PEPPERDINE vs. HAWAII
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic: First Round
Date: Thursday, December 22, 2022
Site: SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Time: 8:00 p.m. PT/ 6:00 p.m. HT
TV: ESPN2 
Radio: WaveCasts
Next Game: Winner of George Washington/Washington State on Dec. 23
 

PEPPERDINE WAVES	HAWAII RAINBOW WARRIORS
2022-23 Record: 6-5     WCC Record: 0-0     Home Record: 6-2     Away Record: 0-3 Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar Website: PepperdineWaves.com Twitter: @PeppBasketball	2022-23 Record: 6-3     Big West Record: 0-0     Home Record: 3-2 Head Coach: Eran Ganot Website: hawaiiathletics.com Twitter: @HawaiiMBB

WATCH — All games will be broadcast live on the ESPN family of networks and veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein will have the calls on WaveCasts. 
 
SURF REPORT
• The Pepperdine men's basketball team currently stands 6-5 overall after a 92-69 win over Cal State LA on Monday. 
• The 2022 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will be a first for the Waves, as they have never played in the holiday tournament previously. Eight total teams will make the trip to Honolulu in George Washington, Iona, Pepperdine, Seattle, Southern Methodist, Utah State, Washington State and host team Hawaii. 
• Sophomores Houston Mallette, Maxwell Lewis, and Mike Mitchell Jr. make up over half (52.6%) of the Waves scoring output, as the trio collectively shoots 46.9% from beyond the arc.
• Lewis currently leads the Waves in scoring, contributing 18.5 points per contest as well as shooting 46.3% from beyond the arc. Defensively, the sophomore has tallied 12 blocks and 15 steals through each of his 11 starts this season. The forward is Pepperdine's second-leading rebounder at 5.8 boards per contest.
• Mitchell Jr. leads the Waves in three-point percentage, shooting 49.2% from beyond the arc while also averaging 11.4 points per game. The sophomore has totaled 54 total assists on the season, averaging 4.9 per game.                                                                                                                                            
• Nationally, the Waves are ranked fourth in defensive rebounds per game (30.4) and fifth in three-point percentage (41.9).
• Amongst fellow WCC schools, Carson Basham leads the league in blocked shots per game with 1.7, followed by Boubacar Coulibaly with 1.6 rejections per contest. As a team, the Waves are first in the WCC in three-point percentage (40.6%) and blocks per game (5.4).
• 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 RAINBOW WARRIORS
Sitting at 6-3 on the season so far, Hawaii has garnered wins over the likes of Sacramento State, Texas State, Eastern Washington and most recently a 90-66 victory over Saint Francis. It will be the 15th time the two teams have faced off, after Pepperdine took two-straight games over the Rainbow Warriors (most recently 12/8/12). Noel Coleman leads Hawaii in scoring at 14.7 points per contest, followed by Kamaka Hepa at 12.4- who also leads on the boards with 7.1 rebounds per game. 

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Washington State enters the DHC at 4-6 and had a tough slate as of late with two losses to UNLV and #11 Baylor. The Cougs' most recent win came earlier this month against the likes of Northern Kentucky where WSU saw a 68-47 win. Washington State has four players currently averaging double figures in scoring, as TJ Bamba leads with 16.4 points per game. Mouhamed Gueye rules the paint for the Cougars, contributing 12.6 points and a team-high 7.8 boards per contest as well as a block per game. Jabe Mullins is the team's biggest threat from the three-point line, where he shoots 54.6%.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Through 10 games, George Washington stands at 6-4 with its most recent win coming by the hands of an 83-71 final over Coppin State. James Bishop is responsible for most of the Eagles' scoring output, averaging 22.2 points per game and shooting 46.5% from field goal range. Leading on the boards is Ricky Lindo Jr. who pulls down 7.7 rebounds and contributes 10.5 points for GWU. In 2014, the Eagles ran away with the 2014 Diamond Head Classic championship over Wichita State.

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.