OREM, Utah. – Pepperdine women's basketball (2-0) faces the Utah Valley Wolverines (2-1) Friday night on the road in a WCC-WAC showdown. 
 
"Utah Valley will be another great test for us and our growth," head coach Katie Faulkner said. "It will take a monumental effort on the road and I know our girls are up for the challenge." 
 

• To open the final season at Firestone Fieldhouse, the Waves beat the Warriors of Westmont convincingly 74-51.
• Two Waves hit double digits in the game.
• Elli Guiney scored a career-high for the second time this season with 15 points.
• Bella Green was the other Wave in double digits with 13.

 
GAME NOTES
 

• Starting the season 2-0, it is the program's best start since the 2020-21 season.
• Through two games, the Waves are averaging 79 points per game.
• With an average of 23 assists per game, Pepperdine is tied for seventh in the country.
• Ivory Finley currently leads the West Coast Conference in field goal percentage at .667. 
• Being just one of two teams at the DI level without a single player returning for the 2025-26 season, Coach Faulkner and her staff hit the transfer portal to build a team from scratch.
• Four freshmen are joined by eight transfers to make up the squad of 12.
• Five transfers come from Division one schools with a DII guard as well as a forward from a junior college in Dodge City, Kan.
• Of the 12 new players in Malibu, three come from different regions of Australia.
• Bella Green, Zoe Shanahan, and Shorna Preston are the three representing the land down under for the Waves this season.
• As one true freshman and two transfers,the trio of Waves will log their first DI minutes this season with Pepperdine as Green comes to Malibu from West Florida and Preston comes off a title run with Dodge City Community College.
• Outside of the United States, the Waves represent five different countries in Canada, Romania, Germany, Australia, and Spain.
• Irune Orio, a transfer from Xavier, is the Spanish representative while Ilinca Belegante comes from Romania. Lina Falk is the sole German and Taija St. Maria represents the north as the Canadian on the Waves.
• The three Australians all come from different areas with one from Perth, one from Melbourne, and the final from the Gold Coast.
• The Waves currently have one AP Top-25 team slated with a game at #18 USC Nov. 28.
• Two trips highlight the Waves' non-conference with a trip up to Utah Valley as well as a short flight to Flagstaff, Ariz. to face Northern Arizona.

 
 
SERIES HISTORY

• In just two games against Utah Valley, Pepperdine is an even 1-1.
• The most recent matchup was in Malibu eight years ago, where the Waves were victorious with a final score of 71-44.
• The sole loss came on the road a year prior in the 2016-17 season with a final of 65-72.

 
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES

• With a record of 2-1 this season, one of Utah Valley's two wins is over familiar WCC-foe LMU.
• Last season, the Wolverines went 19-13, including 9-7 in conference play.
• So far this season, four different players average double digits in scoring per game.
• Amanda Barcello leads the way for her team, shooting .500 from distance through three games with 11.7 points per game.

 
Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. pst on ESPN+ with stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Pepperdine women's basketball has made four NCAA postseason appearances in its history, having won the WCC regular-season four times and the WCC Tournament on three occasions. With six All-American selections in program history, the Waves have also seen success in the WNIT Tournament which included a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2019.
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