Pepperdine University’s women’s basketball team is set to play its final non-conference road game of the season against Fresno State. The Waves, with a 5-2 record, will travel north to face the Bulldogs, who currently stand at 5-3.
In their most recent outing, Pepperdine secured a 69-58 home win over California Baptist. Shorna Preston led the team with 21 points and 13 rebounds, marking the first double-double for the Waves this season. Preston’s performance placed her among only four players nationwide to record at least 20 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in a single game as of Wednesday. The other players achieving this are Sarah Strong from UConn, Madina Okot from South Carolina, and Taliyah Logwood from Texas Southern.
The team’s strong start marks its best opening since the 2019-20 season. With another win at Fresno State, Pepperdine would match its best start since the 2006-07 campaign. After seven games, the Waves rank second in three-point field goal percentage and lead in defensive rebounds within the West Coast Conference (WCC). Nationally, they are ranked 31st in defensive rebounds and improved more than thirty places in NET rankings following their victory over California Baptist.
Sophomore Elli Guiney has been noted as a key contributor this season. She ranks fifth in scoring within the WCC and has reached double digits six times so far. Guiney has also set three new career-highs and led Pepperdine in scoring for five out of seven games played.
Freshman Seleh Harmon has consistently come off the bench throughout all seven games and leads the conference in both three-point field goal percentage (.486) and average made threes per game (2.6).
Shorna Preston joined Pepperdine after transferring from Dodge City Community College in Australia and currently leads the WCC in rebounds with an average of 8.7 per game.
This year’s squad was assembled through significant recruitment efforts by Coach Faulkner and her staff due to having no returning players for the current season—one of only two Division I teams facing such circumstances for 2025-26. The roster includes four freshmen alongside eight transfers: five from Division I programs, one guard from Division II, and a forward from junior college.
International representation on the team spans five countries: Canada (Taija St. Maria), Romania (Ilinca Belegante), Germany (Lina Falk), Australia (three athletes from Perth, Melbourne, Gold Coast), and Spain (Irune Orio).
Makena Mastora joined as an assistant coach after transferring into Pepperdine’s program last year as a graduate student-athlete.
With Seattle joining the West Coast Conference this year, scheduling changes mean that Pepperdine will not travel to Oregon State or Pacific nor host San Francisco or Gonzaga; instead they will face those teams only on the road.
The all-time series between Pepperdine and Fresno State is tied at seven wins each through fourteen meetings. However, Pepperdine has yet to secure a victory on Fresno State’s home court at Save Mart Center (0-5 record). Their last win against Fresno State occurred during double overtime in Malibu during the 2011-12 season.
Fresno State enters this matchup following a win over Louisiana-Lafayette at the Big Easy Classic. Offensively Ashlyn Rean averages 12.7 points per game while Emilia Long adds another 11.4; Rean also leads defensively with an average of seven rebounds per contest.
Tipoff is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m., with live streaming available via ESPN+ (subscription required) and statistics accessible through www.pepperdinewaves.com
According to 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.” The program boasts six All-American selections historically as well as past success reaching WNIT Sweet Sixteen in 2019.
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“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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