SANTA CLARA, Calif. - With yet another WCC-opening victory under the belt, Santa Clara men's basketball is looking to improve to 2-0 in league play and will attempt to do so with a Saturday evening showdown in Malibu against Pepperdine (7-9, 0-1). The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Bronco fans can catch the audio only call featuring Anthony Passarelli and John Stege on Sidearm Streaming. Both links can be found above.

The Broncos (10-6, 1-0) played an excellent defensive game in the conference opener on the road against LMU (7-8, 0-1), limiting the Lions to just 29.8 percent shooting - the lowest a Bronco Defense has allowed against a WCC opponent since 2014 an the road against Pacific (28.9). Offensively, Adama-Alpha Bal continued his high level of play with 21 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season, and a career-best 5-for-9 mark from 3-point range. Carlos Marshall, Jr. chipped in 13 points, pushing him over the 1,000 point plateau for his career. Brenton Knapper (making his sixth-straight start) and Christoph Tilly each tallied 10 points. Knapper also pulled down a career-best seven rebounds. 

Now the Broncos turn their sights to the Waves of Pepperdine, who suffered an 86-60 loss in their WCC opener against Gonzaga. Led by sixth-year head coach Lorenzo Romar, the Waves are averaging 71.4 ppg on offense and allowing 71. 2 ppg defensively. Despite those numbers, Pepperdine features perhaps the top scoring tandem in the league in the form of Michael Ajayi and Houston Mallette, who rank first and second, respectively, in the WCC in scoring. Ajayi is averaging 17.1 ppg, ranks ninth nationally with 109 field goals and his third nationally with nine double-doubles. He also ranks second in the league in rebounding at 9.8 and his 157 total boards are the sixth-most in NCAA D1. Mallette averages 16.6 ppg and is among the top 3-point shooters in the WCC with 34 total treys (2nd most). 

Santa Clara holds an 83-64 lead in the all-time series over the Waves and has won four of the last five, including three-straight. While Pepperdine has historically fared well in Malibu, the Broncos have won four of the last five inside Firestone Fieldhouse dating back to 2017. Santa Clara won both meetings last season, first 89-79 in Malibu and 91-82 on senior night inside the Leavey Center. 

For more information, check the game notes links above.