MALIBU, Calif. – Junior Houston Mallette scored the Waves' first 13 points of the night and finished on a 57% three-point mark to lead the Pepperdine men's basketball team to an opening night 76-64 win over Concordia University Irvine on Monday evening.
 
The night served as a fundraising opportunity for the Pepperdine Memorial Fund honoring four Pepperdine seniors who passed in a car accident earlier this year that will support their families, friends and the broader Pepperdine community. All ticket proceeds went to the fund, as well as donations from the Pepperdine Bookstore, University Credit Union and fans throughout the evening. Before the anthem, a moment of silence was held for the victims followed by a word of prayer for the community.
 
The Waves have now won 13-straight home openers dating back to 2010.
 
BIG WAVES

• In addition to his 13-straight opening points, Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS) finished with 26 total on 50% shooting from the field and an impressive 57% from beyond the arc.
• Sophomore Malik Moore (Ventura, Calif./Heritage Christian) broke his career high (previously 11) in scoring at 16, going 6-of-11 from field goal range and 50% from the three. He also brought down five boards, dished out two assists and notched two steals.
• Ethan Anderson (Carson, Calif./USC/Wyoming) contributed 12 points on 4-for-10 FG shooting and adding three rebounds to the mix.

RECAP
Shaking off the first-game jitters, both teams got off to a slow start offensively. Mallette proved to be the bright spot for the Waves, however, going 7-for-9 earning his 13-straight in the first ten minutes. After a drive and dump from Cord Stansberry (Bermuda Dunes, Calif./Shadow Hills HS) to Aladji Gassama (Bamako, Mali/De Smet Jesuit HS), Pepperdine led 15-10 heading into the under eight media time out. Moore came alive in the latter end of the first half, scoring the last seven shots for the good guys heading into the break.
 
In the second half, the Waves went toe-to-toe with the Golden Eagles until a set of free throws put Pepperdine up for good. Mallette and Moore traded buckets until Nils Cooper (Los Angeles, Calif./Crossroads HS) got on a hot streak, shooting 7-of-9 in a span of four minutes. Anderson drained his lone three-pointer with just over four minutes to play and the two teams traded free throws until the final buzzer.


 
UP NEXT
The Waves head to Davis, Calif. for a matchup against UC Davis on Thursday afternoon with a 2:30 p.m. tip time before returning home to entice Lafayette (Pa.) on Sunday, November 12.