Pepperdine women’s basketball began its West Coast Conference schedule with a 66-63 loss to Washington State on Sunday afternoon at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Washington. The defeat brings Pepperdine’s record to 9-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while Washington State improves to 2-12 and 1-0 in the WCC.
“Conference play demands your very best,” head coach Katie Faulkner said. “I know we will respond well to this loss, but we need to learn some key lessons fast.”
The game featured nine lead changes and seven ties. Pepperdine attempted 47 shots—20 fewer than Washington State—which limited their opportunities in a closely contested matchup.
Megan Fiso scored a career-high 20 points for the Waves, while Elli Guiney led all scorers with her own career-best of 26 points. Together, they accounted for more than half of Pepperdine’s total points.
The first quarter was defensively focused, with only 19 combined points between both teams. Fiso contributed six of Pepperdine’s 11 points as the Waves led by three after ten minutes. In the second quarter, Washington State outscored Pepperdine and took a narrow one-point lead into halftime. Fiso had reached double digits by halftime, with Guiney close behind.
In the fourth quarter, Pepperdine never held the lead and trailed by as many as ten points early on. Guiney helped close the gap with two three-pointers but despite her perfect shooting from distance (4-for-4), missed free throws prevented Pepperdine from overtaking Washington State late in the game.
Other statistics highlighted areas where Washington State capitalized: they scored 16 second-chance points compared to just two for Pepperdine and converted turnovers into 18 points versus four for the Waves. Both teams made eight three-pointers each, but rebounding also favored Washington State by a narrow margin (34-33). Pepperdine committed 16 turnovers against nine for their opponent.
Pepperdine will next face Gonzaga in Spokane on Tuesday night at 6 p.m., with coverage available via ESPN+ and live stats provided through pepperdinewaves.com.
“Conference play demands your very best,” head coach Katie Faulkner said. “I know we will respond well to this loss, but we need to learn some key lessons fast.”
For information about tickets to upcoming home games or updates on the team’s progress throughout the season, fans can visit the program’s official website or follow @PepperdineWBB on social media.
