TAYLOR BIRD
Sports Assistant
Frustrations continued for the Pepperdine women’s basketball team Saturday when it fell 60-56 to Portland in its second conference game of the season on its final stop of a difficult road trip.
The Waves (5-10, 0-2) dropped all eight contests on the road and have not recorded a victory since Dec. 7 at home.
Head Coach Julie Rousseau admired her team’s ability to not give up during the game, despite being in the midst of an eight-game losing streak.
“There isn’t any quit in this team,” she said. “I’m still very optimistic about the season. We’ve played some tough teams. We hope that we will bounce back and bounce back well.”
Both teams were neck-and-neck to open up the game, keeping the score close until a six-point scoring run by Portland (11-6, 1-1) put the Pilots ahead by seven with 9:20 remaining in the first half. The Waves would head into the break trailing 32-25.
Portland’s offense then attacked for a 10-2 scoring run, pushing the score to 42-27 for its biggest lead of the game just three minutes into the second half.
The score was 44-33 in favor of Portland with just under 14 minutes left in the half when the Waves exploded for 15 consecutive points, including six from senior guard Daphanie Kennedy, to claim a 48-44 lead with less than 10 minutes left on the clock.
The Pilots answered with a scoring run of their own to gain a 56-48 lead. But the Waves closed the gap, helped out by two free throws and two baskets from sophomore forward Miranda Ayim to bring Pepperdine within two points with 3:00 left to play.
But Portland would hold onto its lead for the remainder of the game, taking the win with a 60-56 score.
The Waves shot 35.7 percent (20-of-56) as a team compared to Portland’s 40.7 percent (22-of-54). 23 Pepperdine turnovers resulted in 19 Portland points.
“We’re a little shorthanded and it’s just frustrating across the board,” junior guard Jessica Ross said. “We’re not executing as well as we should be.”
Ayim was the team’s top scorer, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and 3-of-5 from the foul line to tally 17 points and 6 rebounds. Kennedy added 14 points, 3 assists and 4 rebounds, despite shooting just 4-of-18 from the field.
Senior forward Teiosha George contributed a game-high 13 rebounds and chipped in 7 points.
On Jan. 10, Pepperdine suffered a defeat to current West Coast Conference leader Gonzaga by a score of 68-56. The Waves kept it close during the first half, only trailing by three at the break. But the team got into a bit of foul trouble in the second half, allowing the Bulldogs to score 11 points on free throws.
In that game, Kennedy recorded her 184th career steal to break Pepperdine’s all-time steal record. Freshman guard Katie Menton was the top scorer with 15 points.
Pepperdine returns to Malibu today to open a three-game homestand. Rousseau hopes plaing in front of a home crowd will get the team back on track.
“We’re just happy about getting back home,” she said.
The game begins at 7 p.m. at Firestone Fieldhouse against conference rival Saint Mary’s (9-8, 1-0). The Waves continue play Saturday against visiting Santa Clara at 2 p.m.
01-17-2008
