JANE LEE
Assistant Sports Editor
Going into Saturday’s game against Loyola Marymount University, the team that handed it a heartbreaking, buzzer-beater loss just two weeks earlier, the Pepperdine women’s basketball team was determined to walk away with a win.
Backed by some help off the bench from freshman Jessica Ross, the Waves did just that, pulling off a 53-47 West Coast Conference victory over the cross-town rival Lions at Gersten Pavilion.
Ross was huge for Pepperdine, as she came off the bench and scored her first three points of the night with 1:30 remaining on the clock and then connected on a pair of free throws with 29 seconds left and blocked a Lion three-point attempt six seconds later to lead the Waves to a six-point win.
“Most people don’t know, but Jessica was actually the one defending the girl who made the buzzer shot in the last game, so she was determined to make a contribution,” Head Coach Julie Rousseau said. “She definitely came in and made some big plays for us down the stretch.”
Ross was glad to erase the memory of the last game.
“In the last game against LMU, it couldn’t have gone any worse,” Ross said. “She hit the shot at the last second on me to win, so this time it couldn’t have gone any better.”
In the opening five minutes of play the Waves (6-4, 9-13) jumped out to an early 7-3 lead by holding the Lions (8-2, 14-9) to just 20 percent shooting. LMU would quickly fight back to even the contest at 18 at the midway point of the opening stanza.
Both teams, however, would fall into an offensive slump over the final 10 minutes, and the Lions walked away from the half with a 28-26 lead.
Despite moments of weak all-around offense, both teams shot for a high percentage in the opening 20 minutes of play, as LMU hit 41.4 percent to Pepperdine’s 40. A combination of 16 turnovers in the first half contributed to the low score.
The Lions’ offense kept on rolling, as it opened the second half with a 9-2 run to gain a 37-28 lead. Pepperdine climbed back into the lead with its defense helping out and holding the Lions without a point for more than 10 minutes and without a field goal for more than 11 minutes to take a 42-40 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the contest.
After four consecutive free throws by junior Jasmane Clarendon, LMU would go on a 4-0 run to tie the score at 44 with 1:41 remaining on the clock, which was followed by Ross’ heroic play and a dramatic Wave win.
“Everybody played well, but our defense was, by far, the key contributor,” Rousseau said. “We struggled offensively and couldn’t really find a rhythm, so our defense made the difference and was the single most important thing in the game.”
Clarendon led Pepperdine with 15 points and nine rebounds in the game while sophomore Daphanie Kennedy was second on the team with seven points.
“It feels good to get a win against anybody, but a win like this is definitely important for our psyche and our confidence,” Rousseau said. “In some ways, it confirms in our players’ minds that they can play with the best team in our conference. It makes us feel like we can play against anyone.”
Ross echoed the thoughts of her coach.
“We knew that we were the better team, and that they narrowly escaped in the last game at Pepperdine,” she said. “It was definitely a great win. It was good for my teammates and I to feel that success, and it provided us with not only confidence but motivation.”
Before closing out the regular season at home against Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara on Feb. 23 and Feb. 25, respectively, the Waves will conclude their final regular-season road trip this weekend when they travel to Portland and Gonzaga.
“We just need to keep playing aggressive defense, not have any lapses, and rebound,” Ross said of keys to success in the Waves’ final games. “When we do those three things we can be successful against any team in conference.”
02-16-2006
