NOAH GODWIN
Assistant Sports Editor
Pepperdine women’s basketball fell to 1-1 in West Coast Conference play following a loss at University of San Francisco last Saturday. The Dons led most of the game and fought off a Waves rally for a 63-48 victory. The Waves hope to return to the win column this week on a two-game home stand.
Pepperdine, now 5-10 overall, trailed by only two with six minutes left in the game, but the Waves pulled no closer.
“We weren’t as focused and ready to play when the game started, and although we picked it up and matched their intensity and got it close, it wasn’t enough in the end,” freshman guard Shannon Johnson said.
San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak with the win and also moved to 1-1 in conference play.
“One thing about this loss and every loss we’ve had this season is that we learn something, and are determined not to make the same mistakes,” Johnson said.
Senior forward Jennifer Lacy led the Waves with 21 points and seven rebounds, and Syreeta Stafford chipped in nine points.
But it was San Francisco that came out firing in the first half, making 13 of its first 25 shots. The Waves were in an 11-point hole by halftime.
The Dons cooled off a little in the second half to finish with a shooting percentage of 45, but Pepperdine only shot 35 percent for the game.
Dominique Carter led San Francisco with 16 points.
Pepperdine opened conference play last Thursday with a 78-56 win at University of San Diego.
The Waves dominated almost every aspect of the game. Pepperdine shot a blistering 54 percent in the contest and held a 39-23 advantage in rebounds.
Lacy had 24 points, which was the fifth time this season she has scored 20 or more points in a game. Lacy also contributed eight rebounds.
Lacy has been named to the all-tournament team in the past two tournaments the Waves have entered. Lacy has already been twice named the player of the week by the West Coast Conference. And perhaps the high point is that she is playing her best against conference opponents, which make up the rest of the schedule.
“It’s not really a surprise to any of us on the team that she’s playing this well because she’s always shown the potential, and it’s fun to see her bringing all of her skills to the table,” Johnson said.
But the night belonged to freshman guard Daphanie Kennedy, who, after struggling earlier in the season, has reached double figures in scoring in three of the past four games.
Kennedy graduated from Kearney High School in San Diego, and she had quite the homecoming with a career-high 16 points.
“Daphanie and I can’t be considered freshmen anymore because of how much we’ve already played, and with only nine healthy players on the team everybody needs to play well,” Johnson said.
Tiara Harris also scored 16 points to lead the way for the Toreros. But Pepperdine’s defense was geared toward stopping conference scoring-leader Amber Sprague.
Sprague was averaging almost 17 points a game, but the Waves limited her to only 11.
“Our coaches scouted them really well for us, so we knew where to shift our focus on defense,” Johnson said.
Pepperdine shot 47 percent for the game and held San Diego scoreless for several stretches during the contest. Many of the Toreros’ droughts came in the first half, which allowed the Waves to jump out to a 37-17 lead at halftime.
Sophomore guard Lauren Wenski and junior forward Kelsey Ball each scored nine, and senior forward Kelli Spencer added a season-best eight points.
The Waves return to Malibu for a game tonight against Portland and will play Gonzaga in Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Pepperdine finished the 2003-04 season at 10-4 on the season in the WCC. The Waves were 6-1 in the friendly confines of Firestone Fieldhouse during the season.
“With this group of players and all that we’ve already been through, we expect to be at the top our conference,” Johnson said.
01-13-2005
