A 15th consecutive loss to Santa Clara, 67-61, away today capped off the women’s basketball team’s regular season play (1-17, 5-24).
Junior Ea Shoushtari led the Waves in scoring with 21 points, and sophomore Keitra Wallace notched a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. They were the only two Pepperdine players in double figures.
The Waves hung tight throughout the game and even out rebounded Santa Clara, 45-43. The team’s downfall ended up being its inability to find a consistent stroke, marking 30 percent in field goal attempts (20-67).
The last time Pepperdine and Santa Clara faced each other, the Waves came out on top in a dramatic 101-93 double overtime win on Jan. 2. However, that was with the help of junior Bria Richardson’s career-high 44 points.
Just three games after that, Richardson went down with an ankle injury that eventually needed surgery, not allowing her to return this season. The team has yet to win a game without her in the lineup.
The squad travels to Las Vegas for the single-elimination style WCC tournament. They play their first round game on Thursday, March 6, at noon.
The last time the Waves advanced past the first round of the tournament with a record below 0.500 was under former head coach Julie Rousseau during the 2006-07 season.
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Follow Alysha Tsuji on Twitter: @AlyshaTsuji