Santa Clara looks for home win vs Pepperdine
Pepperdine (9-10, 2-3) vs. Santa Clara (16-4, 3-2)
Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California; Thursday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Santa Clara looks for its sixth straight win over Pepperdine at Leavey Center. The last victory for the Waves at Santa Clara was a 70-61 win on Jan. 2, 2014.
LEADING THE WAY: The electric Colbey Ross is averaging 20.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists to lead the way for the Waves. Kameron Edwards is also a key contributor, accounting for 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. The Broncos have been led by Trey Wertz, who is averaging 13.1 points.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS: The Waves have given up just 71.4 points per game to WCC opponents so far, an improvement from the 78.6 per game they gave up against non-conference competition.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Ross has either made or assisted on 57 percent of all Pepperdine field goals over the last five games. The junior guard has 31 field goals and 35 assists in those games.
WINLESS WHEN: Pepperdine is 0-7 when scoring fewer than 72 points and 9-3 when scoring at least 72.
STREAK SCORING: Santa Clara has won its last 15 home games, scoring an average of 82.5 points while giving up 63.7.
DID YOU KNOW: Santa Clara is ranked second in the WCC with an average of 72.5 possessions per game.
