JANE LEE
Assistant Sports Editor
The Pepperdine women’s basketball team suffered what Head Coach Julie Rousseau called a “heartbreaker” Saturday night, falling to cross-town rival Loyola Marymount, 50-48, after the Lions scored at the buzzer in front of a crowd of over 900 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
With 2.4 seconds remaining in the West Coast Conference tilt, Bianca Zieman released a jump shot into the net to give the Lions (6-1, 12-8) a dramatic victory over the Waves (3-4, 6-14).
“Losing the game at the buzzer is probably the hardest way to lose any game, but losing the game at the buzzer was not the way we lost the game,” Rousseau said. “The game was lost well before the last second that shot was made.”
Rousseau said she believes missed rebounds, turnovers and missed defensive assignments throughout the game contributed to the Waves’ defeat. Pepperdine committed 14 fouls and turned the ball over 15 times to its opponent’s six fouls and 11 turnovers.
Loyola Marymount erased what was once a 9-4 Pepperdine lead with a 14-2 run midway through the first half to take a 19-11 lead with a little over seven minutes remaining in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Waves responded, however, with a 9-0 run of their own, narrowing the gap to one.
After taking a 22-20 lead, the Lions would go on a seven-point run to close out the half and leave the court with a 29-20 advantage.
The second half proved to be somewhat uneventful until an offensive turnover by Amanda Patton with 4:34 remaining in the game set up the Waves for a final push.
Trailing 44-43, Pepperdine came up empty on three consecutive offensive plays, but the Lions were equally unsuccessful offensively as the score stayed the same over the next couple minutes.
The lead was then pushed to three after a Lion connected on a pair of free throws with 2:17 remaining.
On the following possession sophomore Teiosha George gave the Waves a push by connecting on a field goal to make the score 46-45. Following a missed Loyola Marymount jump shot, junior Jasmane Clarendon made a lay-up to give Pepperdine its first lead since the opening half when it was ahead 9-8.
Trailing with 54 seconds remaining, freshman Taylor Smith connected on one of two free throws to tie the game at 48. On the following possession, Loyola Marymount could not surpass Pepperdine’s full-court trap, which would lead to the Waves grabbing possession.
However, the Waves quickly gave the ball back, allowing the Lions to score the winning basket.
While Dunlap paced the Lions with 23 points and nine rebounds, the Waves were led by Clarendon’s 13 points and six rebounds. As the only other player to reach double-digits for the Waves, George contributed 10 points.
Both teams struggled offensively throughout the game, as Pepperdine hit 35.8 percent from the floor while the Lions shot 36.7 percent.
The much-anticipated matchup between the two teams marked the official halfway point of WCC play.
“Although we have not had a stellar first-half performance in conference, I am extremely optimistic about the second half and look forward to the next phase of our season,” Rousseau said. “As a young team we have learned many things that will prepare us for what’s to come, and I can’t wait to see the outcome.”
Pepperdine will continue its three-game home stand this weekend when it hosts San Diego and San Francisco at Firestone Fieldhouse tonight and Saturday, respectively. Tip-off for tonight’s game against the Toreros is scheduled for 7, while the matchup against the Dons is slated for 2 p.m.
02-02-2006
