MALIBU, Calif. — The Santa Clara University women's basketball team ran into a force of momentum on the road Saturday.
Host Pepperdine had just beaten fifth-place San Francisco by 22 points on Thursday, and it was hosting Senior Day on Saturday – this after beating BYU in Provo, Utah, for the first time ever only two weeks ago.
Using its two six-foot forwards down low, the West Coast Conference's best rebounding team shut down the Broncos' offense to win both teams' regular season finale, 62-46, at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Saturday's result ensured the two teams will meet for a third time in the first round of next week's 2023 University Credit Union WCC Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas. Santa Clara (15-16, 6-12 WCC) will be the No. 8 seed in the tournament, and the Waves (10-18, 5-13 WCC) will be the No. 9 seed. Their first round game will tip at noon on Thursday.
Pepperdine was on point on both ends of the court. It scored more points (74) than it has in nearly two months and its fifth-most points of the year. On defense, the Waves held the Broncos – the second-highest scoring offense in the WCC – to their lowest points total of the season (59), and their lowest shooting percentage (33.9%).
Pepperdine 6-1 forward Theresa Grace Mbanefo scored a game-high 20 points and narrowly missed a double-double with eight rebounds to go along with four assists. Fellow 6-2 forward Becky Obinma scored 18 and had a game-high 14 rebounds. The Waves outrebounded the Broncos, 46-22. It was Santa Clara's lowest rebound total since they totaled 17 boards against then-No. 20 Gonzaga on Jan. 14, 2021.
Santa Clara had three players score in double figures for the third straight game. Olivia Pollerd hit three 3-pointers and scored a team-high 16 points. Ashlee Maldonado was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and scored 14 points with six assists. Lara Edmanson also scored 14 with a team-high five rebounds.
Q2, 8:09 | @WavesHoops 23, #Broncos 22
— Santa Clara Women's Basketball (@Santaclarawbb) February 25, 2023
Olivia Pollerd hits back-to-back ??????? and it's a one-point game!#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/n94gDqhjcf
The Broncos led by three a minute into the game, 5-2, but it was the last lead they'd hold. Pepperdine went on a 12-2 run that gave them the lead for good. Santa Clara battled back before the first quarter ended, making it a two-point contest at 18-16, but the Waves went on another 16-7 run to end the second and head into halftime with a 10-point lead, 39-29.
Q1, 6.6 | @WavesHoops 18, #Broncos 16
— Santa Clara Women's Basketball (@Santaclarawbb) February 25, 2023
Lara Edmanson gets the last-second basket before the quarter ends to make it a 2??-point game!#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/PI9BhnqjJq
Hailey Hoff's 3-pointer with three minutes left to play in the third quarter – one of her three 3s on the day – put the Waves' lead permanently at double digits. They'd lead by as much as 18 in the fourth before completing the season sweep over the Broncos. It was Pepperdine's first season sweep over Santa Clara in three years, since the 2019-20 season.
Santa Clara next travels to the 2023 UCU WCC Basketball Tournament starting Thursday. The Broncos will face Pepperdine again in the first round of the tournament at noon on Thursday. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
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