PEPPERDINE VS. PORTLAND
Date: Saturday, January 15, 2022
Site: Firestone Fieldhouse (Malibu, California)
Time: 5 p.m.
TV: none
Video: WCC Network
Series: Pepperdine leads 66-38
Last Meeting: Waves 91, Pilots 70 (2/6/2021 in Portland)

PEPPERDINE WAVES
2021-22 Record: 6-12
    WCC Record: 0-3
    Home Record: 6-4
Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar
Website: www.PepperdineWaves.com
Twitter: @PeppBasketball

PORTLAND PILOTS
2021-22 Record: 9-7
    WCC Record: 0-1
    Away Record: 3-4
Head Coach: Shantay Legans
Website: www.PortlandPilots.com
Twitter: @PortlandMBB

WAVEPOINTS
• The Pepperdine men's basketball team entertains Portland on Saturday, wrapping up this week's three-game homestand.
• The Waves have won seven straight against the Pilots, and five consecutive in Firestone Fieldhouse.
• The Waves' busy schedule — which looked like it was going to be seven contests in 13 days — was eased when Monday's rescheduled game at Pacific was postponed for the second time this season.
• Pepperdine's newcomers have scored 51.9% of the points so far this season. Four different players have scored 20 or more points in a game this season, and three of them are newcomers.
• Pepperdine's impressive freshman class includes Mike Mitchell Jr., who ranks second in the WCC in assists (4.7), Houston Mallette, who is second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg, 19th in the WCC) and ranks fifth in the conference in three-pointers (2.2), and Maxwell Lewis, who had a 27-point effort against Westmont.
• Jan Zidek has scored in double-figures in nine straight games and ranks 15th in the WCC at 12.5 points per game. Zidek had team highs of 17 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's game against Saint Mary's.
The Waves rank highly in the WCC in offensive rebounding (11.1 per game, second), free throw percentage (76.0%, third) and assists (15.7 per game, third)
• 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.
• Last season, the Waves won the 2021 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).

WAVECASTS — Saturday'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 1,114th consecutive men's basketball broadcast for the Waves.

HOME GAME TICKET POLICIES — Due to L.A. County health rules, proof of vaccination (including boosted if eligible) or proof of a negative COVID-19 test (a PCR test taken within the previous 48 hours or an antigen test taken within the previous 24 hours) 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. 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.