Pepperdine Secures First WCC Road Win of the Season Behind Balanced Scoring and Late-Game Grit
The Pepperdine Waves women’s basketball team claimed its first road victory in West Coast Conference play this season on Jan. 31.
The Waves traveled to the Bay Area and edged the Santa Clara Broncos 74-72 at the Leavey Center. The win pushed Pepperdine’s record to 14-9 overall and 5-6 in the WCC.
Waves interim head coach Brian Porth said he was proud of the grit and growth his squad showed.
“Stacking good days requires stacking small moments, and they did that for 40 minutes,” he said.
Junior forward Shorna Preston and junior guard Lina Faulk led Pepperdine with 15 points each. Faulk also grabbed 10 rebounds. Junior guard Taija Sta. Maria and graduate guard Meghan Fiso each added 14 points.
Six different Pepperdine players — Faulk, Fiso, Sta. Maria, Preston, sophomore guard Elli Guiney, and freshman guard Seleh Harmon — scored in the fourth quarter, pushing their squad to the win.
Preston and Fiso scored consecutively, giving Pepperdine a four-point advantage with just under four minutes left in the game. Santa Clara tied the game 72-72 with 23 seconds left. But then Guiney scored on a layup, putting her team up again with two seconds on the clock. The Broncos weren’t able to score on their final possession.
Both teams only managed one basket apiece in the contest’s first three minutes. However, both teams eventually found an offensive rhythm, and the Waves, led by Faulk and Fiso, had a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Pepperdine increased its lead to 33-19 in the second quarter when Preston scored, but before halftime, Santa Clara stormed back on a 14-1 run. The Waves still held a 34-33 halftime lead.
The squads traded baskets in the third quarter. With Preston’s eight points, three assists, and two steals in the period, the Waves had a 57-53 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
The win marked Pepperdine’s first victory over Santa Clara in three seasons. The Waves carry a three-game winning streak into their home matchup against Washington State. It is their first WCC streak of at least three games since the 2019–20 season.
