SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Interstat) — In a game defined by grit over grace, the Pepperdine Waves withstood a furious second-half rally and a last-second three-point attempt to edge the Santa Clara Broncos 74-72 in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball thriller on Saturday afternoon at a packed Leavey Center.

The victory, secured before an announced crowd of 1,952, was a monumental upset. National statistical models had given Santa Clara, now 18-6 overall, a 92.8% probability of winning. Instead, Pepperdine improved to 14-9 by executing a simple, punishing game plan: dominate the interior and survive a torrent of turnovers.

The Waves built their winning margin almost exclusively in the paint, outscoring Santa Clara 44-24 near the basket. They shot a efficient 50.9% from the floor on 29-of-57 shooting, a stark contrast to the Broncos’ frigid 30.7% on 23-of-75. Pepperdine’s size and physicality, led by forwards Lina Falk and Shorna Preston, allowed them to score at will inside despite a disjointed offensive flow.

That flow was disrupted by relentless Santa Clara pressure. The Broncos, forcing 20 Pepperdine turnovers while committing only eight, converted those miscues into 19 points. Guards Ashley Hawkins and Aniya Hooker were catalysts, combining for several steals that fueled transition opportunities and a 21-point second quarter that erased an early Pepperdine lead.

The Waves had opened the game with clear intent, using a 9-0 run to establish a 17-12 first-quarter advantage. They extended that lead to 11 points in the third quarter, finding consistent success with entry passes to Falk and drives by Preston. But Santa Clara’s persistence from beyond the arc kept them within striking distance. The Broncos launched 36 three-pointers, making 11, with Ava Schmidt and Kylee Fox providing crucial shots to chip away at the deficit.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in the final minute. With Pepperdine clinging to a 70-67 lead after two Hawkins free throws, the Broncos forced a stop and called timeout with 23 seconds remaining. Out of the break, Maia Jones found Schmidt in the corner for a clutch three-pointer, tying the game at 70 and sending the home crowd into a frenzy with just 2.2 seconds on the clock.

Pepperdine, however, had a final answer. On the ensuing inbounds play, guard Taija Sta. Maria found forward Elli Guiney cutting toward the basket. Guiney caught the pass and laid the ball in as time expired, delivering the dramatic game-winner and silencing the arena.

The win was anchored by Pepperdine’s standout duo. Shorna Preston, a 6-foot-1 guard from Christchurch, New Zealand, shook off a series of recent quiet performances to post 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes, directing the offense through Santa Clara’s defensive storms. She was complemented powerfully by Lina Falk, the 6-foot-2 forward from Wolfsburg, Germany, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while playing a game-high 38 minutes.

Santa Clara was led by the backcourt tandem of Ashley Hawkins, who scored 21 points and dished four assists, and Maia Jones, who added 20 points and seven rebounds. Ava Schmidt contributed 14 points and seven boards, but the Broncos’ inability to finish inside—missing a staggering 20 layups according to the play-by-play log—ultimately proved too great a hurdle to overcome.

The victory gives Pepperdine a significant boost in conference play ahead of a rematch with Santa Clara in Malibu on Feb. 21. The Broncos, meanwhile, must regroup from a defeat that highlighted their offensive reliance on perimeter shooting and defensive creation, which nearly succeeded but fell one stop short.