GAME #9: Saturday (Dec. 18) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine (3-5) vs. Boise State (3-6) at 1 p.m.. This game begins a doubleheader with the men's team who will take on Southeast Missouri at 5 p.m.

COVERAGE: The game will be broadcast live on the WCC Network with Darren Preston on the call. 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.

TICKETS: Patrons must have an e-ticket prior to arriving on campus. Pepperdine students, staff and faculty just need their Pepperdine ID card for entry. Tickets can be found at pepperdinewaves.com/tickets.

LAST GAME: Last Friday, the Waves fell in an intense game to Portland State, 75-71, inside the Viking Pavilion. Pepperdine was led by Malia Bambrick and Jayla Ruffus-Milner who each banked 12 points. Cheyenne Givens and Meaali'i Amosa each collected 10 points, while Ally Stedman had 8 points. The Waves had their best shooting game so far this season at 52%.

SERIES VS. BOISE STATE: The Waves and Broncos have each taken two wins out of the four meetings. The last time the two teams met was in the 2019-20 season, when Boise State defeated Pepperdine 76-74 in Extramile Arena. The Waves have never won inside Extramile Arena, and the Broncos have never won in Firestone Fieldhouse.

HONORS: Ally Stedman marked the season's first West Coast Conference weekly honors for the Pepperdine women's basketball team when she was 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.

THIS YEAR: The Waves have been led by freshman Ally Stedman who averages 11.8 points per game, which ranks her 16th in scoring on the WCC leaderboard.

Malia Bambrick is the second-leading scorer on the team at 11.0 points per game and shooting 41.9% from three, good for first on the team. She's 11th in the WCC for three-pointers made with 13. She is also tied for fifth on the Pepperdine all-time three point record list with 145 made. Bambrick was named All-WCC honorable mention last season.

Eve Braslis is averaging 9.4 points per game. She has brought down 5.1 rebounds per game, which ranks 14th on the WCC leaderboard.

Becky Obinma is averaging 8.5 points per game and leads the Waves in rebounds at 7.1 per game, which puts her fifth in the WCC. She has blocked eight shots this season, which puts her tied for eighth in the WCC.

Kendyl Carson leads the Waves in assists at 4.6 per game, marking her name third in the WCC.

Jayla Ruffus-Milner leads the Waves in shooting percentage at 54.5% shooting 12-for-22. She also is averaging 5.1 rebounds per game, which is good for 13th in the WCC.

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.