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MALIBU, Calif. \u2013 Pepperdine women’s basketball (11-9, 2-6 WCC) welcomes the Portland Pilots (11-9, 5-3 WCC) to Malibu in the Western Waves night that will feature free boba to students as well as free Chick-fil-a post-game with line dancing.
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\nLAST TIME OUT
\n\u2022 The Waves lost 51-53 on a buzzer beater in Moraga Thursday night.\u00a0
\n\u2022 Seleh Harmon<\/a> netted multiple threes for the first game in over a month, leading the team with 15 points.
\n\u2022 Shorna Preston<\/a> led the Waves on board with 12.
\n\u2022 Five of Pepperdine’s six conference losses have now either come in overtime or by one possession.
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\nGAME NOTES
\n\u2022 Finishing nonconference 9-3, it is the program’s fourth best start ever and best in 45 years.
\n\u2022 Nine nonconference wins is the most for a second-year head coach since DeLisha Milton-Jones in 2018.
\n\u2022 Up to this point in the season, Elli Guiney<\/a> has made 40 from distance, 12 away from breaking into the top 10 in the record books.
\n\u2022 Through the nonconference slate, the Waves are first in opponent field goal percentage and defensive rebounds in the West Coast Conference.
\n\u2022 Nationally, the Waves are 30th in defensive rebounds and 48th in free throw percentage at 75.7 percent.
\n\u2022 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.
\n\u2022 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.
\n\u2022 Twelve in the WCC in scoring, Guiney has scored double digits 13 times, setting four new career-highs and leading the Waves in half of the games played.
\n\u2022 With a three-point percentage of .400, Guiney is second in the West Coast Conference in accuracy from beyond the arc.
\n\u2022 Through the past five games, junior Lina Falk<\/a> is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 a game.
\n\u2022 Falk leads the team from the charity line in the last five at .917 as well as from deep, shooting .450 on 20 attempts.
\n\u2022 Falk shattered her previous scoring record of 20 points last Thursday against Pacific, leading the team with 26 points, shooting 4-5 from deep.
\n\u2022 Athletically and academically a junior, Lina Falk<\/a> comes to Malibu from Sacramento State.
\n\u2022 Coming from Dodge City Community College, Shorna Preston<\/a> from Australia is shining bright in the move to DI basketball.
\n\u2022 Second in the conference in rebounds, Shorna is averaging 9.4 a game.
\n\u2022 Preston earned the Waves’ first player of the week this season from the West Coast Conference.
\n\u2022 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.
\n\u2022 Graduate Meghan Fiso<\/a> comes to Pepperdine from San Diego State, second on the team with an average of 11.4 points per game and 5.5 rebounds.
\n\u2022 Fiso’s younger sister, Katie, is a sophomore at the University of Oregon leading her team with 15.5 points per game.
\n\u2022 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.
\n\u2022 Four freshmen are joined by eight transfers to make up the squad of 12.
\n\u2022 Five transfers come from Division one schools with a DII guard as well as a forward from a junior college in Dodge City, Kan.
\n\u2022 Outside of the United States, the Waves represent five different countries in Canada, Romania, Germany, Australia, and Spain.
\n\u2022 Irune Orio<\/a>, a transfer from Xavier, is the Spanish representative while Ilinca Belegante<\/a> comes from Romania. Lina Falk<\/a> is the sole German and Taija St. Maria represents the north as the Canadian on the Waves.
\n\u2022 The three Australians all come from different areas with one from Perth, one from Melbourne, and the final from the Gold Coast.
\n\u2022 Makena Mastora<\/a>, a graduate transfer into the Pepperdine women’s basketball program last year, is now on the other side as an assistant coach.
\n\u2022 In her second year at the helm, this season will be Faulkner’s first curated of players orignating from her and her staff.
\n\u2022 Last season, the Waves were undefeated in nonconference play at home for the first time in five years.\u00a0
\n\u2022 Expecting a baby girl in February, Faulkner will have her third child in the middle of the 2025-26 campaign.
\n\u2022 Filling in the head coach role on the road while Katie Faulkner<\/a> cannot travel due to the incoming addition to her family is assistant coach Brian Porth<\/a>.
\n\u2022 In his second year with the Waves, Porth comes to Malibu from Southern Methodist University, where he spent two seasons.
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\nSERIES HISTORY WITH PORTLAND
\n\u2022 All-time, Pepperdine trails the series with Portland 38-21.
\n\u2022 In Malibu however, the Waves hold a 24-14 advantage over the Pilots.
\n\u2022 Last season, Pepperdine dropped both contests against Portland, taking them to overtime in Firestone before falling 75-77.
\n\u2022 Pepperdine has not beat Portland since the 2018-19 season.
\n\u2022 The Waves travel to Portland as a part of the final regular season road trip this season, going eight games between meetings with the Pilots.
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\nSCOUTING THE PILOTS
\n\u2022 With an identical overall record of 11-9, Portland is 5-3 in conference play.
\n\u2022 Last time out, the Pilots lost at LMU 68-77.
\n\u2022 2-3 on the road in conference play, the Pilots are looking to break even in Malibu.
\n\u2022 As the only player averaging double digits, Dyani Ananiev leads her team with 10.9 per game.
\n\u2022 Defensively, Julia Dalen leads the pack with 5.4 a game.
\n\u2022 Dalen also leads the conference, as well as being one of the top in the nation, in blocks with 3.4 per game.
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\nTipoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Students will be able to catch the free shuttle to get a ride down to Firestone for free boba, free tshirts, and a ticket voucher for Chick-Fil-A after the game that will be accompanied with line dancing right outside Firestone. As part of the “Western Waves” night, fans are encouraged to wear western-themed apparel. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available on www.pepperdinewaves.com<\/a>.
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\nABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
\nPepperdine 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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\nTICKETS
\nFor more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here<\/a>.
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\nFOLLOW
\nTo stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women’s basketball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWBB.
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\n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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