The Waves remain atop the WCC after two wins this weekend — one came easy, the other the hard way.
By Hailey Amato & Erica Sigman
Staff Writers
The sound of the buzzer brought anticipation, excitement, and most important, victory for the Pepperdine women’s basketball team Saturday night.
The Waves barely defeated No. 2 Santa Clara University 66-64 after a decisive victory over the University of San Diego the previous night, proving that they are deserving of the No. 1 slot in the West Coast Conference.
With only one WCC rival remaining, Pepperdine can almost taste a second consecutive conference championship.
The Waves fought for the win over a hot-shooting Santa Clara squad Saturday at the Firestone Fieldhouse. The highly anticipated match-up between the Waves and Broncos was slated to be a close game. It was.
Sophomore guard Shannell Law’s clutch jump-shot at the buzzer clinched the victory for the Waves. The win elevated the team to 18-6 overall and 10-1 in conference play.
Pepperdine had a slow first half, connecting on only 26.5 percent of its shots, compared to the Broncos’ 45.8 percent. They trailed the majority of the game and were behind 32-20 at the conclusion of the half.
Going into the locker room at halftime, the team and staff realized they had to step up their play.
“We needed to take our time and not rush our shots,” junior forward Nicole Funn said.
The Waves knew what needed to be done if they wanted to leave the Fieldhouse victorious that night. According to Assistant Coach Jody Wynn, the girls knew they could play better than what they were showing.
“I didn’t want to replay the USF game,” Law said, referring to the team’s only conference loss. “We needed to slow things down and focus.”
Pepperdine shot 51.1 percent in the last 20 minutes of play and out-rebounded the Broncos 22-11.
It forced 22 turnovers and gave up possession only 14 times.
Pepperdine tied the game with 4:27 remaining off a lay-up from Law. The Broncos rallied back for a one-basket lead until a three-pointer 
by senior Keani Christianson put Pepperdine up by one.
“We didn’t let up,” Funn said. “We all pushed through and fought hard.”
Junior Jennifer Lacy went to the penalty line and made her two free throws to increase the lead to three.
With 59 seconds on the clock, the Broncos tied the game again at 59-59. The teams traded three-point baskets to keep the game tied as the Waves took possession with 14 seconds remaining in regulation. Law hit the game-winning basket to beat the buzzer and secure the win.
Law had a game-high 17 points
February 20, 2003