MALIBU – Using a full-court pressing defense and a lights-out shooting performance, Pepperdine handed UCSB a 76-57 loss on Sunday at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Waves improve to 5-4 while the Gauchos fall to 3-4, with all four defeats coming away from UCSB’s Thunderdome. UCSB’s next game is on Wednesday, Dec. 17 vs. Harvard at the Thunderdome.
For the second time this season UCSB had trouble with a full-court press. The Waves employed one from the outset, forcing 11 first-half turnovers – then 12 more in the second half – and causing some havoc in the Gauchos’ backcourt. UCSB committed 18 second-half turnovers against a full-court press in a loss to USC in November, the Gauchos’ last away game before Sunday.
After cutting Pepperdine’s lead to 10 points at halftime, the Gauchos saw the Waves open the second half on a 10-2 run and after Nakeya Isabell hit a three-pointer and then a pair of free throws to give Pepperdine a 45-27 lead. That lead ballooned to 54-33 when Jazmine Jackson knocked down a three-pointer, one of 11 that the Waves hit on the day. Pepperdine, which came into the game shooting 26.9% from downtown, went 11 of 20 (55%). The Waves shot 47.6% overall from the field.
The Gauchos got no closer than 11 points in the second half despite shooting 15 free throws. UCSB made 22 of 25 from the charity stripe and also outrebounded Pepperdine 36-30, but it wasn’t enough as they shot 36.2% from the floor. The Gauchos also made just one three-pointer in eight attempts.
Jenna Green led UCSB with 14 points while Lauren Pedersen had 10 points, all coming from her 10 for 10 performance from the free throw line.
Whitney Warren and Emilie Johnson each had eight points with Warren grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Johnson had five boards to go along with her four assists while Pedersen also had five rebounds.
Pepperdine went on a 20-6 run midway through the first half to take a 30-16 lead on Alisha Bryant’s jumper with 4:27 left, however the Gauchos would rally back.
Emilie Johnson knocked down a three-pointer to cut the lead to nine with 2:49 left before Whitney Warren converted a layup to make it 33-25 with 1:08 remaining. The Waves took a 35-25 lead into the half, based on their 47.1% shooting from the field.
Christine Spencer made her first appearance in a UCSB uniform after having to sit out a full year when she transferred from Wisconsin. Spencer played eight minutes and had one rebound while missing both her shot attempts, each coming from three-point range.
The Gauchos return home on Dec. 17 against Harvard at the Thunderdome at 7 p.m. All emergency personnel who worked the Tea and Gap Fires will receive two free tickets to the game by showing their emergency personnel ID at the Thunderdome box office up to an hour before the game.
