In Women’s Basketball, Gaels Dominate Pepperdine to Earn Largest Win of the Season

Saint Mary's Women's Basketball could not be stopped on Saturday night, and secured a 75–47 victory over Pepperdine in a Saturday evening matchup at home. The 28-point margin of victory over the Waves is the Gaels’ largest win of the season so far. 

Saint Mary's celebrated Girls and Women in Sports Night as well, acknowledging female student athletes across various sports—and noting their achievements both on and off the court. 

Commanding First Half

In the first possession, Zeriyah Aokuso drove straight to the basket and finished the layup on the left side. The freshman point guard has been the leading scorer for the Gaels this season and is averaging 11.3 points per game. After two threes by Maia Jones and a successful three point play by Ali Bamberger, SMC was up 10–0 with 6:50 remaining in the opening period. It was a combined defensive and offensive effort: The Gaels shot 57.1% from the field while holding Pepperdine to just 13.3%. Saint Mary's finished the first quarter with a 20–5 advantage. 

To open up second quarter scoring, Maia Jones found Ali Bambergerunder the basket. A layup by Jones on the right side then put the Gaels up 29–9 with 5:40 remaining in the first half. A steal and layup by Makena Mastora, followed by Maia Jones knocking down another three pointer, pushed Saint Mary's lead to 25 with 3:20 left. Pepperdine had no answer for SMC, and Saint Mary's took a 40–13 lead into halftime. 

The Gaels led the entire first half and shot 55.2% from the field and held the Waves to 17.6%. At the end of the first half, Maia Jones was the leading scorer with 22 points, bolstered by her shooting 5–8 from the three point line.

The Offensive Spark

To begin the second half, Zeriyah Auokso stole the ball and finished the layup on the other end. Ali Bamberger dominated at the block, and she completed a three point play to put the Gaels up 47–15 with 7:44 left in the third quarter. Maia Jones was the offensive spark, as she swished her sixth three pointer with four minutes remaining. Saint Mary's did not slow down, and took a 61–30 lead into the final quarter. 

Ruby Vlahov picked up her first points of the night after a made three pointer assisted by Makena Mastora. Nadia Bernard also earned her first points of the night, with an impressive bucket from the paint. Pepperdine outscored SMC 17–14 in the fourth quarter, but it was certainly not enough to beat the Gaels. 

The win over Pepperdine carried on a victory streak for the Gaels in that matchup: The Waves are currently last in the West Coast Conference and have not won in the UCU Pavillion since the 2018–2019 season. 

Inside the Numbers

Maia Jones led all players in scoring, and she finished the night with 31 points, her new career best. Jones went 6–9 from the three point line and shot 52.6% from the field. Ali Bamberger contributed with 14 points on 75% from the field. SMC held Pepperdine to 29.8% from the field and 16.7% from three. 

UP NEXT: The Gaels are on the road for their next matchup against LMU on Thursday, February 22 at 7 p.m. 

READ MORE: This story as it originally appears at SMCGaels.com

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Rianne Misquita ’26 is studying Psychology and Business Administration at Saint Mary’s and is a student writer for SMC Athletics.