Men's Basketball Visits GCU, Returns to Host Cal State LA

GAME #10	GAME #11
PEPPERDINE at GRAND CANYON Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022 Site: GCU Arena, Phoenix, Ariz. Time: 5:00 p.m. TV: ESPN+ Radio: WaveCasts Series: Lopes lead 1-0 Last Meeting: GCU 59, Pepperdine 56	PEPPERDINE vs. CAL STATE LA Date: Monday, December 19, 2022 Site: Firestone Fieldhouse, Malibu, Calif. Time: 1:00 p.m. TV: WCC Network Series: Cal State L.A. leads 12-11
GRAND CANYON LOPES 2022-23 Record: 7-4 WAC Record: 0-0 Home Record: 5-1 Head Coach: Bryce Drew Website: gculopes.com Twitter: @GCU_MBB	CAL STATE LA GOLDEN EAGLES 2022-23 Record: 6-5 CCAA Record: 3-2 Away Record: 1-1 Head Coach: Jim Saia Website: lagoldeneagles.com Twitter: @CalStateLAMBB

PEPPERDINE WAVES
2022-23 Record: 5-4
    WCC Record: 0-0
    Home Record: 5-2
    Away Record: 0-2
Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar
Website: PepperdineWaves.com
Twitter: @PeppBasketball

WATCH — The game at Grand Canyon will be broadcast on ESPN+ with veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein calling the game live on WaveCasts, while the home contest against Cal State L.A. will be streamed via the WCC Network at wccsports.com.

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 currently stands at 5-4 after an 67-64 overtime defeat by UC Santa Barbara last Saturday. The Waves were led by Maxwell Lewis, who scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half and earned a career-high four blocks. Boubacar Coulibaly tied his career highs in points and rebounds with nine each while sophomore Carson Basham contributed seven points and five rebounds to go along with three blocks.

Sophomores Houston Mallette, Max Lewis, and Mike Mitchell Jr. make up almost half (48.1%) of the Waves scoring output, as the trio collectively shoots 48.6% from beyond the arc.Lewis currently leads the Waves in scoring, contributing 18.7 points per contest as well as shooting 50% from beyond the arc. He is fifth in the WCC in field goal percentage (60.8), fourth in points per game and fourth in three-point percentage. Defensively, the sophomore has tallied 12 blocks and 10 steals through each of his nine starts this season. The forward is Pepperdine's second-leading rebounder at 5.9 boards per contest. Mallette, who was named to the preseason All-WCC team, currently averages 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.Mitchell Jr. is fifth in NCAA Division I in three point percentage, shooting 54% (27-of-50) from beyond the arc. The sophomore point guard also averages 12.4 points per game and has totaled 36 assists through the season.

Nationally, the Waves are ranked fifth in three-point percentage (41.9), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (30.3), and 10th in threes per game (10.6). Amongst fellow WCC schools, Coulibaly leads the league in blocks per game with 1.8 (he has a total of 14 through eight games) and Basham follows Coulibaly at 1.4 BPG. As a team, the Waves are first in the WCC in blocks per game at 5.6 and first in three-point percentage at 41.9 overall. Pepperdine is second in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 47.2%, and fourth in rebounds per game at 38.6.

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.

SCOUTING THE LOPES
Grand Canyon enters Saturday's contest after narrowly falling twice over the last week, first in a 69-65 loss against LMU at the GCU Arena and then in a 60-58 defeat from North Texas in the Jerry Colangelo Classic. GCU's most recent win came December 3rd in Laramie, Wyo. as the Lopes took a 66-58 win in the highest-elevated Division I court in the country.

Sophomore guard Ray Harrison leads the Lopes in scoring, going for 13 points per game, followed by junior guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. at 12 points and 1.5 steals per contest. Sharpshooters Isaiah Shaw and Chance McMillian light up the three point line as they average a combined 47.9% from beyond the arc. Redshirt junior Gabe McGlothan forward pulls down 8.1 rebounds while scoring 9.6 points per game for GCU.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Currently standing at 6-5 overall, Division II Cal State LA began its season with two exhibition games against DI opponents Cal Poly and San Jose State where the Golden Eagles fell 72-60 against the Mustangs and 69-66 against the Spartans. Most recently, the Eagles opened up conference play 3-2, defeating the likes of Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State over the past week.

Leading the way for CSULA. is sophomore guard Dominic Escobar with 15.7 points per game. He is followed by leading rebounder senior forward Adrease Jackson, scoring 14.3 points and pulling down 7.7 boards per contest. Sophomore guard Shane Bell holds a 57.1 three-point percentage after going 16-28 through nine games. Defensively, senior forward Jared Pearre has earned 14 total blocked shots through 11 games this season.

RECORDS WATCH — Houston Mallette now holds sole ownership of consecutive games with a three at 35, breaking the previous record from 2004. The sophomore also holds the Pepperdine record for most threes in a freshman season with 71 total during the 2021-22 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.

Men's Basketball Visits GCU, Returns to Host Cal State LA

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Carson Basham

Boubacar Coulibaly

Maxwell Lewis

Houston Mallette

Mike Mitchell Jr.

Footer