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MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women’s basketball (9-5, 0-2 WCC) opens the new year with the first home West Coast Conference game against the Saint Mary’s Gaels (9-6, 0-2 WCC) Friday night in Firestone Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Waves suffered a 52-75 loss at the hands of Gonzaga in Spokane Tuesday night in the Kennel.
• The 52 points are tied for the lowest scored by the Waves all season, matched one other time at no. 18 USC.
• Taija Sta. Maria led the Waves for the first time this season as the only player to secure double-digits with 16 points.
 
GAME NOTES
• Finishing nonconference 9-3, it is the program’s fourth best start ever and best in 45 years.
• Ranked in the College Insider’s mid-major top 25 at no. 24, it is the Waves second straight week in the poll, making the program’s first appearance last week.
• Nine nonconference wins is the most for a second-year head coach since DeLisha Milton-Jones in 2018.
• Entering conference play, Seleh Harmon has made 30 from distance, 22 away from breaking into the top 10 in the record books.
• Through the nonconference slate, the Waves are first in opponent field goal percentage and defensive rebounds in the West Coast Conference.
• Nationally, the Waves are 19th in defensive rebounds and 44th in free throw percentage at 76 percent.
• Elli Guiney, the sole sophomore on the Waves squad, has proven to be a difference maker as she has started in every game for the Waves this season.
• Although a sophomore, this season is Guiney’s first playing significant minutes, transferring in from UNLV averaging just 4.4 minutes a game last year.
• Tenth in the WCC in scoring, Guiney has scored double digits 10 times, setting four new career-highs and leading the Waves in over half of the games played.
• Scoring 26 on Sunday against Washington State, it was the most of any conference player to open the WCC slate. 
• Freshman Seleh Harmon has come off the bench in every game this season, scoring double digits in half of the games played.
• With 31 made from three with more than half the season to go, Harmon is on pace to tie for first in the most three pointers ever made in a single season.
• Harmon is the only freshman on the squad to have played in every game this season, cementing her place as the sixth man with an average of 24.6 minutes a game.
• Coming from Dodge City Community College, Shorna Preston from Australia is shining bright in the move to DI basketball.
• Second in the conference in rebounds, Shorna is averaging 9.3 a game.
• Preston earned the Waves’ first player of the week this season from the West Coast Conference.
• Inching closer to cracking the record books, Preston is less than .40 away from cementing her name into the top 10 in rebound averages, which has remained stagnant since 1986.
• Graduate Meghan Fiso comes to Pepperdine from San Diego State, second on the team with an average of 11.1 points per game and 5.7 rebounds.
• Fiso’s younger sister, Katie, is a sophomore at the University of Oregon leading her team with 15.2 points per game.
• Being just one of two teams at the DI level without a single player returning for the 2025-26 season, Coach Faulkner and her staff hit the transfer portal to build a team from scratch.
• Four freshmen are joined by eight transfers to make up the squad of 12.
• Five transfers come from Division one schools with a DII guard as well as a forward from a junior college in Dodge City, Kan.
• Outside of the United States, the Waves represent five different countries in Canada, Romania, Germany, Australia, and Spain.
• Irune Orio, a transfer from Xavier, is the Spanish representative while Ilinca Belegante comes from Romania. Lina Falk is the sole German and Taija St. Maria represents the north as the Canadian on the Waves.
• The three Australians all come from different areas with one from Perth, one from Melbourne, and the final from the Gold Coast.
• Makena Mastora, a graduate transfer into the Pepperdine women’s basketball program last year, is now on the other side as an assistant coach.
• With the new addition of Seattle to the West Coast Conference, the schedule format leaves Pepperdine not traveling to Oregon State or Pacific. 
• In addition, the Waves will not host San Francisco or Gonzaga to Malibu, just playing on the road against the two opponents.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH SAINT MARY’S
• All-time, Pepperdine is 36-50 against the Gaels.
• Holding the advantage in Firestone 22-16, the Waves look for the first win over Saint Mary’s since the 2021-22 season.
• Last season, Pepperdine lost both matchups, 54-68 at home and 41-56 on the road.
• The last victory for the Waves had to come in overtime four seasons ago, with the last win in Firestone in regulation coming a season previous in a convincing fashion 62-42.
 
SCOUTING THE GAELS
• Sitting at 9-6, Saint Mary’s is also looking for their first conference win coming into Malibu. 
• With three similar nonconference opponents, the Gaels went 2-1 against the same teams as the Waves. 
• Last time out, Saint Mary’s lost to Oregon State at home 57-63.
• Without a player averaging double digits for the Gaels, Edie Clarke and Addi Wedin are tied at the top, leading the team with 8.3 ppg apiece.
• Clarke also leads the way on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 5.3 rebounds a game.
 
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday night. The first fans in attendance will receive a commemorative throwback “shersey” in alignment with throwback night. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available on www.pepperdinewaves.com
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
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.
 
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
 
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women’s basketball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWBB.