No. 24/22 GONZAGA (8-1) vs. WASHINGTON STATE (4-4)
DEC. 9 | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TV: SWX
RADIO: KJRB 790 AM
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: 28th Meeting; Washington State leads 18-9
In Spokane: 5-5| In Pullman: 3-10| Neutral: 1-3
Current Streak: Gonzaga, Won 2
Last Meeting: Gonzaga won 64-56 in Pullman on Dec. 6, 2018.
Series Notes: Gonzaga and Washington State meet for the 28th time in program history and the ninth consecutive season. The two programs first met in 1984 in Pullman; WSU won the first eight meetings. Gonzaga claimed its first win in the series in during the 1992-93 season with a 71-69 win in Spokane.
- In the nine wins the Bulldogs have in the series, they have won by an average of 10.4 points per game.
- This will be the second time that Gonzaga has faced Washington State while ranked. The last time the two teams met while the Bulldogs were ranked was in 2011; Gonzaga was ranked 24th in the USA Today Coaches Poll when the Zags defeated WSU 71-69 in Pullman on Nov. 30, 2011.
- Gonzaga is 22-68 all-time against current Pac-12 opponents. Four of those wins have come in the last three seasons.
 
SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE:
- The Cougars were picked to finish 11th in the Pac-12 under first year head coach Kamie Ethridge. WSU finished 10th in the Pac-12 a season ago after finishing with a 10-20 overall record and a 3-14 mark in conference play.
- Washington State returns six letter winners and three starters from last season's squad, including All-Pac-12 performer Borislava Hristova who earned the all-conference nod after averaging 18.1 points per game to rank third in the conference. Last season, Hristova posted 11 20-point scoring efforts, seventh most in WSU program history. She shot a team-best 45.2 percent from the floor and averaged 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals during conference play.
- This season, WSU averages 72.0 points per game shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from long range. The Cougars add 36.4 rebounds per game and 15.0 assists per contest and 8.6 steals.
- Hristova once again leads the Cougars in scoring this season with a 22.0 per game average; Chanelle Molina and Alexys Swedlund also average double figures with 15.9 and 12.5, respectively.
- Six players are shooting over 45 percent from the floor, led by Jovana Subasic at 57.1 percent. Molina is also shooting above 50 percent at 52.1.
- Maria Kostourkova leads WSU on the glass with 10.1 rebounds per game. That mark ranks second in the Pac-12 and 47th nationally. Hristova is the second-best rebounder on the squad with 5.8 per contest.
- The Cougars started the season slow, dropping home contests to Utah State (72-61) and Saint Mary's (70-64), before picking up their first season win with an 87-84 double-overtime victory over Nebraska. Currently, WSU is on a three-game win streak, including a decisive win over Boise State on Dec. 1. The Broncos were receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll, and the Cougars downed the Broncos 95-71 in Pullman behind 30 points from Hristova and 24 from Swedlund.
 
ZAGS CRACK AP TOP 25
Gonzaga found itself inside the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2016 as they were voted No. 24 on Dec. 3. The Bulldogs received 93 votes after defeating then No. 8/7 Stanford 79-73 Sunday afternoon in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
 
SMITH PICKS UP WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Chandler Smith picked up her first career WCC Player of the Week honor following her 20-point performance against Stanford on Dec. 2. Eight of her 20 points came in the final 3:56 of the fourth quarter including a clutch jumper and two free throws to seal the win in the final 13 seconds. The Brewster, Wash., native went 6-of-10 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe to finish with a game-high 20 points, her second 20-point effort of the season. Smith added three boards, three assists, one block and one steal in the win.
 
SHOOTING FOR THE WIN
Gonzaga posted its best shooting performance of the season against Stanford, sinking 26-of-48 attempts as a squad to shoot 54.2 percent. It was the first time this season that a team shot over 50 percent against the Cardinal and only the third time since the 2016-17 season.
 
TIDBITS FROM THE TOP 10 WIN
Gonzaga's win over then No. 8/7 Stanford marked the:
- 15th win in program history over a ranked opponent
- Fifth win over a Top 10 program in history
- Highest-ranked opponent the Bulldogs have defeated; the previously highest-ranked opponent the Zags had defeated was No. 8/9 Miami on March 19, 2012 in the NCAA Second Round.
- First win over a ranked opponent since Nov. 18, 2016. Coincidentally, that win was also over Stanford; the Bulldogs defeated the No. 11/8 Cardinal 68-63 in Stanford, Calif., marking just the eighth loss at home for Stanford since 2007.
 
CAPITALIZING AT THE LINE
Gonzaga is one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the nation as it ranks 20th overall shooting 77.5 percent from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs rank second in the WCC in free throw percentage but lead the conference in free throws made (117) and rank second in free throws attempted (151). Laura Stockton leads the WCC with a spectacular 95.2 percent shooting (20-for-21). Currently, Stockton has made 10-straight free throws, the longest streak on the squad.
 
ATTENDANCE CAPACITY AMONG NATION'S BEST
Through nine games, Gonzaga ranks second in the entire nation in attendance capacity at 89.92 percent. The Bulldogs trail only Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish are averaging 93.23 percent capacity this season. UConn (73.28 percent), Iowa State (66.73 percent) and Mississippi State (66.14 percent) round out the top five.
 
SEASON START TIES FOR BEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Gonzaga's 8-1 start ties for the best start in program history. The Bulldogs have posted 8-1 start twice before: in 2013-14 and in 2008-09. Both of those seasons ended with trips to the NCAA Tournament.
 
CAMPBELL WITH THE HOT HAND
Katie Campbell is currently shooting 55 percent from long range to lead the Zags. Her average has more than doubled from last season as she finished 12-for-50 from long range to shoot 24 percent in 2017-18. Currently, she's 22-for-40 from long range. Campbell's 55 percent ranks second in the West Coast Conference and 10th in the nation. She also ranks 11th in the WCC in field goal percentage at 50.8.