MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's basketball team begins its season on Friday as it hosts Biola in Firestone Fieldhouse for an exhibition game at 6 p.m.
The game will not be live streamed, nor will live stats be provided. Admission is free to the public.
Friday's game against Biola marks the Pepperdine debut for interim head coach Kelsey Keizer, who took over in August. Keizer, whose last head-coaching stint was at Division II Southwest Baptist from 2014-2023, will lead a roster of 14 players — 10 of whom are newcomers — as the Waves aim to improve on last year's ninth-place finish in the West Coast Conference standings.
Pepperdine's returners are led by Jane Nwaba (Carson, Calif./Palisades Charter HS), who has been a consistent contributor for the Waves over the past three years. Nwaba is the Waves' top returning scorer (9.3 points per game) and rebounder (3.4 per game), plus she is Pepperdine's lone returning starter. Junior Helena Friend (Huntington Beach, Calif./Blair Academy) and redshirt freshman Hailey Johnson (Coto de Caza, Calif./JSerra HS) will help bolster Pepperdine's backcourt, while sophomore KK Brodie (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge HS) will look to build upon a promising finish to her freshman season.
Over the offseason, the Waves brought in eight transfers — six of whom are from Division I programs — and two true freshmen. The Waves have four transfers from Power-5 schools in Mi'Cole Cayton (Minnesota via Nebraska and California), Lexi Griggsby (Washington) and Myra Gordon (Alabama), plus former Iowa State forward Maggie Vick. Senior center Megan Harkey (Xavier) and junior guard Emerita Mashaire (Buffalo via Cincinnati) round out the Division I transfers; both players are immediately eligible this season.
While not coming from Division I schools, junior guards Ella Brubaker (The Master's University) and Addi Melone (Eastern Arizona College) were both successful in their own right at their previous schools. Brubaker was an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American, while Melone was an all-conference point guard at Eastern Arizona College. True freshmen Jorynn Ross (Milwaukee, Wisc./Summer Creek HS) and Holly Griffiths (Melbourne, Australia/Our Lady of Mercy College) round out the newcomers.
Next Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m., the Waves will host UC Irvine for their first of eight non-conference home games this year. Live stream, live stat and ticket links for all Pepperdine games can be found on the women's basketball team's schedule page at pepperdinewaves.com.
