MALIBU, Calif. --- After the Pilots had climbed within two points midway through the fourth quarter, the Pepperdine Waves used a game-clinching run to pull away and claim an 82-68 win over Portland in the West Coast Conference opener played on Saturday afternoon at Firestone Fieldhouse. Kate Andersen was solid for the Pilots, scoring a team-high 18 points.
The Waves (7-4, 1-0 WCC) were knocking down their shots in the first quarter to open up a lead, but an elbow jumper by Andersen and a turn-around from Julie Spencer kept the Pilots (8-4, 0-1 WCC) close. Minutes later Darian Slaga buried a three-pointer to make it a two-point game, but the Waves responded and pushed their lead to 28-18 by the end of the quarter.