MALIBU, Calif. (Interstat) — The Pepperdine Waves used a dominant first quarter and a balanced offensive attack to pull away from the San Diego Toreros for a 76-55 victory in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Firestone Fieldhouse.

The Waves, improving to 16-11 overall, set the tone early, opening the game on a 22-9 run and never looking back. San Diego, which fell to 9-19, struggled to find consistent offense outside of a strong second quarter and was ultimately overwhelmed by Pepperdine’s depth and defensive pressure.

The most important stretch of the game came immediately after the opening tip. Pepperdine seized control with a 22-point first quarter, fueled by efficient play from its international contingent. After San Diego’s Lilly Amor hit an opening three-pointer, the Waves responded with a 12-2 run. A driving layup and free throw by Shorna Preston of Christchurch, New Zealand, gave Pepperdine a lead it would not relinquish. The Waves closed the period on another burst, capped by a Lina Falk three-pointer in the final minute, to establish a 22-15 advantage.

San Diego showed resilience in the second quarter, outscoring Pepperdine 17-13 behind the scoring of guard Kylie Ray. The La Crescenta, California, native scored eight points in the period, including a driving layup that cut the deficit to 27-25 with just over six minutes remaining before halftime. The Toreros’ defense also forced several Pepperdine turnovers to stay within striking distance.

However, any momentum for the visitors was extinguished after the break. Pepperdine opened the third quarter with a 7-2 spurt and steadily increased its lead, holding San Diego to just nine points in the period. The Waves’ defense clamped down, blocking three shots in the quarter and converting Torero mistakes into transition opportunities. A layup by Bella Green of Perth, Australia, just before the third-quarter buzzer pushed the Pepperdine lead to 52-41, effectively sealing the outcome.

The Waves put the game fully out of reach with a 24-point fourth quarter, their highest-scoring period of the night. Pepperdine’s lead ballooned to as many as 23 points in the final minutes before settling at the 21-point final margin.

Ray led all scorers with 18 points for San Diego, adding three assists in 38 minutes of action. Olivia Owens contributed 11 points and two blocks for the Toreros.

Pepperdine’s victory was a collective effort, with five players scoring in double figures. Preston led the way with 13 points, while Falk from Wolfsburg, Germany, and Taija Sta Maria of Toronto, Canada, each added 12. Green finished with 12 points and Elli Guiney of Goodyear, Arizona, orchestrated the offense with a game-high six assists to go with six points. Meghan Fiso of Seattle, Washington, rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.

The Waves shot efficiently from the field, while San Diego’s offensive struggles were compounded by 21 turnovers, which Pepperdine converted into 23 points. The Waves also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Toreros 42-26 inside.

The win avenges a 54-51 road loss to San Diego back on Jan. 10 and keeps Pepperdine in the upper tier of the WCC standings. San Diego, which has lost three of its last four, continues a challenging stretch of conference play.

An announced crowd of 377 watched the game at Pepperdine’s on-campus arena.

Pepperdine will look to continue its momentum at home against Santa Clara on Saturday. San Diego travels to face Loyola Marymount on the same day.