Graduate guard Bella Green goes up for the layup on Jan. 31 at the Leavey Center. Green finished with two points and five rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics.
Pepperdine Women’s Basketball pulled off the upset 74-72 win on the road against the Santa Clara University Broncos on Jan. 31 at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara, Calif. Both teams traded buckets all game but sophomore guard Elli Guiney’s go-ahead layup on the Waves’ last possession sealed the victory. Pepperdine moved to 14-9 overall and 5-6 in West Coast Conference play.
The Waves defense showed out early as they forced the Broncos to miss eight-straight shots. Graduate guard Ashley Hawkins made a few baskets to get the Broncos on the board, but Santa Clara missed their next nine field goals, finishing just 4-22 from the field.
Pepperdine took advantage with runs of 7-0 and 6-0 and finished the first quarter with a 17-12 lead, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Broncos shooting struggles continued into the second quarter allowing the Waves to extend their lead to a game-high 14. Freshman guard Seleh Harmon knocked down a pair of threes and junior forward Shorna Preston added a layup to pad the Waves lead.
Santa Clara’s offense found some rhythm over the final 3:38 of the period with redshirt junior guard Maia Jones, and leading scorer, scoring eight points. The Broncos finished the half on a 13-0 run and closed the gap to one as the game was 34-33 at halftime, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Pepperdine got off to a slow start to begin the third quarter allowing the Broncos to strike first and lead, their first since the game was 3-2 with 6:38 left in the first quarter. The Waves offense quickly picked up as Pepperdine went on a 9-0 run to take back and expand their lead to 43-35.
Santa Clara responded with a 7-0 run of their own on the backs of Jones and Hawkins trading baskets, but junior guard Taija Sta. Maria and Lina Falk hit one three a piece and carried the Waves to a 57-53 lead at the end of the third quarter, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Broncos chipped away at the Waves lead, tying the game three times in the fourth quarter, but each time Pepperdine had an answer. After Falk went 1-2 from the line, the Waves found themselves up five with 28 seconds left, but Santa Clara wouldn’t back down as junior forward Ava Schmidt knocked down a pair of threes and Hawkins sunk a pair of free throws which left the game tied at 72-all.
On the following possession, Guiney knocked down a layup in traffic with 2.7 seconds left to put the Waves back up two. The Broncos made one last heave, but Jones’s off-balance three point attempt was just off the mark giving Pepperdine the 74-72 victory.
Four Waves finished in double figures with Preston and Falk leading the charge with 15 a piece. Graduate guard Meghan Fiso finished with a double-double which included 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Waves shot a collective 51% from the field and won the rebound battle 47-36. Although Pepperdine lost the turnover battle 20-9, the Waves dominated in the paint out scoring the Broncos 44-24, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Next, Pepperdine returns home and hosts the Washington State Cougars (4-19) on Feb. 7 at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Cougars are coming off a 102-71 loss at Santa Clara and an 81-75 loss at home against Gonzaga University.
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Contact Connor Ford by email: connor.ford@pepperdine.edu