Pepperdine
Pepperdine Holds on in 4th Quarter for 63-53 Win Against Cal Poly
11/10/2019 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MALIBU, Calif. — Cal Poly pulled within five points of Pepperdine midway through the fourth quarter Sunday at Firestone Fieldhouse, but the Wave women's basketball team responded with back-to-back 3-pointers, re-establishing a double-digit lead before holding on down the stretch to pick up a 63-53 win against the Mustangs.
Cal Poly started fast, jumping out to a 10-2 lead almost five minutes from the opening tip, taking the early eight-point lead on a jumper by junior forward Sierra Campisano. Freshman point guard Abbey Ellis closed the first quarter with a layup for the Mustangs, providing a 19-14 lead while capping a period in which Campisano already had nine points.
To start the second quarter, the teams exchanged three straight 3-pointers, beginning with senior forward Hana Vesela first connecting behind the arc to extend the lead to 22-14, before Pepperdine's Hannah Friend answered from deep to cut it to 22-17, only to see senior small forward Jonni Smith regain an eight-point cushion for the Mustangs, 25-17 with 7:48 remaining to halftime. Neither side would score for another four minutes, when Barbara Sitanggan made a layup to narrow the deficit to 25-19 at the 3:51 mark. She kick-started a 13-0 Pepperdine run to close the half, as Ashleen Quirke hit a jumper 1:10 before the break, ultimately sending the Waves to the locker room up 30-25.
Early on in the third quarter, junior guard Chantel Govan drove for a layup to bring the Mustangs within 33-29, but Pepperdine (1-1) countered with a quick 6-0 run, taking a 39-29 advantage thanks to a Malia Bambrick 3, en route to a 50-38 lead heading into the fourth.
Although the Waves began the final period with a free throw, Cal Poly responded with an 8-0 run, as Ellis sank a jump shot and then Campisano netted three straight baskets, bringing the Mustangs within just 51-46 with 5:56 remaining.
On the next possession, though, Paige Fecske answered with a 3, before Bambrick added another trifecta on the Waves' next trip up the floor, giving Pepperdine — a third-round WNIT squad in 2018-19 — a 57-46 lead with 4:55 to play.
Back-to-back free throws from Ellis, followed by a Vesela layup with 2:28 left in regulation narrowed the gap back to 57-50, but Bambrick made her fifth & last 3 of the day, pushing it back to 60-50. Cal Poly (0-2) once more brought it back to a seven-point margin, as sophomore guard Gianna Silvestri connected on a 3 off an Ellis assist, but Pepperdine's Monique Andriuolo tacked on a layup with only 22 seconds on the clock for a nine-point lead, and then following a Mustang miss coming out of a timeout, added a free throw eight seconds afterward for the final score.
Campisano finished with 18 points (on 7-for-16 shooting) and a career-high 14 rebounds for Cal Poly.
Meanwhile, Vesela had 11 points on a 5-for-9 afternoon, along with five rebounds. Bambrick scored a game-high 21 points, shooting 8-for-13 overall.
Cal Poly travels to Denver next, as the Mustangs visit the Pioneers on Sunday, Nov. 17. Tip-off at Hamilton Gym is set for 1 p.m. MST (12 noon PST) on Summit League TV.
