Thursday, December 23
Malibu, Calif.
1:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
vs
Westmont
Photo by: Becca Moot
Men's Hoops Closes Non-Conference vs. Westmont
12/22/2021 10:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PEPPERDINE VS. WESTMONT
Date: Thursday, December 23, 2021
Site: Firestone Fieldhouse (Malibu, California)
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: none
Video: WCC Network
Series: Pepperdine leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Waves 84, Warriors 48 (1/3/1958 in Los Angeles)
PEPPERDINE WAVES
2021-22 Record: 5-9
   WCC Record: 0-0
   Home Record: 5-2
Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar
Website: www.PepperdineWaves.com
Twitter: @PeppBasketball
WESTMONT WARRIORS
2021-22 Record: 10-3
   GSAC Record: 2-3
   Away Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Landon Boucher
Website: athletics.westmont.edu
Twitter: @WestmontSports
WAVEPOINTS
• The Pepperdine men's basketball team closes out non-conference play with a pre-Christmas home matchup against Westmont.
• Differences between NCAA and NAIA rules mean that Pepperdine will play this as an official game, while it will be an exhibition for Westmont.
• After Thursday, the Waves will have a little more than a week off before beginning West Coast Conference play at Pacific on New Year's Day.
• Jan Zidek has retaken the team scoring lead and ranks 15th in the WCC at 12.5 points per game. He's scored in double-figures in five straight.
• Mike Mitchell Jr., who was named the WCC Freshman of the Week on Monday, is third in the conference at 4.8 assists per game.
• Jade' Smith passed Colbey Ross on Pepperdine's all-time steals list on Tuesday. Smith is now tied for eighth with 140 career steals. He's also eighth in the WCC at 1.4 per game.
• Houston Mallette has a team-best 32 three-pointers and is fifth in the WCC at 2.3 per contest.
• The Waves ranked 11th in the country in free throw shooting last season and they've been good so far again this year at 75.8% (placing third in the WCC).
• Pepperdine is second in the WCC with 10.8 offensive rebounds per contest.
• Lorenzo Romar is in his 25th season as a college head coach. It's his fourth season this time around at Pepperdine, and his seventh overall with the Waves.
• The Waves are coming off a season in which they won the 2021 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
WAVECASTS — Thursday's game can be watched online via WaveCasts on the WCC Network. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, a 2015 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who is now in his 37th season, will be behind the microphone. This will be his 1,110th consecutive men's basketball broadcast for the Waves.
HOME GAME TICKET POLICIES — Due to L.A. County health rules, proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the 72 hours prior to an event is required to attend Pepperdine home men's basketball games. Tickets are available via e-ticket ONLY and must be purchased online before arriving onto campus. Single-game non-conference tickets cost $25 for reserved, $15 for general admission, $12 for child general admission and $10 for groups. To purchase e-tickets and/or read the spectator guidelines and COVID-19 policies, visit: https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Due to campus construction, nearby parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early.
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, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also 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, California, 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.
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Date: Thursday, December 23, 2021
Site: Firestone Fieldhouse (Malibu, California)
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: none
Video: WCC Network
Series: Pepperdine leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Waves 84, Warriors 48 (1/3/1958 in Los Angeles)
PEPPERDINE WAVES
2021-22 Record: 5-9
   WCC Record: 0-0
   Home Record: 5-2
Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar
Website: www.PepperdineWaves.com
Twitter: @PeppBasketball
WESTMONT WARRIORS
2021-22 Record: 10-3
   GSAC Record: 2-3
   Away Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Landon Boucher
Website: athletics.westmont.edu
Twitter: @WestmontSports
WAVEPOINTS
• The Pepperdine men's basketball team closes out non-conference play with a pre-Christmas home matchup against Westmont.
• Differences between NCAA and NAIA rules mean that Pepperdine will play this as an official game, while it will be an exhibition for Westmont.
• After Thursday, the Waves will have a little more than a week off before beginning West Coast Conference play at Pacific on New Year's Day.
• Jan Zidek has retaken the team scoring lead and ranks 15th in the WCC at 12.5 points per game. He's scored in double-figures in five straight.
• Mike Mitchell Jr., who was named the WCC Freshman of the Week on Monday, is third in the conference at 4.8 assists per game.
• Jade' Smith passed Colbey Ross on Pepperdine's all-time steals list on Tuesday. Smith is now tied for eighth with 140 career steals. He's also eighth in the WCC at 1.4 per game.
• Houston Mallette has a team-best 32 three-pointers and is fifth in the WCC at 2.3 per contest.
• The Waves ranked 11th in the country in free throw shooting last season and they've been good so far again this year at 75.8% (placing third in the WCC).
• Pepperdine is second in the WCC with 10.8 offensive rebounds per contest.
• Lorenzo Romar is in his 25th season as a college head coach. It's his fourth season this time around at Pepperdine, and his seventh overall with the Waves.
• The Waves are coming off a season in which they won the 2021 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
WAVECASTS — Thursday's game can be watched online via WaveCasts on the WCC Network. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, a 2015 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who is now in his 37th season, will be behind the microphone. This will be his 1,110th consecutive men's basketball broadcast for the Waves.
HOME GAME TICKET POLICIES — Due to L.A. County health rules, proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the 72 hours prior to an event is required to attend Pepperdine home men's basketball games. Tickets are available via e-ticket ONLY and must be purchased online before arriving onto campus. Single-game non-conference tickets cost $25 for reserved, $15 for general admission, $12 for child general admission and $10 for groups. To purchase e-tickets and/or read the spectator guidelines and COVID-19 policies, visit: https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Due to campus construction, nearby parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early.
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, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also 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, California, 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.
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