Waves Return to Action Against Northern Arizona

PEPPERDINE vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2022
Site: Firestone Fieldhouse, Malibu, Calif.
Time: 5:00 p.m.
TV: WCC Network
Series: Pepperdine leads 14-3
Last Meeting: Waves 75, Lumberjacks 73 (2019-20)

PEPPERDINE WAVES	NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS
2022-23 Record: 4-2 WCC Record: 0-0 Home Record: 4-0 Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar Website: PepperdineWaves.com Twitter: @PeppBasketball	2022-23 Record: 3-6 Big Sky Record: 0-0 Away Record: 0-4 Head Coach: Shane Burcar Website: nauathletics.com Twitter: @NAUBasketball

WATCH — Pepperdine will stream the contest via the WCC Network at WCCsports.com with veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein on the mic.

TICKETS — Home game tickets are available online and must be purchased before arriving onto campus. To purchase tickets and/or read the spectator guidelines, visit: https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Due to campus construction, nearby parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early.

SURF REPORT
• The Pepperdine men's basketball team has tipped off the 2022-23 season at 4-2 so far and will return home after a cross-county battle at #19 UCLA last Wednesday.
• Sophomores Houston Mallette, Maxwell Lewis, Mike Mitchell Jr. and Carson Basham make up almost 60 percent (59.8%) of the Waves scoring output, as Mallette, Lewis and Mitchell score the brunt of the team's three-pointers with 75.4 percent.
• Mallette, who was named to the preseason All-WCC team, has made a three-pointer in 32 consecutive games, tying the school record set by Terrance Johnson in 2004. He led Pepperdine against #19 UCLA with 15 points and eight boards.
• Lewis currently leads the Waves in scoring, pouring 16 points per contest as well as shooting 52.4% from beyond the arc. Defensively, the sophomore has tallied six blocks and five steals through each of his six starts this season.
• Mitchell Jr. averages 12.8 points and leads the team in steals, having nabbed eight over the first six games.
• Freshman Jevon Porter rounds out the double-digit scoring for the Waves, going for 11 points per game. Porter also leads the team on the boards, rebounding 7.8 per game.
• Nationally, the Waves are ranked seventh in defensive rebounds per game (31.5), 14th in three-point percentage (40.9%) and 15th in blocks per game (5.7– also first in the WCC).
• Amongst fellow WCC schools, Boubacar Coulibaly and Lewis lead in field goal percentage with 69.2% and 63% respectively. Coulibaly (1.8), Basham (1.2) and Porter (1.2) lead the league in blocked shots per game, as well.
• Lorenzo Romar is in his 26th season as a college head coach. It's his fifth season this time around at Pepperdine, and his eighth overall with the Waves. Romar will be inducted into the SoCal Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022.

SERIES VS. NAU
The Waves hold a 14-3 advantage all-time over the Lumberjacks, including a 75-73 Pepperdine win in Malibu during the 2019-20 non-conference season. Colbey Ross led the team with 27 points, going 50% from beyond the arc. Kessler Edwards contributed nine points and nine rebounds, adding on four blocks.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS
NAU currently stands 3-6 on the season, including a marquee 63-54 win over UC Santa Barbara in Flagstaff earlier in November. Go-to guard Jalen Cone leads the 'Jacks in the scoring column, where he averages 13.8 points per game. Forward Carson Towt earns 9.6 rebounds per game as the team's leader on the boards and leads defensively in steals and blocks with 11 and six respectively. Three-point threat Nik Mains shoots 42.9% from that range, averaging 9.2 points per game for a team second-best.

RECORDS WATCH — Houston Mallette has made a three-pointer in 32 consecutive games, tying with the school record of 32 set by Terrance Johnson in 2004. With a three in Wednesday's game, Mallette will earn sole ownership of the title.

GOOD STARTS — Pepperdine has four wins after five games for the first time since 2016-17. The Waves are 4-0 at home for the first time since 2015-16 (they won their first nine home games that season).

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 20 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, four times (most recently in 2021-22). 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 #55 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.

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Players Mentioned

Carson Basham

Boubacar Coulibaly

Maxwell Lewis

Houston Mallette

Mike Mitchell Jr.

Jevon Porter

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