GAME #1: Wednesday (Nov. 10) at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif.: Pepperdine (0-0) at UCLA (0-0) at 7 p.m.

COVERAGE: Links to live stats and broadcasts will be available on the women's basketball schedule page on PepperdineWaves.com. Fans can also follow

@WavesHoops on Twitter for live, in-game updates.

SERIES VS. UCLA: The Bruins have a 16-3 advantage all-time against the Waves. The last time Pepperdine defeated UCLA was during the 2007-08 season in Malibu. The two teams last met in the 2013-14 season, when the Bruins defeated the Waves 82-78 in Pauley Pavilion.

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 ranks eighth on the Pepperdine all-time three point record list with 132 made.

Cheyenne Givens also returns to Malibu, after moving into a starting role as a junior. She averaged 9.0 points, led the team in assists (48/2.1 per game) and steals (39/1.7 per game).

Jayda Ruffus-Milner had a stellar sophomore campaign last year, after scoring 6.3 points per game and bringing down 5.0 rebounds per game. She also had 11 blocks and 27 steals, both second-best on the team.

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, 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 two NCAA Division III Tournaments. Along the way, the team had six straight 20-win seasons including five season with at least 23 wins.

THE STAFF: The Waves welcomed three new members and returned two on the coaching staff for the 2021-22 season.

̈Brian Rosario has West Coast Conference experience, as he graduated from the University of San Diego in 1999, where he was a male practice player for the women's basketball team. He also coached at PCH Cup rival Loyola Marymount from 2012-17 before becoming the head coach at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona.

Emily Ben-Jumbo also has West Coast Conference experience, as she graduated from PCH Cup rival Loyola Marymount in 2015, where she played in 119 games through four years at LMU. She played professionally overseas in Luxembourg and Argentina. She also was the director of operations for LMU and coached two seasons before joining Dowling's staff.

Rachel Schrote was the director of player development and assistant video coordinator with the UCLA women's basketball program and also was the video coordinator for the Los Angeles Sparks. She also had stints with the Seattle Storm and Gonzaga.

Kayla Reeves, the new director of operations, was the lead assistant coach for four seasons with Puget Sound and also has some West Coast Conference experience with Gonzaga, as she was the graduate assistant for the Bulldogs for two seasons.

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.