The Waves celebrate their 17th win and final home game of the season Feb. 21 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Pepperdine beat Santa Clara in both matchups, sweeping the Broncos for the first time since the 2021-22 season, according to Pepperdine Athletics. Photos by Amelie Sears
Pepperdine Women’s Basketball defeated the Santa Clara University Broncos 80-63 Feb. 21 at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves took both games this season, winning the first matchup Jan. 31 in Santa Clara, 74-72.
Pepperdine won the game on Senior Night in a strong offensive showing, shooting 45.7% from the field and outrebounding the Broncos by 15.
“Last time we came out strong too, we had built a 14 point lead,” Head Coach Katie Faulkner said. “They shaved the lead away, we turned the ball over, not because of them but because of us, so we kept the same attack mentality.”
The Waves set the tone for the game from the beginning, as junior guard Taija Sta. Maria hit a quick bounce pass to junior forward Shorna Preston to open the scoring.
The Broncos responded with a 3, but junior guard Lina Falk hit a corner 3 to keep the Waves offense rolling. Sophomore guard Elli Guiney followed suit and made a 3 after a Broncos turnover to put the Waves up 12-5 with 6:57 left to force a timeout.
“It was good for our team to kind of just do what we’ve been doing and be consistent,” Guiney said. “It was just the go score mentality.”
Santa Clara failed to convert on offense throughout a majority of the quarter, allowing the Waves to build their lead to double digits by the final two minutes. Freshman guard Seleh Harmon made a 3 to close out the quarter, giving the Waves a 28-17 lead at the end of the first.
Freshman guard Seleh Harmon attempts a corner 3 against Santa Clara on Feb. 21 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Harmon scored 11 points in the game, including three 3s.
The Waves did not let up on the gas heading into the second, as Preston hit graduate guard Meghan Fiso for a layup twice in the first two minutes. Preston began to dominate in the paint, grabbing a board and drawing a foul.
“It’s not about what we can add,” Faulkner said. “It’s just fine tuning, fine tuning these little actions.”
Preston continued her impact in the second, making a floater to build the Waves lead to 14. Sta. Maria continued to create space on the court for the Waves, diming Falk for the layup.
Santa Clara managed to put together a small offensive push to cut down the lead to six with five minutes left in the second, but Harmon made a crucial 3 to give the Waves a 45-36 lead at half.
“When we play together, stick together and look for each other, that’s when we do our best,” Preston said. “It’s great to have that type of chemistry.”
Guiney and the Broncos both exchanged a 3 to start the third. Both teams fell cold on offense after the exchanged 3s, but Fiso drove for a layup to get Pepperdine rolling on offense again.
Pepperdine got a steal on the next possession, missed the three in transition, but managed to regain possession after Preston got a block. Falk made a jumper to put the Waves up 52-41 with six minutes left in the quarter.
Junior forward Shorna Preston fights for the layup against Santa Clara on Feb. 21 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Preston accounted for six of the Waves’ nine steals in the game, tying junior guard Lina Falk for the most in a game this season, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Preston and Guiney continued to control the tempo on offense heading into the rest of the quarter, scoring 13 of the next 15 points for the Waves. Falk closed out the quarter with a layup to make it 68-49 in favor of the Waves.
“Our coaches have been instilling in us confidence all season,” Guiney said. “That’s what we were tonight, so it was fun, everyone got to be super aggressive.”
The fourth quarter started slow, not seeing a basket until the Broncos made a 3 with 9:05 left. Harmon hit a 3 in response, but the Broncos quickly responded with a deep three to try and spark an offensive push.
Santa Clara failed to spark the push, as Sta. Maria made a basket while drawing the foul to cut any chance at momentum for the Broncos. Santa Clara managed two scores back-to-back, but the Waves pressure on defense kept any chance at a comeback from happening.
Graduate guard Ivory Finley hit a euro step to close out the game, bringing the Waves record to 17-11 on the season, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“We’re confident in where our abilities can take us,” Preston said. “I feel like we’re a pretty doubted team, and I’m just excited to see where we can finish.”
The Wave’s next game is against the University of Portland on Feb. 26 at the Chiles Center. Pepperdine looks to close out their final two games of the season on a high note before the West Coast Conference tournament begins on March 5.
“We’re gonna have to do it again in Vegas,” Faulkner said. “ Now we get to really dive more into ourselves and who we are, and then focus on all the other distractions.”
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Contact Shane Stephens by email: shane.stephens@pepperdine.edu