Two Pepperdine Waves basketball players had career performances as Pepperdine’s men’s and women’s basketball squads grabbed overtime victories over West Coast Conference rivals on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Junior forward Monique Andriuolo scored 30 points and snagged 17 rebounds to lead the Waves women’s team to a 73-64 overtime win over Saint Mary’s at Pepperdine’s Firestone Fieldhouse, and senior forward Kameron Edwards dropped 27 points en route to Pepperdine’s men’s team’s 68-67 triumph at Loyola Marymount.Â
Andriuolo, from Melbourne, Australia, shot 12 of 20 from the field and 6 of 8 from the foul line in 41 minutes of action. Edwards, from Rancho Cucamonga, shot 11 of 17 from the field and 4 of 8 from the foul line in 43 minutes of action. The two forwards’ standout games pushed their teams to winning records. The men’s team’s record is 12-11 overall and 5-4 in the WCC heading into its matchup against Santa Clara at home on Thursday. The women’s team has an 11-10 overall record and 5-6 record in the conference heading into its contest at San Francisco the same day.Â
Saint Mary’s had the lead over Pepperdine in the first quarter, but the Waves battled back to take a 30-29 lead at halftime. The two teams battled back and forth in the third quarter before the Waves ended the period on a run to lead, 45-40. The visitorstied the game with 3:49 left in the fourth quarter. Pepperdine freshman guard Jayla Ruffus-Milner’s layup gave her squad the lead with a minute left in regulation, but a Saint Mary’s three pointer pushed the contest into overtime. Pepperdine went on two six-point runs in the extra period to get the win.Â
Andriuolo’s scoring was a constant for Pepperdine throughout the game, but she wasn’t the lone Wave to have a good game. Senior guard Barbara Sitanggan had 17 points as she knocked down all 10 of her foul shots and grabbed six rebounds and dished two assists. Senior guard Hannah Friend produced nine points and six boards.Â
The Pepperdine men’s team was down, 28-12, to Loyola Marymount in the first half when Kameron’s younger brother, Kessler, scored seven points in the Waves’ 14-3 run to cut Loyola Marymount’s lead to five points. The younger Edwards’ bucket tied the game at 37 after halftime, then Pepperdine took a 42-40 lead when Kameron swished two free throws. After the opposition gained the lead briefly, a dunk by the older Edwards gave his team a six-point lead. Pepperdine led 61-53 with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Loyola Marymount stormed back to tie the contest at 61 when the quarter ended.Â
Edwards, the senior, scored five points in overtime to lead his squad to the win.Â
Edwards’ career-best game came a few days after he was named the WCC Player of the Week. He has now scored 20 points or more 10 times this season. Edwards also grabbed five rebounds against Loyola Marymount. Kessler Edwards had 17 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Pepperdine leading scorer Colbey Ross, a junior point guard, had a quiet scoring game. He tallied seven points, five rebounds, and two steals.Â
