Call them the comeback kids.
Pepperdine Women’s Basketball comes from behind to take down the University of Califonia, Riverside Highlanders 55-52 Nov. 18 at Firestone Frieldhouse. The Waves remain undefeated at home and secured back-to-back wins following a trip to California Baptist University on Nov. 16.
With their second comeback win on home turf, Head Coach Katie Faulkner said she gives all the credit to her unfaltering Waves.
“Players stepped up,” Faulkner said. “That’s what I love about this team, it’s just always evolving.”
To open the game, Faulkner serviced senior guards Malia and Makena Mastora, senior guard Emerita Mashaire, Megan Harkey, senior forward/center and Graphic Sports Staff Writer and freshman guard Chloe Sotell. However, it was a slow start for both sides.
From the field, the Waves shot 4-13 and 1-5 from behind the arc. Malia found the first five points for the Waves, picking up an and-one and a fastbreak layup for a 5-3 lead.
Her twin sister, Makena, would bank the Waves’ sole three-pointer to bring the lead to 8-4. Finishing the first quarter with a layup, the Mastora twins brought the Waves to a one-point 10-9 lead entering the second quarter.
The Highlanders were slow to start offensively but had a spark under them defensively, playing aggressively with heavy contact. Malia said it was an expectation going into the game but could be a reason for their slow start.
“Being in the game, it does shock you, and we were a little rattled at first,” Makena said. “But, after we settled in a bit, we trusted ourselves, trusted our teammates, and we slowed the game down to play at our speed.”
Pepperdine needed a bit more time to find that adjustment, however, as Riverside put their stamp all over the second quarter.
The Waves’ three-point woes continued, as they went 0-4 in their attempts. To add to their troubles, Pepperdine struggled to make free throws, going 5-10 from the line.
This led to a 15-18 Highlander lead at the five-minute mark, which turned into a Waves turnover and foul to prompt a six-point streak from Riverside. In the blink of an eye, Pepperdine was down nine, 15-24.
The Waves would muster a couple of points before halftime, but things needed to change entering the second half with Pepperdine down 19-24, and for Faulkner it started with getting those free throws to fall.
“They’re called free throws for a reason,” Faulkner said. “I’m grateful we got to the free throw line, but early on in the season, yeah, you want to see some of those fall.”
A little rest was all Pepperdine needed.
Coming into the second half, it was like a new-look Waves on the court, much to the aid from the bench. Finding themselves down 32-23, graduate guard Ella Brubaker entered the game as the difference for the Waves.
Immediately finding an assist, Harkey secured a layup in the paint to start a rally for Pepperdine. The Waves brought the deficit to within one, but from here, both sides would find ways to get points on the board.
Solid defense from Brubaker awarded her a steal and a drawn foul, placing her at the free-throw line. Putting their free-throw woes to rest, she got both free throws to fall to place the game at a 36-36 tie entering the fourth.
“We really just [mentally] restarted, every half is a new half,” Brubaker said. “Just reset 0-0 and come out and win the second one.”
The fourth quarter was a battle. After the long match, both teams seemed to have each other’s numbers, swapping leads multiple times until Brubaker stormed through the paint to find a layup for a 42-40 lead.
Brubaker utilized the paint a lot off the bench. She said the Highlanders were leaving the lane to the paint open, and she kicked it to her teammates whenever she could until she gained a little confidence in herself and decided she could take it to the hole herself.
“She wants it so much for other people sometimes, so it’s hard to look at her and say, ‘No, it’s you babe, go!'” Faulkner said. “Everyone just loves seeing her thrive out there, and she has such a gift athletically, such great instinct, and I love having her out there on the floor.”
Pepperdine would desperately need Brubaker’s confidence as the game entered crunch time. The Highlanders responded to her layup with a three-pointer to regain a one-point lead.
Brubaker would commit a foul to raise the Highlanders lead to three points, but she would instantly make up for her mistake.
With her newfound confidence, she fought her way into the paint for an and-one layup, swishing the free throw to re-tie the game at 45-45. Déjà vu struck the Waves, as a foul by Harkey allowed Riverside to take a two-point lead with less than a minute left of regulation. The Waves would commit 15 personal fouls this game, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
With time winding down, more déjà vu hit the Waves, but in the form of yet another fast-break layup by Brubaker to save the Waves and send them to overtime with a score of 57-57.
An extra five minutes of play would determine the victor, but the players were not worried about the result because they had Faulkner by their side.
“She said to keep playing our game, so we kept it simple, looked to score and be strong with the ball,” Malia said. “Coach Katie did a great job in coaching us and reminding us that they’ve prepared us really well for this and that we just need to trust in the work that we’ve already put in.”
Brubaker opened overtime again with an and-one layup in the paint, going on to score the first five points for the Waves to start a lead they would never surrender.
Points from Makena and senior guard Ornela Muca would round out the comeback overtime 55-52 win for the Waves.
Off the bench, Brubaker led the Waves with her second career 20-point game, which included two blocks, steals, assists and three rebounds. Malia and Muca followed behind with nine points and a steal-a-piece, as Malia recorded five rebounds and Muca recorded two, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Pepperdine’s bench was the difference maker in this game, scoring 29 points to Riverside’s 19. Brubaker is responsible for 20 of Pepperdine’s 29 bench points.
The Waves utilized the paint more with 38 to Highlander’s 20 points, and with Brubaker leading the way, Pepperdine scored 17 fastbreak points to Riversdie’s five, all according to Pepperdine Athletics.
With this win, Women’s Basketball overall record moves to 3-2, and will take a week off and resume play Nov. 27 on enemy turf against California State University, Northridge at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
But, even though the Waves are entering downtime, the grind never stops.
“Day off tomorrow for sure, good rest for all our bodies,” Malia said. “But, we talked about it in the locker room; even on our day off, let’s just get for a little 20-minute workout. Doesn’t have to be a lot, but keep our minds right. Stay really locked in because [CSUN’s] coming, they’re coming for us.”
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Email Justin Rodriguez: justin.rodriguez@pepperdine.edu
