#3/4 Gonzaga (1-0) vs. Texas Southern (1-0)
NOV. 10 | 7 P.M. | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TV: SWX and ROOT Sports
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF:
- Gonzaga welcomes Texas Southern on Saturday, at 7 p.m., to Spokane.
- The Zags and TSU meet on Nov. 10 for the second straight season.
- Last year, Gonzaga cruised to a 97-69 win over the Tigers in Spokane.
- Josh Perkins scored 20 points, going 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Rui Hachimura added 11 points and Corey Kispert had 10 for the Bulldogs.
- GU has won all three previous meetings against Texas Southern.
- The Bulldogs won their 15th-straight regular season-opener, defeating Idaho State Tuesday, 120-79.
- The Zags' 120 points were the most-ever scored by GU in a season-opener, and the most scored in any game since 1994.
- It was also GU's 30th consecutive regular season home-opening win.
- Gonzaga has won all 15 regular season home-openers in the McCarthey Athletic Center and all 20 regular season home-openers under Mark Few.
- 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 fourth all-time meeting between Texas Southern (Houston) and Gonzaga.
- The Zags won the previous three meetings, and all three were played in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- GU won the last meeting between the programs, last season, 97-69, in Spokane on Nov. 10.
- Josh Perkins scored 20 points, making six three-pointers, while Rui Hachimura added 11 points. In his first collegiate game, Corey Kispert chipped in 10 points.
- Gonzaga grabbed 57 rebounds, including 20 offensive boards. The Zags held TSU to 4-of-21 from three-point range.
- The Bulldogs won the first meeting between the programs, 84-42, on Dec. 18, 2008.
- Josh Heytvelt paced GU with 21 points for the No. 7/8 Zags. Micah Downs added 14 points for the Bulldogs.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS:
- Texas Southern is coming off of a historic 72-69 win at Baylor to open its season Tuesday.
- Sparked by Jalyn Patterson's 23 points on a 6-14 shooting night from the field, TSU was able to become the first SWAC school in history to defeat Baylor snapping a 56-game Baylor winning streak versus the league.
- Trayvon Reed tallied 15 points going 7-9 from the field while grabbing 12 rebounds and tallying 2 blocked shots.
- It was the debut for new TSU head coach Johnny Jones.
- TSU shot 62.5 percent in the second half of play highlighted by clutch baskets by Patterson. Texas Southern outscored Baylor 45-29 in the second half.
- Devocio Butler chipped in 13 points while fellow teammate Jeremy Combs tallied 11 points.
- Reed was named the 2018-19 SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year along with being named to the Preseason First Team at center.
- The 7-2 center averaged a conference-best three blocks per game last season, was tied for first in rebounding with 8.8 per game, was first in defensive rebounds per game (6.2), was second in field goal percentage at 68.4%, and scored 9.7 points per contest.
- Texas Southern was slated second in the SWAC Preseason Poll behind Grambling State.
- Last year, TSU won the SWAC for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and defeated North Carolina Central in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend Gonzaga's win streak to two games.
- Be the 17th straight win over an unranked opponent at home and 16th straight over an unranked opponent overall.
- Extend the Bulldogs' home win streak to seven games.
- Improve Gonzaga to 4-0 all-time against Texas Southern and 12-0 against SWAC opponents.
- Make Gonzaga 91-16 in November games under Mark Few.
- Improve Gonzaga's record to 102-15 during Josh Perkins' collegiate career.
 
HOW 'BOUT THAT FOR AN OPENER:
- Gonzaga scored 120 points in the season-opening win over Idaho State. It was the most points scored by the Zags since a 121-85 victory over Loyola Marymount in 1994.
- The Bulldogs scored 60 points in each half en route to the fifth-highest scoring game in program history.
- Five GU players finished in double-digits. Zach Norvell Jr. opened his redshirt sophomore season with 23 points.
 
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS:
- The Zags have now won 15 straight regular season-openers dating back to a 73-66 loss to Saint Joseph's in the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York City.
- GU has won 30 consecutive regular season home-openers since a 73-65 loss to Boise State on Dec. 7, 1988.
- Gonzaga has won all 15 regular season home-openers in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Bulldogs have won all 20 regular season home-openers under Mark Few.
 
UNSELFISH ZAGS:
- Gonzaga dished out 29 assists in the victory over Idaho State. The most-ever by a GU team under Mark Few.
- The 29 assists also rank for the third-most all-time in program history, and the most since the Bulldogs threw out 31 in a win over Carroll College in 1990.
- Last season, GU tossed out 28 assists in a win over Santa Clara.
 
RUI'S BIG NIGHT:
- Rui Hachimura scored 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field in the win over Idaho State.
- It was a new career-high for the junior from Toyama, Japan.
- His previous career-high was 25 points versus Ohio State in last season's NCAA Tournament. Hachimura had 21 points at halftime against Idaho State.
- Hachimura's 33 points came in 24 minutes of playing time.
- His 33 points were the seventh-most scored on opening night across the country.
- Hachimura's 33 points were the most by a Zag in a season-opener since Ronny Turiaf scored 33 (12-of18 FG) in the 2004 opener against Portland State. It was the first game in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
 
PERKINS NEARING 500:
- Josh Perkins dished out a game-high eight assists in the win over Idaho State.
- His eight assists put him at a career assist total of 486, just 14 shy of 500.
- He would be the sixth Zag to throw out 500 assists in a Gonzaga career.
 
OTHER THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
- Zach Norvell Jr. is six points shy of 500 in his career, AND 13 assists from 100 in his career
- Rui Hachimura is 16 points away from 550 in his career
- Brandon Clarke is six rebounds from 450 in his career
- Geno Crandall needs seven rebounds to reach 400 in his career, and eight steals to reach 200 in his career
- Crandall is also 15 assists away from 400 in his career
 
THE ZAGS ARE ...
- 53-8 when Josh Perkins scores in double digits
- 48-6 when Josh Perkins records at least five assists
- 21-4 when Zach Norvell Jr. scores in double digits
- 20-3 when Rui Hachimura scores in double digits
- 11-3 when Zach Norvell Jr. scores at least three 3 pointers
 
ZAG TRIO SELECTED TO WOODEN TOP 50:
- Rui Hachimura, Zach Norvell Jr. and Killian Tillie were named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50.
- The award is the most prestigious collegiate basketball honor and recognizes the nation's most outstanding basketball player each year.
- Gonzaga is one of only three programs to have three student-athletes named to the Preseason Top 50.
- Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team and Most Outstanding Player Award.
 
HACHIMURA NAMED TO NABC LIST:
- Rui Hachimura was named to the preseason watch list for the 2019 NABC Division I Player of the Year Presented by ShotTracker the National Association of Basketball Coaches announced.
- The 2019 NABC Division I Player of the Year award will be announced on April 7, at the NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show in Minneapolis, Minn. - site of the 2019 NCAA Final Four.
 
HACHIMURA AND TILLIE NAMED TO NAISMITH LIST:
- Rui Hachimura and Killian Tillie were named to the Citizen Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club released.
 - A list of the midseason 30 team will be released on Feb. 13, followed by the 10 national semifinalists and four finalists on March 4, and March 19, respectively.
- The 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy will be awarded on at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 7, during the Final Four in Minneapolis.
 
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
- Since the McCarthey Athletic Center opened in 2004, GU boasts a 191-15 record at home.
- The Zags' 92.7 winning percentage at home since 2004-05 ranks third in the country ... Kansas (.951) and Duke (.926).
- GU has sold out every game since the 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center opened, a streak of 206 straight games.
- The Bulldogs currently have a home sell-out streak of 240 consecutive games, dating back to the second game of the 2001-02 season, in which 3,900 fans attended a matchup against Montana in the then-4,000-seat Martin Centre.