Pepperdine University’s women’s basketball team will host California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) in a Saturday afternoon game at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves currently hold a 6-2 record, marking their best season start since 2006-07.
In their previous outing, Pepperdine secured a 65-45 victory against Fresno State. Shorna Preston led the team with 16 points and collected her second double-double of the week with 12 rebounds. Seleh Harmon contributed 14 points, including four three-pointers.
The Waves’ performance this season has placed them second in three-point field goal percentage and first in defensive rebounds within the West Coast Conference (WCC). Nationally, they rank 31st in defensive rebounds and have moved up over 100 spots to sit at No. 122 in the NET rankings compared to last season.
Elli Guiney, the only sophomore on the roster, is currently ninth in scoring within the WCC and has scored double digits six times so far this season. Freshman Seleh Harmon leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.478) and averages nearly three made threes per game.
Shorna Preston, who transferred from Dodge City Community College in Australia, is averaging a conference-best 9.1 rebounds per game and recently recorded two consecutive double-doubles.
Head Coach Katie Faulkner rebuilt this year’s squad entirely through transfers and freshmen after no players returned from last season. The current roster includes four freshmen and eight transfers representing five countries: Canada, Romania, Germany, Australia, and Spain.
Former player Makena Mastora has joined as an assistant coach for Pepperdine after transferring into the program last year.
In series history against CSULA, Pepperdine holds a dominant record of 14-1 overall and is undefeated (10-0) when playing at home in Malibu. Their most recent meeting ended with a Waves victory by a score of 78-70 during the previous season.
CSULA enters Saturday’s matchup with a record of 4-1 following a win over Cal State Bernardino. Sofia Fidelus leads CSULA offensively with an average of 16.5 points per game while Nevaeh Asiasi adds another double-digit scoring average along with leading her team defensively on the boards.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., accompanied by a community day pizza tailgate outside Firestone Fieldhouse before game time. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required), with live statistics available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.
Pepperdine women’s basketball has previously made four NCAA postseason appearances and achieved success both in regular-season play within the WCC as well as reaching the Sweet Sixteen of the WNIT Tournament in 2019. Ticket information for upcoming home games can be found online.
