No. 21/21 GONZAGA (9-1) at MISSOURI STATE (1-6)
DEC. 16 | SPRINGFIELD, MO. | JQH ARENA
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THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga and Missouri State meet for the third time in program history Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. PT at the JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo.
- This will be only the third true road test for the Zags. This season, Gonzaga has traveled to Eastern Washington (W, 63-51) and UNLV (W, 70-59).
- The Zags are currently on a five-game win streak, the longest so far of the young season. The Bulldogs longest win streak in program history is 23 games, a feat they accomplished from Dec. 10, 2004 to March 6, 2005. The longest recent streak is 15-straight victories which occurred between Dec. 17, 2017 and Feb. 8, 2018.
- The Bulldogs are coming off two-straight wins over Pac-12 opponents, most recently a 76-53 win over Washington State on Dec. 9.
- Gonzaga is ranked for the second-straight week after entering the polls at No. 24/22 on Dec. 3. After their 23-point rout over Washington State, the Bulldogs moved up in the AP Poll to No. 21 on Dec. 10. It's the Bulldogs' highest ranking since being ranked No. 18 in March 2014.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Third meeting, series tied 1-1
In Spokane: 0-0| In Springfield: 0-1| Neutral: 1-0
Current Streak: Gonzaga, Won 1
Last Meeting: Gonzaga won 80-66 in the first game of the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico on Nov. 20, 2012.
Series Notes: Gonzaga Missouri State meet for the third time in program history and the first time since the 2012-13 season. Sunday's game marks the first time the two squads have met in Springfield since Missouri State (formerly Southwest Missouri State) defeated Gonzaga 85-66 in the second round of the Women's NIT on March 21, 2005.
- The Bulldogs carry 2-1 overall record against current Missouri Valley Conference teams; the only other program GU has faced from the MVC is Illinois State. The Zags defeated the Redbirds 64-55 on Nov. 25, 2000 at the Pacific Bell Classic Thanksgiving tournament in San Diego, Calif.
- The last time the Zags faced Missouri State during the 2012-13 season, career-nights from both Keani Albanez and Jazmine Redmon pushed the Bulldogs past the Bears 80-66 to improve to 5-0 on the season. Albanez finished with 19 points while Redmon added 16 points off 5-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 effort beyond-the-arc.
 
SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE:
- Missouri State is in its 50th season of basketball. Overall, Missouri State carries a 852-598 record.
- This season, Missouri State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference after finishing the 2017-18 campaign with a 21-12 overall record and a 15-3 mark in conference play.
- Missouri State returns nine letter winners and three starters from last season's squad that advanced to the second round of the WNIT.
- First Team All-MVC honoree Alexa Willard is the top returner for Missouri State after having averaged 10.8 points per game shooting 48.1 percent from the floor in 2017-18.
- Through seven games, Missouri State is 1-6; two of its losses have been in overtime: at Wichita State, 63-60; and at North Texas, 83-76. Currently, the program is on a four-game losing skid.
- As a squad, Missouri State averages 70.3 points per game shooting 40.2 percent from the floor and 32.8 percent from long range. As a squad, Missouri State averages 37.7 rebounds per game with a +2.4 rebounding margin.
-Two players average double figures for Missouri State, led by 12.6 points per contest from Danielle Gitzen. Willard adds 10.0 points per contest.
- Jasmine Franklin leads the effort on the glass as she averages a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game, good for ninth in the MVC. Nine players average over two rebounds per contest.
 
BEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Gonzaga's 9-1 start is the best 10-game start in program history. Previously, the Bulldogs' best 10-game start was 8-2, a record they had posted on eight different occasions, most recently in 2016-17.
 
PAC-12 DOMINANCE
With the Zags' win over Washington State on Dec. 9, the Bulldogs have won two-straight games over Pac-12 opponents. It's only the fourth time in program history that Gonzaga has defeated two or more Pac-12 opponents in a single season. Previously, the Bulldogs accomplished the same feat during the 2016-17 season (def. Stanford 68-63; def. Washington State 79-61), the 2010-11 season (def. WSU 67-65; def. WSU 80-62, def. UCLA 89-75) and in 2009-10 (def. USC 70-58; def. Washington 81-52). GU's back-to-back Pac-12 wins marks the second time in program history the Bulldogs have defeated two-straight Pac-12 opponents. The Zags also accomplished the feat during the 2009-10 season defeating then Pac-10 opponents USC and Washington in back-to-back games on Nov. 19 and Nov. 22. Both of those games were also played at home.
 
SHARING THE SCORING RESPONSIBILITY
Through the first 10 games, Gonzaga has done well to share the scoring responsibility. In all but two games, the Bulldogs have finished with at least two players in double-figures and have twice finished with five players in double-figures: against Western Kentucky (Nov. 24) and against Washington State (Dec. 9). No one has scored more than 20 points in a single contest, and only one player averages double-figures (Zykera Rice, 11.1). Only Rice has been the lone leading scoring in consecutive games (vs. Notre Dame, 11/22; vs. Rutgers, 11/23); otherwise a new player has claimed top scoring honors every game (see Results & Leaders on attached game notes page 16).
 
OWNING THE BOARDS
Since losing the rebounding battle in two of their first five games, including a lopsided 50-33 advantage in favor of Notre Dame, Gonzaga has dominated the glass. In their last five games, the Bulldogs have posted a +11.0 rebounding margin, winning all five games on the glass. Gonzaga has limited four of its last five opponents to under 30 rebounds, including a season-low 24 against Stanford on Dec. 2.
 
BULLDOGS KEEP CLIMBING THE POLLS
With its second-straight Pac-12 win, Gonzaga moved up three spots to No. 21 in the AP Poll (Dec. 10). The Zags also jumped in the USA Today Coaches Poll, moving up one sport to No. 21. It's the highest ranking for the Zags in both polls since March 2014. Gonzaga was ranked No. 18/16 March 11-23.