Pepperdine Women Get Bid

SPOKANE, Wash. — They lost six of their first seven and landed in seventh heaven.

“Unexplainable,” Pepperdine’s Jasmane Clarendon said after her teammates’ celebration subsided.

The Waves have a 14-16 record, a No. 202 ranking in the Ratings Percentage Index and lost to UCLA by 39 in December, but they can pack their bags for the NCAA tournament after winning the West Coast Conference tournament title with a 71-67 victory over top-seeded Santa Clara on Sunday in McCarthey Athletic Center.

“I think I’m numb, quite honestly,” Coach Julie Rousseau said.

Some teams talk about grabbing victory. Pepperdine pounced on it, stopping Santa Clara’s attempt to tie the score in the final moments by diving for the ball after Santa Clara’s Kayla Huss stumbled on a drive and lost it.

“Everybody had the same mind frame: ‘That’s our ball. We got this game,’ ” Clarendon said. “It was just hysteria.”

With at least three Pepperdine players on the floor, Nayeka Isabell tied up the ball, and the possession arrow pointed to Pepperdine with 1.4 seconds left.

The Waves inbounded the ball to Daphanie Kennedy -- who already had scored the go-ahead basket with nine seconds left -- and Santa Clara fouled immediately. Kennedy made two free throws with 0.2 of a second left to secure the victory.

Those were the final strokes, but another play with less than 40 seconds left made it possible. With the score tied, 67-67, Kennedy missed a desperate three-pointer as the shot clock ran down, only to see teammate Jessica Ross grab the rebound.

“I was like, ‘Thank you, God,’ ” Kennedy said.

After a timeout, Kennedy drove the lane, cut inside and banked in what proved to be the game-winning shot, though Pepperdine still needed one more defensive stop to win.

Santa Clara (19-11) seemed as if it had a good chance, with Michelle Cozad -- the conference player of the year, who had a game-high 25 points -- on its side. But the stumble by Huss turned into a turnover.

“I kind of reached in. I think I may have fouled her,” Kennedy said.

The only whistle was for a tie-up, and the ball belonged to the Waves.

Pepperdine -- a team with only one senior -- will be making its fourth trip to the NCAA tournament in seven years, but its first under Rousseau, a second-year coach who briefly coached the WNBA’s Sparks.