MALIBU, California – The Pepperdine women's basketball team will open up West Coast Conference play by taking a trip to Northern California to visit Santa Clara and Saint Mary's. The Waves will go 26 days between games. 

GAME #10: Thursday (Jan. 13) at Leavey Center in Santa Clara, Calif.: Pepperdine (4-5, 0-0) at Santa Clara (6-4, 0-0) at 6 p.m.

GAME #11: Saturday (Jan. 15) at the University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.: Pepperdine (4-5, 0-0) at Saint Mary's (6-5, 0-0) at 12 p.m.

COVERAGE: Both games will be broadcast live on the WCC Network. 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: In the final non-conference game back on Dec. 18, Pepperdine defeated Boise State, 56-54. Even though the Broncos outscored the Waves in three of the four quarters, Pepperdine had a huge second quarter with a 23-11 margin, taking the lead and never giving it up. Cheyenne Givens led the way with 14 points, shooting 6-for-7 and 1-for-2 from long range. Becky Obinma and Ally Stedman each put up nine points. 

NON-CONFERENCE: Pepperdine closed out the non-conference schedule with a 4-5 record heading into WCC play. The Waves averaged 62.7 points and had a .415 shooting percentage. Pepperdine outrebounded its preseason opponents with 38.2 per game compared to 35.9.

SERIES VS. SANTA CLARA: Santa Clara and Pepperdine have a close overall series, 42-41, with the Broncos having the one-game advantage. The Waves have won the last four out of the six meetings dating back to the 2018-19 season. The two losses were in the 2020-21 season and Pepperdine only lost by a combined 13 points. 

SERIES VS. SAINT MARY'S: The Gaels hold the overall series lead 43-35, but the Waves have won four out of the last six meetings within the last two seasons. 

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 11.4 points per game, which ranks her 17th in scoring on the WCC leaderboard.
 
Malia Bambrick is the second-leading scorer on the team at 10.0 points per game and shooting 40.6% from three, good for first on the team. She's 14th 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 9.0 points per game and also leads the Waves in shooting percentage at 53.0%, shooting 35-for-66. She has brought down 4.9 rebounds per game, which puts her 18th on the WCC leaderboard. 

Becky Obinma is averaging 8.6 points per game and leads the Waves in rebounds at 7.0 per game and is tied for sixth in the WCC. She has blocked 12 shots this season, which ranks her third in the WCC. 

Jayla Ruffus-Milner is second on the team in shooting percentage at 52.0% shooting 13- for-25. She is averaging 5.0 rebounds per game, which is tied for 15th in the WCC. 

Kendyl Carson leads the Waves in assists at 4.3 per game, marking her name fifth in the WCC. 

Cheyenne Givens ranks second on the team in assists with 3.0 per game, which also puts her at 13th on the WCC leaderboard. 

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. 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 2020 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. 

COVID POSTPONEMENTS: The Waves have had four games thus far postponed due to COVID-19 regulations. Pepperdine was supposed to open up West Coast Conference play on Dec. 30 hosting Pacific, but due to COVID-19 considerations on the Tigers' end, the game has been moved to Feb. 15. The Waves also were intended to play host to Saint Mary's on Jan. 1, but due to COVID-19 considerations with the Waves, the game was moved to Jan 311. Additionally, Pepperdine was supposed to travel to play San Diego on Jan. 6, but due to COVID-19 regulations, the game has been postponed. The Waves intended to host Loyola Marymount on Jan. 8, but the game has been postponed to Tuesday, Jan. 18. 

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.