TAYLOR BIRD
Sports Assistant
The Pepperdine women’s basketball team was dealt its 10th defeat in its past 11 games Saturday night, falling 70-57 to conference foe Loyola Marymount at Firestone Fieldhouse.
“Not a great effort in terms of intensity,” Head Coach Julie Rousseau said after the game. “I thought LMU just brought more intensity … we didn’t play as well together as we should have and could have or are capable of.”
With the loss, the Waves (6-12, 1-4 WCC) wrapped up a three-game homestand and have now lost five straight against LMU (11-9, 3-2 WCC) at home.
Pepperdine started the game strong, opening up a 5-0 lead in the first minute of play on two baskets by senior guard Daphanie Kennedy. A field goal from sophomore forward/center Teena Wickett increased the Waves’ lead to 12-4 with just under 14 minutes remaining in the half.
The score was 14-7 two minutes later, when the Lions exploded for 11 unanswered points to take an 18-14 edge. Pepperdine tied the game on a pair of field goals by Wickett and Kennedy before LMU guard Renahy Young knocked down a three to push the score to 21-18.
The Waves did not reclaim the lead for the rest of the half, as the Lions went on a 14-3 run to head into halftime leading 35-23. Loyola shot 38.9 percent in the first half while holding Pepperdine to 30.3 percent shooting. Kennedy scored 13 of the team’s 23 first-half points.
Pepperdine struggled out of the gates in the second half and could not prevent the Lions’ offense from pulling ahead, 43-27, courtesy of Young’s layup with 17:17 remaining in the game.
The Waves attempted a last-minute surge when freshman guard Katie Menton led with a three-pointer from the corner, and Wickett and sophomore center Miranda Ayim followed it up with a field goal apiece.
Menton would add eight more to help compile a 20-8 run. But this proved to be too little and too late for Pepperdine, and the team lost the game by a 70-57 deficit.
“They outplayed us,” Kennedy said. “That’s really about it.”
For the third game in a row, Kennedy was the team’s top scorer with 22 points. Menton added 14 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Wickett finished the game with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.
Pepperdine shot just 35.1 percent (20-57) from the floor and 26.1 (6-23) percent from the three-point line.
“I thought that we were just hesitant,” Rousseau said. “We weren’t looking to attack [or] put the ball on the floor. Against the zone you need to hit the gaps. And we were really just passing the ball around.”
The Waves once again had trouble taking care of the ball, as they committed 22 turnovers that resulted in 25 Loyola points.
“We’re making the same mistakes over and over again,” Rousseau said. “At some point, hopefully our senior leadership will step up and really guide this team in the direction that we’re trying to go.”
Kennedy said she felt the team could get back on track by lowering its turnover count.
“I guess we’ll try to turn the season around,” she said. “It’s the only thing you can do.”
Conference play continues for Pepperdine tonight, as the team travels north to face San Francisco (12-8, 3-2 WCC). The Waves will then have a quick turnaround and head south to play San Diego (9-10, 0-5 WCC) on Saturday.
01-31-2008
