Pepperdine University’s women’s basketball team narrowly lost to Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in an overtime game at Firestone Fieldhouse on Thursday night. The final score was 83-78 in favor of LMU, marking Pepperdine’s first conference home loss of the season. The Waves now hold a 10-6 overall record and are 1-3 in West Coast Conference play, while LMU improved to 9-7 overall and 3-2 in the conference.
Head coach Katie Faulkner commented on the team’s effort, saying, “I thought we battled back really well to force overtime. Credit to LMU, we will grow from this and take it into our next game.”
Pepperdine started strong, taking a 23-17 lead after the first quarter with significant points coming from inside the paint. Meghan Fiso led early scoring for the Waves. In the second quarter, Elli Guiney contributed with her first three-pointer of the night and six points overall, while Shorna Preston added four points and eight rebounds. Bella Green’s layup as time expired gave Pepperdine a two-point advantage at halftime.
The third quarter saw a shift as Pepperdine managed only nine points and fell behind by nine heading into the fourth quarter. Guiney and Taija Sta. Maria were the only players to score for Pepperdine during that stretch.
In the fourth quarter, Bella Green scored 12 points including a key basket that tied the game near regulation’s end. Ivory Finley made notable defensive plays with a block and steal alongside her five points scored in this period.
With just over two seconds left in regulation, LMU called timeout to set up a final play but Preston blocked their attempt, sending the game into overtime tied at 73.
During overtime, LMU gained momentum by scoring most of their points from free throws while Pepperdine struggled offensively, making only one field goal and ultimately falling short.
Guiney led all scorers for Pepperdine with her third game of more than 20 points this season, finishing with 22. Preston recorded 12 rebounds out of her total of 15 on the night and has now posted at least one block in every game except one this season. Finley had Pepperdine’s best three-point shooting percentage for the night by making two out of four attempts. Green achieved a season-high with 15 points.
Pepperdine outscored LMU in bench points (23-20) and held an edge in shooting percentage (.508 compared to .493). The Waves also dominated inside with 48 paint points versus LMU’s 32.
Next up for Pepperdine is an away matchup against San Diego on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., which will be available via streaming on ESPN+ and live stats through pepperdinewaves.com.
Pepperdine women’s basketball has previously appeared four times in NCAA postseason tournaments and has won both regular-season and tournament titles within its conference multiple times. The program reached the Sweet Sixteen round of the WNIT Tournament in 2019.
