#3/4 Gonzaga (2-0) vs. Texas A&M (1-1)
NOV. 15 | 8:30 P.M. | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TV: ESPN2
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF:
- Gonzaga welcomes Texas A&M on Thursday, at 8:30 p.m., to Spokane.
- The Zags and Aggies meet for the second time ever.
- The Aggies won the only other previous meeting, 62-61, in the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
- Kyle Wiltjer led GU with 18 points, while Josh Perkins added 15.
- Gonzaga welcomes an SEC opponent to the McCarthey Athletic Center for the first-time ever. It's also the first time the Zags have played an SEC team in Spokane.
- The Bulldogs are 13-8 all-time versus current members from the Southeastern Conference.
- In their last meeting against SEC opponent, GU fell to Florida, 111-105 in a double-overtime thriller in the PK80 Invitational semifinals last season.
- The Bulldogs are looking to their eighth-straight 3-0 start to the season.
- Gonzaga is No. 3 in the Associated Press preseason poll entering 2018-19. It is the Zags' highest preseason ranking in program history.
- Gonzaga returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' sixth consecutive West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles. GU was picked first in the WCC preseason poll for the 17th time in the last 18 years.
 
SERIES NOTES:
- This is the second all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Texas A&M.
- The Aggies won the only other previous meeting, 62-61, in the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
- The game was tight throughout, with 12 ties and seven lead changes. GU led for much of the game but missed some key free throws down the stretch.
- Kyle Wiltjer led Gonzaga with 18 points, while Josh Perkins added 15.
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES:
- Texas A&M is coming off of a 74-73 loss at home to
UC Irvine Friday.
- Four Aggies finished in double-digit scoring led by Josh Nebo's 15 points. He also pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.
- TAMU was limited to 36 percent shooting from the field, while UC Irvine made 53 percent of its shots.
- Texas A&M opened the season with a 98-83 win over Savannah State in College Station.
- Through two games, Savion Flagg averages a team-high 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
- Nebo is chipping in 12.5 points per game and TJ Starks is scoring 12 points a game. Jay Jay Chandler (11.5 ppg) and John Walker are also averaging double-digits.
- Starks earned a spot on the Coaches' Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
- The Aggies were picked 12th in the Southeastern Conference Preseason Media Poll.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend Gonzaga's win streak to three games.
- Be the 18th straight win over an unranked opponent at home and 17th straight over an unranked opponent overall.
- Extend the Bulldogs' home win streak to eight games.
- Improve Gonzaga to 14-8 all-time against SEC opponents.
- Make Gonzaga 92-16 in November games under Mark Few.
- Improve Gonzaga's record to 103-15 during Josh Perkins' collegiate career.
 
HACHIMURA NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
- Rui Hachimura was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday.
 - Hachimura opened the season with a 33-point effort in the Zags' (2-0) 120-79 win over Idaho State. He followed it up with a 17-point outing in GU's 104-67 victory over Texas Southern.
- The junior was 20-of-31 (64.5 percent) from the field and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line this week. He added 10 rebounds.
 
CENTURY CLUB ZAGS:
- Gonzaga scored over 100 points in each of the first two games this season.
- It's the first time in program history that the Zags have opened their season with back-to-back 100-point games.
- The last time GU scored 100 points in back-to-back games was in 2000. Both games were against Loyola Marymount.
- The Bulldogs opened this season, scoring 108 points against Central Washington.
 
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY:
- Brandon Clarke's first week in a Zag uniform included 34 points, 22 rebounds, four steals and six blocks.
- All six of his blocks came in the win over Texas Southern.
- The junior's six blocks lead the West Coast Conference.
- Clarke went 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) from the field in the first week.
 
PERK GOES TO WORK:
- Josh Perkins leads the West Coast Conference with 19 assists and 9.5 assists per game after the first two games of the season.
- Perkins dished out 11 assists in the win over Texas Southern, with only two turnovers.
- Jeremy Pargo was the last Zag to dish out 11 assists in a game in 2007.
- Perkins has only two turnovers to 19 assists through the first two games.
 
FREE-THROW ACCURACY:
- After shooting 30-of-37 from the free-throw line in the opening win over Idaho State, Gonzaga was 22-of-25 from the line in the win over Texas Southern.
- The Zags' 83.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line tops the West Coast Conference.
- Four Bulldogs; Zach Norvell Jr. (10-of-10), Filip Petrusev (8-of-8), Geno Crandall (7-of-7) and Josh Perkins (6-of-6) are all perfect from the free-throw line through two games.