The Pepperdine women’s basketball team heads south to Long Beach State for a Sunday afternoon matchup.
GAME #7: Sunday (Dec. 1) Pepperdine (4-2) vs. Long Beach State (2-3) at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. Tip-off is schdeduled for 2 p.m.
COVERAGE: The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Live stats can be found at www.pepperdinewaves.com
SERIES VS. LONG BEACH STATE: Overall, the Waves are 4-14 against the Beach, including 2-6 in true road games. Last season was the first time Pepperdine faced off against Long Beach in six seasons, resulting in a 53-68 loss at home. Senior Ella Brubaker (Washington Place, Wash.) put up a team-leading 11 points with senior Megan Harkey (Summerfiled, N.C.) close behind with eight points.
LAST TIME OUT: The Waves are coming off a convincing 84-58 win over Cal State, Northridge Wednesday afternoon. In the 26 point win, seniors Megan Harkey (Summerfield, N.C.) and Malia Mastora (Alameda, Calif.) put up career-high 16 and 18 points, respectively. Currently on a three-game win streak, Pepperdine is off to the best start to a season in five years. The Waves look to keep it rolling against the Beach Sunday afternoon.
THE SQUAD: Pepperdine returns eight on the 12-person roster. New faces include transfers Malia and Makena Mastora, sisters from Cal State San Marcos and Saint Mary’s, respectively. Other new faces include graduate Ornela Muca from Cal and freshman Chloe Sotell from Stamford, Conn.
CAREER-HIGHS: Three Waves have rewritten career records just six games into the season. Graduate Ornela Muca (Athens, Greece) scored 27 against California Baptist while Harkey and Mastora had their record-breaking games last time out against Cal State, Northridge. Brubaker has also tied her career-high against UC Riverside with 20 points.
BREWING WITH BRUBAKER: Tying her highest D-I performance this past week against UC Riverside, the senior is shaping up to have her best season yet with the Waves. Second on the team, the Washington native has 59 points on the year and leads the team in steals with eight. Just six games into the season, Brubaker has already accumulated over 38% of her overall points last year, on pace to break her record with flying colors.
AT THE HELM: Katie Faulkner is entering her first year as the head coach of the Waves. Previously, Faulkner served as an assistant at the University of Washington for three seasons. During her tenure, Faulkner took Washington to the WNIT Final four in the program’s first postseason berth in six years. Prior to joining the Huskies, the Montana alumnae served as an assistant coach at Oregon State from 2016-2021. In those five seasons, the Beavers garnered a 118-37 record while going to the NCAA tournament four years in a row, including a 2018 Elite Eight appearance.
CATCH THE WAVES — Season tickets for Pepperdine men’s and women’s basketball are currently on sale at PepperdineWaves.com/Tickets (http://pepperdinewaves.com/tickets). Single game tickets are also available for purchase. Season ticket prices begin at $99 and fans have the opportunity to purchase a pass for priority parking near Firestone Fieldhouse for $200.
