MALIBU, California – The Pepperdine women's basketball team hits the road, for the first two-game road trip this season, visiting CSU Bakersfield and California Baptist.
GAME #6: Tuesday (Nov. 30) at The Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif.: Pepperdine (2-3) vs. CSU Bakersfield (1-3) at 7 p.m.
GAME #7: Thursday (Dec. 2) at CBU Events Center in Riverside, Calif.: Pepperdine (2-3) vs. California Baptist (4-1) at 2 p.m.
COVERAGE: Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Links to the broadcast as well as live stats are available on the women's basketball schedule page on PepperdineWaves.com. Fans can also follow @WavesHoops on Twitter for live, in-game updates.
LAST GAME: On Saturday night inside Firestone Fieldhouse, the Waves fell short to Cal State Fullerton, 68-63. Pepperdine again had three players in double-digits including Malia Bambrick who led the way with 21. Eve Braslis had her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Becky Obinma collected 12 points and brought down seven rebounds.
SERIES VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD: Pepperdine has a 4-1 advantage all-time against CSU Bakersfield. The Waves have beaten the Roadrunners three times in Firestone Fieldhouse and are 1-1 at The Icardo Center. The two teams last met in the 2020-21 season, where Pepperdine took the win 69-58 in Malibu.
SERIES VS. CALIFORNIA BAPTIST: The Waves and Lancers have squared off four times, with Pepperdine having the 3-1 advantage all-time. Pepperdine has defeated CBU twice at the CBU Events Center and are 1-1 inside Firestone Fieldhouse. The two teams last met in the 2020-21 season, where the Lancers defeated the Waves 67-75 on Pepperdine's home court.
HONORS: Ally Stedman marked the season's first West Coast Conference weekly honors for the Pepperdine women's basketball team, being named WCC Freshman of the Week (11/15). She scored 36 points in two games against #20 UCLA and Eastern Washington, of which 28 points were against the Bruins.
RETURNERS: Pepperdine returns four starters from last year's team. Malia Bambrick was the second-leading scorer on last year's team, scoring 10.7 points per game and shooting 36.3% from three, good for first on the team. She also is tied for sixth on the Pepperdine all-time three point record list with 141 made. Last season, Bambrick was named All-WCC honorable mention.
Cheyenne Givens also returns to Malibu after moving into a starting role as a junior. She averaged 9.0 points and led the team in assists (48/2.1 per game) and steals (39/1.7 per game).
Sophomore twins Jayda and Jayla Ruffus-Milner are coming off strong sophomore campaigns. Jayda averaged 6.3 points and 5.0 rebounds and was second on the team with 11 blocks. Jayla averaged 5.3 points and 5.0 rebounds and was second on the team with 27 steals.
THE SQUAD: The Waves bring back 11 returners and add three newcomers to the team. The returners include two seniors (Bambrick and Givens), five redshirt juniors (Cydney Rivera, Jayda Ruffus-Milner, Jayla Ruffus-Milner, Becky Obinma and Eve Braslis), three sophomores (Isabel Montoya, Jane Nwaba and Kendyl Carson) and redshirt freshman Rosemary Odebunmi. New to Malibu are freshmen Meaali'i Amosa, Helena Friend and Ally Stedman.
LAST YEAR: In her third year, Kristen Dowling led the Waves to a 5-18 overall record, including a 2-16 WCC record. Pepperdine fell in the opening round of the West Coast Conference Tournament 85-73 to Loyola Marymount.
AT THE HELM: Kristen Dowling enters her third season as Pepperdine's head women's basketball coach. During her first two seasons with the Waves, she has a record of 21-33. Last season, the team had a 5-18 overall record, including a 2-16 WCC record. Her first year at the helm, she led the team to a 16-15 overall record, including an 8-10 WCC record. The team reached the semifinals of the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas before falling to San Diego. Prior to Pepperdine, Dowling was the leader of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' program for seven years. She led the Athenas to six straight SCIAC regular-season championships as well four SCIAC Tournament championships and four NCAA Division III Tournaments. Along the way, the team had six straight 20-win seasons including five seasons with at least 23 wins.
WCC PRESEASON TEAM/RANKINGS: The Waves were picked to finish ninth in the 2021-22 season. The entire poll is as follows: 1. Gonzaga, 2. BYU, 3. San Diego, 4. San Francisco, 5. Portland, 6. Santa Clara, 7. Saint Mary's, 8. Loyola Marymount, 9. Pepperdine, 10. Pacific.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY: Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports – one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat – and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment and is the only school not affiliated with a major conference. The Waves have earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
