Jan. 9, 2010

Angie Kiel's postgame interview with Coach Wilhoit from Podcast Center.
Audio highlights from Podcast Center.

Box Score

Malibu, Calif. - Four players scored in double figures but it was not enough as LMU dropped its West Coast Conference opener, 82-65, at Pepperdine on Saturday afternoon at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. The Lions (7-8, 0-1 WCC) pulled within two early in the second half but the Waves (10-5, 1-0 WCC) sealed the contest by finishing the game on a 12-4 run.

Opening up WCC play with three straight on the road, LMU entered the contest having won five of the last six in Malibu. With both teams coming off 10-day layoffs, Pepperdine set the tone, however, getting the game off to a frenetic pace and shooting nearly 50%. The Waves held a 21-4 advantage in points off turnovers and a 35-17 edge in bench scoring. The loss was LMU's second in a row at Pepperdine and second straight in WCC openers.

Sophomore Alex Cowling scored all of her game-high 18 points in the second half while senior Kavita Goss tied her season high with 12 points on a quartet of three-pointers that moved her into a tie for seventh on LMU's all-timer list with 96. Senior Jenna Sybesma added 11 points and six rebounds and junior Renahy Young chipped in 10 points for the Lions.

LMU shot 40.4% (23-for-57) from the floor and 29.4% (5-for-17) from three-point range while connecting on 77.8% (14-for-18) at the line.

Alex Jarrell came off the bench to pace the Waves with 16 points. She was joined in double figures by Skye Barnett with 14 points and seven rebounds and Lauren Bell with 11 points.

Pepperdine shot just under 50% for the contest, finishing at 49.2% (30-for-61) from the floor, 60% (6-for-10) from downtown, and 76.2% (16-for-21) at the line. The rebounding count was even at 34 but LMU's 15 turnovers almost doubled that of the Waves (eight) and it showed, with Pepperdine holding a 21-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

It was Goss against the Waves over the first five minutes as the senior knocked down her first three shots, all from long-range, to single-handedly offset the four Waves who had scored. Once the Waves keyed on Goss, it was Sybesma's turn to take over, scoring LMU's next six points. Meanwhile, the Waves were getting production from multiple sources, as five different Pepperdine players were on the scoresheet to help the Waves to an early 18-15 advantage.

The bench players would be key as both teams' leading scorers, Young for LMU and Miranda Ayim for Pepperdine, each picked up two fouls without scoring within the opening 6:47. Pepperdine's press and Shay Cooney-Williams would help the Waves pull away from a tight contest as three straight LMU turnovers and a personal 7-0 run by Cooney-Williams over a 29-second span opened up a 25-16 lead with 10:39 left.

The lead would buoy between six and nine points until a three by Jarrell gave Pepperdine an 11-point advantage, 41-30 with 3:47 left in the first. Despite hitting 46% from the field and scoring a season-high in points in the first half, the Lions still trailed at the break, 49-40, in part due to Pepperdine's 56% performance from the floor and a combined 9-of-10 and 21 points from Jarrell and Cooney-Williams.

Scoreless in the first half, Cowling opened the second with two straight jumpers and fed Goss for a three on the wing to spur a 7-0 LMU run and immediately cut the deficit to two. But two quick fouls on Cowling and Young, both their third of the contest, sent them to the bench, and the Waves took advantage with a 10-2 run, including two threes from Bell, to restore their 10-point lead, 59-49.

Young picked up her fourth foul at the 11:51 mark and Pepperdine continued to pour on the pressure, increasing its lead to the largest of the game to that point, 66-51, with 10:34 left. In the absence of their leading scorer, the Lions turned to Cowling, who responded by taking it hard to the hoop for eight straight points over the next four minutes to pull LMU back to 68-59. That would be as close as the Lions would get, however, as Ayim and Bell were a perfect 6-for-6 from the line over the final two minutes to ice the game.

LMU stays on the road next week with a trip to the Bay Area. The Lions visit San Francisco at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Santa Clara at 2 p.m. on Saturday.