LOS ANGELES - LMU men's basketball looks to even its conference record on Thursday as the Lions (7-10, 1-2 WCC) travel to Malibu to face Pepperdine (8-9, 1-2 WCC) in the first leg of the annual PCH Cup.
 
The Lions are coming off Saturday's home test against top-ranked Gonzaga and will face a Waves team that earned their first WCC win of the season on Thursday. Both teams have posted a conference win over San Diego in the early portion of the season.
 
Firestone Fieldhouse has been a notoriously difficult place for the Lions to play over the years. Pepperdine has had the advantage in the rivalry in Malibu, winning 20 of 21 games dating back back to 1999, including the last seven most recent. Three of the last four games in Malibu between these teams were decided by three a combined five points. The series has not been fully one sided to date however, with LMU winning four straight in Gersten Pavilion over the Waves dating back to the 2016 double-overtime thriller.
 
Two of the league's best passers will be in the building on Thursday night as Colbey Ross and Eli Scott battle it out from the guard position. Ross leads the WCC with 7.5 assists per game, and Scott ranks third in the conference with 4.6 dimes per contest.
 
LMU will focus on keeping the Waves off the line, as Pepperdine leads the nation with an 83.5 percent mark from the charity stripe.
 
The game will air on Spectrum SportsNet, ROOT Sports Northwest, NBC Sports California, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, AT&T SportsNet Southwest, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, and stream on WCC Network out-of-market. Live Stats will be run through Statbroadcast. Jesse Kass can be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM and TuneIN Radio.