War by the Shore Returns to Malibu Saturday

PEPPERDINE vs. UC SANTA BARBARA
Date: Saturday, December 10, 2022
Site: Firestone Fieldhouse, Malibu, Calif.
Time: 5:00 p.m.
TV: WCC Network
Series: Pepperdine leads 38-37
Last Meeting: UCSB 86, Pepperdine 74 (2021-22)

PEPPERDINE WAVES	UCSB GAUCHOS
2022-23 Record: 5-3 WCC Record: 0-0 Home Record: 5-1 Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar Website: PepperdineWaves.com Twitter: @PeppBasketball	2022-23 Record: 5-2 Big West Record: 0-0 Away Record: 0-2 Head Coach: Joe Pasternack Website: ucsbgauchos.com Twitter: @UCSBbasketball

HOLIDAY SPIRIT – Wear your ugliest Christmas sweater for Willie's Winter Wishlist! Students in attendance will have the chance to win stellar prizes from gift cards to iPads to electric scooters.

WATCH — Pepperdine will stream the contest via the WCC Network at WCCsports.com and veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein will have the call.

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.

SOPHOMORE TRIFECTA
Sophomores Houston Mallette, Maxwell Lewis, and Mike Mitchell Jr. make up over half (56.5%) of the Waves scoring output, as 78.1% of the teams' three-point scoring comes from the trio as well. Lewis currently leads the Waves in scoring, contributing 18 points per contest as well as shooting 52.9% from beyond the arc. He is third in the WCC in field goal percentage (62.4), fourth in points per game and third in three-point percentage. Defensively, the sophomore has tallied eight blocks and steals through each of his eight starts this season. The forward is Pepperdine's second-leading rebounder at 5.6 boards per contest. Mallette, who was named to the preseason All-WCC team, currently averages 15.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Mitchell Jr. is third in NCAA Division I in three point percentage, shooting 55.1% (27-of-49) from beyond the arc. The sophomore point guard also averages 14 points per game.

WAVES IN THE RANKS
Nationally, the Waves are ranked third in three-point percentage (43.3), tied for eighth at defensive rebounds per game (30.12), tied for ninth in threes per game (10.9) and 15th in effective field goal percentage (57.5%).

Amongst fellow WCC schools, Boubacar Coulibaly leads the league in blocks per game with 1.7 (he has a total of 12 through eight games). As a team, Pepperdine is second in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 48.6% and fourth in rebounds per game at 37.9.

THE BOSS
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.

RECORDS WATCH — Houston Mallette now holds sole ownership of consecutive games with a three at 34, 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.

SERIES VS. UC SANTA BARBARA
The Waves hold a 38-37 lead over the Gauchos all-time in a matchup that was known as "The War by the Shore" during its heyday. Both schools were in the CCAA together in the 1950s and then played 22 consecutive seasons in non-conference from 1986-87 to 2007-08. The teams are now meeting for the third-straight season and the fourth time in the last five.

During their last outing in the 2021-22 season, the Gauchos bested the Waves 86-74 at the Thunderdome. Pepperdine saw a 20-point output from then-junior forward Jan Zidek, as well as seven rebounds from the Czech native. Then-senior center Victor Ohia Obioa contributed 15 points and eight boards to follow.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UCSB currently stands 5-2 after beating WCC counterpart Pacific 82-71. One of the Gauchos' two losses came by the hands of Northern Arizona, who the Waves recently defeated 88-69 last week.

Chosen to win the Big West in the preseason coaches' poll, the Gauchos put two names on the All-Big West Preseason team in sophomore Ajay Mitchell and Andre Kelly - a graduate transfer from Cal.

Mitchell leads the team in scoring (15 PPG) and assists (4.9 APG) as Kelly pulls down nine rebounds per contest to go with 11.3 points (shooting 57.9% from the field) and 1.3 blocks per game. Senior forward Miles Norris contributes 12.6 points and 7.1 boards and three-point threat Cole Anderson currently shoots 51.7% (15-29) from beyond the arc.

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

Boubacar Coulibaly

Maxwell Lewis

Houston Mallette

Mike Mitchell Jr.

Jan Zidek

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