Friday, January 2
Malibu, CA
6:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
9-7,0-3WCC
52
at
60
Pepperdine
10-5,1-2WCC
1
2
3
4
F
Saint Mary's (CA)
4
15
15
18
52
Pepperdine
13
15
19
13
60
#4 Charlece Ohiaeri: 11 MP, 9 pts. (season high), 2 reb., 3-6 FG, 1-2 3PT vs. Pepperdine
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
WBB | Another Defensive Slugfest but Gaels Fall 52-60 to Pepperdine
1/2/2026 10:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MALIBU, Calif. - Saint Mary's held their opponent to 60 points for the tenth time this season but were unable to overcome offensive woes, shooting just 32% from the field and falling to Pepperdine 52-60. The Gaels remain winless in conference play but will have another opportunity Sunday afternoon as they remain in Southern California to take on San Diego.
Edie Clarke was the lone double-digit scorer for the Gaels, finishing with ten points and a team high eight rebounds. Charlece Ohiaeri had her best game as a Gael, coming off the bench with nine points and a couple boards. Malia Latu also scored nine points as Saint Mary's outscored Pepperdine 28-10 off the bench. The Gaels didn't go quietly after putting up 18 points in the fourth, but the Waves hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to eight with nine seconds left to secure their first conference win of the season.
FIRST HALF SMC 19-28 PEPP
Saint Mary's did not get off to an ideal start Friday night as they finished the opening period just 2-for-14 from the field for a season low four points. On the flip side, Pepperdine shot 40% from the field and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line to take a 13-4 first quarter lead. All four points came from Abigail Shoff for the Gaels.
In traditional Gaels fashion though, Saint Mary's bounced back with a 15-point quarter, shooting 6-for-13 from the field and hitting a three ball thanks to Charlece Ohiaeri. Ohiaeri was the spark the Gaels needed, scoring a season high nine points in the quarter on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting. Additional buckets came from guards Mauriana Hashemian-Orr, Malia Latu and Melesungu Afeaki. Pepperdine struggled from the field but were able to maintain their nine-point advantage from the free throw line, going 5-for-5 from the stripe and finishing the half a perfect 9-for-9.
FINAL SMC 52-60 PEPP
Pepperdine ballooned their lead to a game high 17 points thanks to an 8-0 scoring run to start the second half. Saint Mary's kept fighting though and got the deficit down to ten points on two separate occasions in the third quarter. Addi Wedin splashed a three-pointer to cap off a 7-0 run with 3:10 left in the period and then Shoff converted a three-point play after a layup in transition with 1:35 on the clock. Shoff had five in the quarter along with Latu who was 3-for-3 from the stripe.
A 9-0 run for the Gaels under the five-minute mark cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the second quarter. Emily Foy drilled a pull-up three to make it an eight-point game and then Edie Clarke continued her solid second half with a layup to make it 53-47. The lead got as low as four points for Pepperdine with under two minutes to play but the Gaels missed their final four shot attempts while the Waves hit a pair of free throws to seal the 60-52 victory.
Edie Clarke broke into double figures to lead Saint Mary's with ten points on 50% shooting along with a team high eight boards. Contributing off the bench were Charlece Ohiaeri and Malia Latu who combined for 18 points as the Gaels were +18 in bench points.
GAME NOTES
Saint Mary's falls to 9-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play after their 60-52 road defeat to Pepperdine Friday night. They will bus down to San Diego to take on the Toreros on Sunday, January 4th at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com and you catch all the action live on ESPN+.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Edie Clarke was the lone double-digit scorer for the Gaels, finishing with ten points and a team high eight rebounds. Charlece Ohiaeri had her best game as a Gael, coming off the bench with nine points and a couple boards. Malia Latu also scored nine points as Saint Mary's outscored Pepperdine 28-10 off the bench. The Gaels didn't go quietly after putting up 18 points in the fourth, but the Waves hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to eight with nine seconds left to secure their first conference win of the season.
FIRST HALF SMC 19-28 PEPP
Saint Mary's did not get off to an ideal start Friday night as they finished the opening period just 2-for-14 from the field for a season low four points. On the flip side, Pepperdine shot 40% from the field and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line to take a 13-4 first quarter lead. All four points came from Abigail Shoff for the Gaels.
In traditional Gaels fashion though, Saint Mary's bounced back with a 15-point quarter, shooting 6-for-13 from the field and hitting a three ball thanks to Charlece Ohiaeri. Ohiaeri was the spark the Gaels needed, scoring a season high nine points in the quarter on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting. Additional buckets came from guards Mauriana Hashemian-Orr, Malia Latu and Melesungu Afeaki. Pepperdine struggled from the field but were able to maintain their nine-point advantage from the free throw line, going 5-for-5 from the stripe and finishing the half a perfect 9-for-9.
FINAL SMC 52-60 PEPP
Pepperdine ballooned their lead to a game high 17 points thanks to an 8-0 scoring run to start the second half. Saint Mary's kept fighting though and got the deficit down to ten points on two separate occasions in the third quarter. Addi Wedin splashed a three-pointer to cap off a 7-0 run with 3:10 left in the period and then Shoff converted a three-point play after a layup in transition with 1:35 on the clock. Shoff had five in the quarter along with Latu who was 3-for-3 from the stripe.
A 9-0 run for the Gaels under the five-minute mark cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the second quarter. Emily Foy drilled a pull-up three to make it an eight-point game and then Edie Clarke continued her solid second half with a layup to make it 53-47. The lead got as low as four points for Pepperdine with under two minutes to play but the Gaels missed their final four shot attempts while the Waves hit a pair of free throws to seal the 60-52 victory.
Edie Clarke broke into double figures to lead Saint Mary's with ten points on 50% shooting along with a team high eight boards. Contributing off the bench were Charlece Ohiaeri and Malia Latu who combined for 18 points as the Gaels were +18 in bench points.
GAME NOTES
- Saint Mary's recorded a season low eleven turnovers
- Gaels had their second lowest field goal percentage of the season, shooting 31% from the field
- Gaels were +4 on the offensive glass but were -10 in second chance points
- Outscored Pepperdine 28-10 in bench points; Saint Mary's leads the WCC and ranks 31st in the country in bench points per game (28.6)
- Edie Clarke recorded her sixth game in double figures and matched her season high with eight rebounds
- Saint Mary's recorded ten steals in the game, the ninth time they've hit double-digit steals in a game this season, rank second in WCC with 10.0 per game
Saint Mary's falls to 9-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play after their 60-52 road defeat to Pepperdine Friday night. They will bus down to San Diego to take on the Toreros on Sunday, January 4th at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com and you catch all the action live on ESPN+.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
SMC
PEP
FG%
.317
.429
3FG%
.286
.263
FT%
.800
.722
RB
34
40
TO
11
17
STL
10
4
Game Leaders
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
PF
/ Women's BasketballPF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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