Balancing Act Benefits Pepperdine
Excuse Gonzaga Coach Kellee Barney if she’s having difficulty plotting defensive strategy for a first-round game today against Pepperdine in the West Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament at Santa Clara.
After losing twice to Pepperdine in the regular season, the Bulldogs must be a little unsure about tactics.
In the first game, Wave center Jenny Frank muscled inside and matched her career high with 32 points in an 84-81 victory at Gonzaga. In the rematch Friday in Malibu, guard Dana Sulenski’s outside shooting led to a career-best 27 points and a 79-59 triumph.
“Pepperdine has a very balanced attack,” Barney said. “They have a very strong inside game and they have great perimeter shooters. We’re going to have to try to contain both aspects of their game.”
The Waves (20-9) hope to exploit opponents with their balance and advance past the semifinals for the first time in what is expected to be a wide-open tournament. The winner earns a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Second-place Pepperdine plays seventh-place Gonzaga (11-15) at noon today, with the semifinals Friday starting at 6 p.m. and the championship game Sunday at 2 p.m.
Regular-season champion Santa Clara (20-7) is considered the favorite playing on its home court, but the Broncos have lost three of their past six games after an 8-0 start in conference play. They are led by point guard Lisa Sacco and 6-foot-6 center Christine Rigby, a member of the Canadian national team and the tallest player ever in the WCC.
“Santa Clara dominated all of us on its home floor, but other teams are playing well and anything can happen,” said Portland Coach Jim Sellars, whose team has played in four consecutive tournament finals, losing the last three.
St. Mary’s (18-8), which tied Portland (18-8) for third, is expected to end the reign of three-time defending tournament champion San Francisco (10-16) in a 6 p.m. game today.
Pepperdine boasts four players with double-figure scoring averages, including three who comprise perhaps the best backcourt in the conference. Shooting guards Sulenski and Samantha Rigley are each averaging 12.1 points and each have made 49 three-point baskets, a school record. Point guard Angie White averages 11.4 points, leads the WCC in assists and has helped the Waves to a conference-low 15.8 turnover average.
“The guard play is the best since I’ve been here,” said Pepperdine Coach Mark Trakh, in his fifth season. “And our inside play has been decent.”
Frank, a 6-2 junior, leads Pepperdine with 12.5 scoring average and 5-11 freshman Nesha Thomas ranks second in the WCC with an 8.1 rebounding average. Together, they provide tough post defense.
The Waves reached the semifinals the past two years. Last season, they rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to tie Portland on Frank’s layup with eight seconds left in the regulation before losing in overtime.
In other games today, Portland plays San Diego (13-13) at approximately 2:30 p.m. and Santa Clara meets Loyola Marymount (3-23) at about 8:30 p.m.