With Saturday’s senior day win over Saint Mary’s, WSU women’s basketball locked up the third seed for the West Coast Conference tournament. With one game remaining in the regular season, the Cougs are looking to continue the momentum of back-to-back wins on the road Thursday against Pepperdine, despite no potential move in the standings after the game.
“Everything is about Pepperdine and again by this time our kids know it’s been a long time since we played Pepperdine, so refreshing our kids in particular about what they look like and what they do [is important],” said WSU head coach Kamie Ethridge.
The Pepperdine matchup comes after an emotional senior day in which the team’s only senior, Tara Wallack, was honored after a historic career.
“I think it’s very emotional for her but it’s also kind of trying to bring the whole group around what it must feel like to almost be wearing that jersey for the last time at home and just how touching that is to her as a senior,” Ethridge said. “When you see that as your teammate you can’t help but it affects you and so I thought the team responded great.”
The win and the celebration should be a piece of inspiration and motivation for a team looking to end the season on a high note.
The Cougs took care of business against the Waves earlier this season, winning 67-46 and allowing the second-fewest points by an opponent this season. The total was also the third-lowest scoring output for the Waves in a game this season.
The WSU defense has been a crucial part of the team’s success all season, as the team continues to rank high in several categories. The Cougs are No. 3 in the country in blocks per game at 6.2, a ranking they have held for the majority of the season. WSU also ranks No. 99 in opponent field goal percentage, which is also third in the WCC.
The Cougs had their way early in the first matchup, outscoring the Waves 20-5 in the first quarter before outscoring them by a significant 23-13 margin again in the third quarter. The WSU offensive explosion came from a game with excellent efficiency and a flurry of three-pointers. The team shot 52% from the field and 44% from three while tying the season-high for three-pointers made with 11.
WSU also fiercely protected the rim, blocking nine shots and allowing the Waves to make just six shots inside the arc with just a 17% shooting percentage on two-point attempts.
Pepperdine has struggled across the board all season and has lost eight consecutive games. The team sits at No. 275 in the NET rankings and has 14 quad 4 losses. The Waves are also last in the conference in scoring offense and margin, opponent rebounding and assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Waves only have one scorer averaging double-digit points, guard Chloe Sotell. The 6-foot freshman is averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds. Second-leading scorer Ella Brubaker, a graduate guard, was the top performer in the first game against WSU when she scored 15 points. Pepperdine will need one of its two lead guards to show up in a big way to pull of an upset of the Cougs.
Given Pepperdine’s struggles and WSU’s recent success, the Cougs have an opportunity to inch closer to the 20-win mark. While WSU should not underestimate Pepperdine, the result has no real effect and a victory will simply boost the team’s morale and give some extra momentum heading into the postseason.
The Cougs notably end the season with a bye, meaning they will have the weekend off. The team will have a long eight days between their last regular season game and the WCC tournament quarterfinals, a privilege they earned by virtue of earning a bye in the tournament and the WCC scheduling a bye for the season’s conclusion.
Ethridge said the resting time will be great for center Alex Covill’s chances for returning back from an injury that sidelined her Jan. 27, but it will still be difficult to prepare for the tournament given its structure.
“In the tournament, you literally play two o’clock most days so you might watch film on the team you’re going to play the night before but you’re not going to practice the next morning, you’re probably not going to even have a shoot around,” Ethridge said. “So it’s all about watching film and can your kids kind of lock in on that.”
The Cougs will play the Waves in Malibu, California, at 1 p.m. before traveling to Las Vegas for a quarterfinal matchup on March 9.
