MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball unveiled its non-conference slate for the 2025-26 season, head coach Katie Faulkner announced Friday.
 
"Our non-conference schedule is built to challenge us in every way; strategically designed through the travel, the variety of opponents, and the unique opportunity of hosting our inaugural Malibu Classic," Faulkner said. "Each game and experience gives us a chance to become the team we want to be when conference play begins and beyond. Growth is one of the pillars of our program, and we are hunting growth with every game and every opportunity."
 
After an exhibition game against Westcliff on Oct. 31, the Waves will officially kick off the season on the road against CSU Fullerton on Nov. 4. The home opener is scheduled for the same week on Nov. 8 against Westmont.
 
Featuring just four teams from last year's schedule, the new season brings new opponents for Pepperdine. Of them includes USC, who played well into March before being eliminated by UConn in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
 
Pepperdine will host seven games inside Firestone Fieldhouse, including the inaugural Malibu Classic that will feature South Dakota, North Dakota State, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The Waves will play on Dec. 16th and 17th while two neutral games will be hosted on the 17th and 18th.
 
North Dakota State, played on Dec. 16, will be a first-time opponent for Pepperdine. Northern Arizona, played on the road on Nov. 19, as well as California Baptist and CSUN coming to Malibu on Dec. 3 and Dec. 20, respectively, will be the latter leg of a home-and-home series with the Waves.
 
With 12 games before conference play, it is a significantly heavier load for Pepperdine compared to the nine played last season.The final four of the slate will be hosted in Malibu, giving the Waves a break from travel before West Coast Conference play begins.  
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The nonconference schedule is listed below and can be found here. Home game times will be announced at a later date. Away game times will be announced as they become available.
 
November 4                CSU Fullerton                         Fullerton, Calif.
November 8               Westmont College                Malibu, Calif.
November 14              Utah Valley                            Orem, Utah
November 19              Northern Arizona                    Flagstaff, Ariz.
November 23             San Jose State                      Malibu, Calif.
November 28              USC                                        Los Angeles, Calif.
December 3               California Baptist                  Malibu, Calif.
December 6                Fresno State                           Fresno, Calif.
December 13             Cal State Los Angeles          Malibu, Calif.
December 16             North Dakota State*              Malibu, Calif.
December 17             South Dakota*                       Malibu, Calif.
December 20             CSUN                                      Malibu, Calif.
 
Home games are in bold
*Malibu Classic