Pepperdine University’s women’s basketball team is set to host the California Baptist University (CBU) Lancers on Wednesday at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. The game, known as the Willie’s Wonderland event, will feature several fan activities including a hot cocoa stand for the first 100 students and special shirts for the first 75 fans. A half-court shot contest at halftime offers a $500 cash prize sponsored by head coach Katie Faulkner.
The Waves enter the matchup with a 4-2 record, marking their best season start since 2018-19. Their most recent game resulted in a loss to No. 18 USC, with Elli Guiney leading Pepperdine in scoring for the fifth time this season with 12 points. Meghan Fiso contributed 11 points, while Bella Green led in rebounds with nine.
Pepperdine currently ranks second in both three-point field goal percentage and rebounding within the West Coast Conference (WCC). Nationally, their three-point shooting percentage of .366 places them among the top 50 teams. Sophomore Elli Guiney stands out as fourth in WCC scoring and has reached double digits in five games so far.
Freshman Seleh Harmon has made an impact off the bench, leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.500) and tying for first in three-pointers per game at 2.5.
This season’s roster was assembled through significant recruiting efforts by Coach Faulkner and her staff after no players returned from last year’s squad—a situation shared by only one other Division I program. The current team consists of four freshmen and eight transfers from various collegiate levels, including five from Division I schools.
International representation on the team includes athletes from Canada, Romania, Germany, Australia, and Spain. Notable newcomers include Irune Orio from Xavier (Spain), Ilinca Belegante (Romania), Lina Falk (Germany), and Taija St. Maria (Canada). Three Australians join from different regions: Perth, Melbourne, and Gold Coast.
Makena Mastora, who played as a graduate transfer last year, now serves as an assistant coach for Pepperdine.
Due to changes in conference scheduling following Seattle’s addition to the WCC, Pepperdine will not travel to Oregon State or Pacific this season and will only play San Francisco and Gonzaga on the road.
Historically, Pepperdine leads CBU 4-3 overall but trails at home with a record of 1-2 against them in Malibu. Last season’s meeting saw Pepperdine win on CBU’s court behind a career-high performance from Ornela Muca.
CBU arrives with a 6-1 record and holds a #100 ranking in this season’s initial NET rankings compared to Pepperdine’s #182. Freshman Lauren Olsen leads CBU offensively with an average of nearly 16 points per game; she shares leadership in three-pointers made alongside graduate student Chance Bucher. Defensively, Emma Johansson and Flipa Barros are averaging just over ten rebounds each per game.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., with streaming available via ESPN+ (subscription required) and live statistics provided on www.pepperdinewaves.com.
According to program information provided by Pepperdine Athletics, “Pepperdine women’s basketball has made four NCAA postseason appearances in its history, having won the WCC regular-season four times and the WCC Tournament on three occasions. With six All-American selections in program history, the Waves have also seen success in the WNIT Tournament which included a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2019.”
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