MALIBU, Calif. (Interstat) — UC Santa Barbara will visit Pepperdine on Thursday for a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game at Firestone Fieldhouse. Both teams enter at 1-0, and each will look to build early momentum behind a productive scorer.

The Gauchos will lean on Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe, who has been among UC Santa Barbara’s most active contributors. In her most recent outing, she finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes. UC Santa Barbara’s most recent result was a 101-26 home win over UC Santa Cruz. Sarah Heyn had 17 points, two rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes, and Madison Naro added 11 points, one rebound and six assists in 17 minutes.

Pepperdine counters with Maggie Mendelson, a forward who posted 17 points, 17 rebounds, one assist and four blocks in 30 minutes during the Waves’ most recent game. Pepperdine’s most recent result was a 59-43 road win at Portland State. Elli Guiney added five points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 29 minutes, while Seleh Harmon had 13 points, three rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes.

The matchup features two teams that opened the season with convincing wins. UC Santa Barbara’s offense produced a lopsided victory in its opener, while Pepperdine relied on a strong defensive effort and Mendelson’s presence in the paint. The Gauchos will need to handle Pepperdine’s size and rebounding pressure, while the Waves will try to contain Zonzon-Huyghe and UC Santa Barbara’s perimeter movement.

The Gauchos opened with a dominant offensive showing and will carry that scoring balance into the road matchup. Pepperdine’s first result came on the road, where the Waves held Portland State to 43 points. Mendelson’s rebounding and shot-blocking give Pepperdine an interior anchor, and Guiney and Harmon provide support on both ends. UC Santa Barbara’s Zonzon-Huyghe will be central to the Gauchos’ attack, with Heyn and Naro also coming off productive performances.

UC Santa Barbara’s next 10 games, in order, are against Seattle at home, California at home, Cal Lutheran at home, Utah Tech at home, at Portland, at Portland State, Cal State Bakersfield at home, at Cal Poly, at UNLV and at UTEP. Pepperdine’s next 10 games, in order, are against Cal St. Dom. Hills at home, Princeton at home, at Nevada, at Rice, at Sam Houston, at San Jose State, Boise State at home, at California Baptist, Utah Valley at home and Air Force at home.

Interstat’s game simulator is projecting a final score of Pepperdine 67, UC Santa Barbara 63.