MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine men's basketball team embarks on a three-game multi-team event over Thanksgiving break, set to play the likes of UC Irvine, Indiana State and New Mexico at the inaugural Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nev.

COVERAGE - All games will be streamed on FloSports. An audio-only broadcast will also be streamed by WaveCasts, as Pepperdine Hall of Famer Al Epstein continues his streak of 1,164th, 1,165th and 1,166th-straight men's basketball broadcasts as he enters his 39th season on the call. 
 
LAST TIME OUT - Michael Ajayi recorded his third double-double of the season but the Pepperdine men's basketball team could not overcome the UNLV lead, falling 82-68 on Friday evening. The Waves (3-2) were once again led by Ajayi and Houston Mallette, both with double-figure scoring, but the Rebels (2-1) had five players with 10-or-more to balance the effort.
 
AJAYI ON THE DOUBLE - Junior college transfer Michael Ajayi has accrued three double-doubles through the first five games of the season, averaging 17.2 points and 11.2 boards per contest (good for 6th in the WCC in scoring and 1st in rebounding). Most recently, Ajayi hit a cool 31 points against UNLV on 66.7% field goal shooting and pulled down 12 rebounds- half of which came on the offensive side.
 
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A…. – Junior guard Houston Mallette is on track to hit the 1,000-point mark this season, as he currently sits at 944 career points. For those following along at home, Mallette (should he keep his scoring record on the same pace as his last two outputs) will hit the milestone at least midway through the season. Mallette also sits second on the WCC scoring leaders list with his 20.8 points per game.
 
GAME #6: Pepperdine (3-2) vs UC Irvine (3-1) | 5:45 PM | Henderson, N.V. | FloSports
 
ON UC IRVINE - The Anteaters began the 23-24 season on a rocky note, falling to San Jose State in the Bay Area but came storming back, winning their last three outings. One of those Ws resulted in a 10-point upset of #16/20 USC in the Galen Center, led by redshirt senior Justin Hohn with 25 points.
 
UC Irvine usually has a spotlight big-man in the paint year in and year out, and this season is no different with center Ben Leuchten who averages 10 points but only four boards for the Anteaters. Fifth year Pierre Cockrell II acts as floor general, dishing out 6.4 assists per contest and forward Devin Tillis leads the rebounding effort with 7.5 boards per game.
 
Last season, the Waves delivered a win over UCI in Malibu, using a defensive stalwart to defeat the Anteaters 64-55. Pepperdine gave up 21 points in the first 10 minutes and trailed by 15, but turned things around completely and only gave up 34 points to UCI over the final 30 minutes. The Waves outscored UC Irvine 35-25 in the second half and held UCI to 28.4% shooting for the game.
 
GAME #7: Pepperdine vs Indiana State | 4 PM | Henderson, N.V. | FloSports
 
ON INDIANA STATE - Led by head coach Josh Schertz, the Sycamores have gone 2-1 to open their 23-24 campaign. ISU is currently led by guard Isaiah Swope, who pours in 19.7 points per game on a .591 three-point shooting clip. Guard Ryan Conwell and forward Jayson Kent head the rebounding effort for the squad with 6.3 per game apiece.
 
The Sycamores opened the season with a 30-point win over an NAIA school before heading to Tuscaloosa to take on the 24th-ranked Crimson Tide. In that contest, ISU hung around Alabama in the first half, but was eventually put away in the latter period of play.
 
Indiana State will tip-off the Ball Dawgs Classic against familiar Waves' opponent Rice.
 
GAME #8: Pepperdine vs New Mexico | 3:45 PM | Henderson, N.V. | FloSports
 
ON NEW MEXICO - The Lobos have stayed perfect in Albuquerque so far this season with wins over Texas Southern and UT Arlington, but fell to then-#23 and familiar foe Saint Mary's by 20 in Moraga.
 
In its most recent outing against UTA, New Mexico needed a buzzer-beater to defeat the Mavericks 82-80. Guard Donovan Dent played the hero, much in the same way the Waves saw against UC Davis earlier this season. Dent leads the team's scoring effort with 17.3 points per game on 52.6% field goal shooting, and Jamal Mashburn Jr. follows closely at 17.0 ppg. Both guards' M.O.s are to drive first hoping to accrue trips to the charity stripe, but Mashburn Jr. leads the crew in attempted threes with 11 total.
 
New Mexico will take on the likes of Toledo and Rice prior to enticing the Waves on Friday.
 
UP NEXT – Upon returning to Malibu, the Waves will invite Idaho State to Firestone next Tuesday for a 7 PM tip-off.