SEATTLE - Seattle University women’s basketball (5-15, 1-8 WCC) makes the trek to Southern California, squaring off against Pepperdine (12-9, 3-6 WCC) at Firestone Fieldhouse on Thursday evening as the two clash for the first time this season.
Graduate Ella Brubaker leads the Redhawks scoring 15.4 points per game shooting 44.5 percent from the field. She ranks sixth amongst WCC scorers on the season. Brubaker posts 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 assists per game, shooting 32.9 percent from behind the arc. Brubaker ranks eighth in the league with 308 points score this season.
Redshirt senior Tamia Stricklin is the second Redhawk to average in double-digit scoring on the season alongside Brubaker. Stricklin tallies 11.4 PPG while pacing the team with 38.9 percent shooting from three. She ranks seventh in the WCC in 3P% this season. Stricklin also ranks top-10 in the WCC in rebounds, grabbing a team leading 6.1 per game.
Sophomore Sydnie Rodriguez joins Stricklin in the conference’s top-25 in rebounding, collecting 5.0 per game. In conference contests, she has brought in 44 total defensive rebounds, a mark that ranks seventh in the WCC. Her 54 total rebounds in WCC action ranks eighth in the league.
Freshman Jana Vesic leads the team with 57 assists this season, a mark that ranks 14th in the WCC. Vesic is adding 7.8 PPG shooting 34.7 percent from the field.
Junior Lucija Milkovic ranks top-10 in the league in field goal percentage, posting a 48.3 percent clip from the floor, averaging 3.3 made field goals in 18.1 minutes of action on average. Milkovic is scoring 7.2 PPG in that time span.
The Redhawks have combined for 467 made field goals this season, averaging 39.4 percent shooting from the floor. They have connected for 117 triples this season, ranking seventh in the league with a 29.3 percent clip from three.
Seattle U paces the conference with its 78.7 percent free throw shooting percentage, a mark that is top-10 in the nation. Brubaker paces the team with her 84.1 percent shooting from the line. She ranks sixth in the league in free throw percentage and 64th nationally.
The Redhawks grab 34.6 rebounds, 6.7 steals and 3.0 blocks a contest, ranking seventh in the WCC in blocks per game.
Seattle U and Pepperdine meet for the fifth time in program history dating back to 2012. The Redhawks trail the all-time series 1-3, capturing their first win over the Waves in 2017 in a three point victory in Malibu. The Waves claimed the last meeting by a 14 point decision in Seattle.
The Waves secured one of their best starts through the non-conference. They most recently captured their third conference win this season, defeating the Pilots last Saturday. All three of their conference wins have been at home this season, as Pepperdine improved to 9-3 on the season at Firestone Fieldhouse after besting Portland.
Thursday's showdown marks Brubaker's return to Firestone Fieldhouse, with the guard spending her previous two seasons with the Waves. During her tenure in Malibu, Brubaker amassed 410 points, 116 rebounds, 37 assists and 46 steals across 56 games. In her final season with the Waves, the University Place native shot 46.1 percent from the field, a DI season career best. Brubaker joined her parents as alumni of Pepperdine upon the completion of her undergraduate degree this past spring.
Following Thursday’s game, the Redhawks remain in Southern California, meeting LMU for the first time this season on Saturday. Seattle U returns home the following Saturday to host San Francisco.
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