Defense was the downfall for the women’s basketball team in its 72-62 loss to Pepperdine on Saturday night. The Lions (9-13, 2-6) have lost their last five games, a streak that last occurred in 2005. Pepperdine entered Gersten Pavilion with an overall record of 13-8 and a conference record of 4-3, good enough for fourth place in the WCC. With the loss, the Lions find themselves in sixth place in the conference.
“This one was tough,” said sophomore Alex Cowling after the game. “We’re really searching for a win, and every loss gets harder. I’m at a loss for words right now.”
The Lions got out to an early lead as they attacked the Waves’ interior defense. Eight of the team’s first 10 points were scored in the paint, which allowed the Lions to begin the game on a 10-2 run. Cowling contributed four of her team high 22 points during this run. Pepperdine quickly gained its composure, however, and mounted a 9-2 run of its own. The teams battled back and forth until there were six minutes remaining in the first half when the Waves took their first lead of the game, 18-17. During the final minutes of the first half, Pepperdine extended their lead after embarking on a 16-2 run, and eventually led 31-26 at halftime. The Lions never regained the lead.
“From a tactical standpoint, we really struggled defensively,” said Head Coach Julie Wilhoit. “When we struggle with that, we have to be able to score. We couldn’t do that either tonight.”
The start of the second half resembled the end of the first, as the Waves continued to take advantage of the Lions’ defensive woes. Senior Miranda Ayim began the second half scoring six consecutive points, helping the Waves build their lead to 39-28. Cowling and junior Renahy Young scored back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to seven, but the Lions’ defense once again allowed the Waves to pull away. Ayim continued her scoring barrage, building Pepperdine’s lead to 46-32.
With just a few minutes remaining in the game, the Lions made their last effort to cut into Pepperdine’s 62-47 lead. Cowling connected on two free throws while senior Lisa Helmers connected on her third three-pointer of the game. Cowling then scored an easy fast-break layup, trimming the deficit to a more manageable eight points.
Hoping to slow the Waves’ offense, the Lions turned to their full court press. It did not prove to be successful, however, as Pepperdine built its lead back to double digits. “Defense is our biggest problem right now,” said Cowling. “We’re usually good when it comes to scoring, but we really have to play defense if we want to win.”
Cowling, along with Ayim, led all scorers with her 22 points. She was 6-12 from the field, and converted on all 10 of her free throw attempts. Helmers recorded her most impressive shooting performance of the season, connecting on 7-8 shots, and 5 of 6 three-pointers to give her 19 points for the game. She is now within 10 three-pointers of Amanda Patton’s school record of 154.
As a team, the Lions made all of their 18 free throw attempts, setting a school record. The team shot a mere 35.8 percent from the field, connecting on only six of 20 three pointers.
“Yes, we lost,” said Wilhoit. “We have to deal with it. We have a game on Thursday, and if we win that, then we’re back in it.”
The Lions will continue their home stand on Thursday, as they welcome Santa Clara to Gersten Pavilion at 7 p.m. in this year’s WBCA Pink Zone game. The team
will wear pink uniforms and give away pink iPods to raise breast cancer awareness.
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