coast Conference opponents Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s on a quick two-game road swing.
In the Waves’ conference tilt against Santa Clara on Thursday, Pepperdine freshman Sherriel Boyd buried a three-pointer with just 1:35 remaining to complete a 13-point comeback, but the Broncos connected on free throws down the stretch and the Waves (3-3, 6-13) would not score another point in the 67-62 loss at the Leavey Center.
Santa Clara (3-2, 9-9) quickly grabbed a 10-point lead early in the game. The Waves fought back to narrow the score to 19-12, but the Broncos answered with an offensive outbreak to make the score 32-14.
The second half found the Waves playing catch-up and closing the gap of the score to just three. The Broncos, however, again had the answer and expand their lead.
Pepperdine’s last hope came when Boyd hit her only three-point basket on seven tries in the final two minutes, but it wasn’t enough for the Waves.
“Santa Clara just came out and was shooting a high percentage in the first half,” junior guard Lauren Wenski said. “They’re a great three-point shooting team, and they definitely had the shot going for them.”
Despite the loss, junior Jasmane Clarendon had a huge outing for the Waves, recording 16 points with 14 rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Boyd added 15 points for Pepperdine, while sophomore Daphanie Kennedy added 12 and senior Kelsey Ball chipped in 11.
Santa Clara received 29 points and 10 rebounds from Michelle Cozad, and Candice Cronk poured in 19, 17 of which came in the opening half.
Two days later, the Waves suffered a 58-54 loss as Saint Mary’s (3-2, 8-10) rallied back from a 17-point first half deficit to hand Pepperdine its second consecutive conference loss.
Pepperdine led by 17 with just 1:42 remaining in the first half after Boyd hit the second of two free throws. The Gaels would connect on a pair of free throws that was followed by a three-pointer with 45 seconds remaining in the opening half to cut the Waves’ lead to 12 at 34-22.
Saint Mary’s opened the second half of the game with a 14-2 run to tie the game at 36. The Gaels finally took a 40-38 lead only to see Pepperdine outscore them 12-7 over the next seven minutes to take a 50-47 lead with 4:38 remaining.
Down the stretch, however, Saint Mary’s scored 11 of the final 15 points to escape with a home-court victory.
“It was definitely frustrating to lose a lead like that,” Wenski said. “They started coming and chipping away at it.
“But it was also a good learning experience because we know that when we have a lead like that, we just have to keep expanding it, and we can’t leave any opportunities open for the other team.”
Kennedy led the Waves in scoring with 13 points, while Clarendon added 11 and Ball chipped in with 10.
Saint Mary’s received 13 points from Jontelle Smith and 12 from Sheridan Arredondo in the winning effort.
Pepperdine returns home for its next contest, a much-anticipated game against cross-town rival Loyola Marymount on Saturday.
“This weekend’s a great opportunity to gain our momentum back after the two losses,” Wenski said. “The whole team’s excited and we’re planning for a victory.”
The game, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., will be the first of a Pepperdine-LMU double-header as the men will host the Lions following the conclusion of the women’s game.
01-26-2006