MALIBU, Calif. (Interstat) — The Pepperdine Waves will seek to avenge a narrow loss earlier this month and halt a difficult season’s slide when they host the Seattle Redhawks in a West Coast Conference men’s basketball matchup Wednesday afternoon at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves (8-21) fell 83-81 at Seattle on Feb. 4, a result emblematic of their season. Pepperdine has dropped four of its last five games, with its lone win in that span a 95-87 victory at Portland on Feb. 18. Their hopes rest heavily on the explosive scoring of guard Aaron Clark, who is averaging 28.7 points over his last three games. Clark poured in 32 points in a loss at Oregon State last Saturday and scored 22 in the first meeting against Seattle. The Redhawks (17-12) have been inconsistent but enter with momentum after a 71-59 home win over Portland last Saturday. They have won two of their last three, though their recent road form includes losses at Santa Clara and Portland. Seattle’s 7-foot-1 center Austin Maurer, who had 14 points in 19 minutes against Portland, will be a key interior presence. He scored six points in the prior win over Pepperdine. Pepperdine’s defense, allowing 81.2 points per game, will be tested by a balanced Seattle attack that saw Jojo Murphy and Will Heimbrodt join Maurer in double figures in the Portland win. The Waves’ offense runs through Clark, who has taken 37% of his team’s shots when on the floor during conference play. Despite their record, Pepperdine has shown fight at home, edging Loyola Marymount 90-89 on Feb. 14. Seattle, however, holds a clear advantage in the standings and will look to complete the regular-season sweep to solidify its position before closing the season at Loyola Marymount on Saturday. Pepperdine hosts Washington State that same day. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.