#5/5 Gonzaga (16-2, 3-0) vs. Loyola Marymount (13-4, 1-2)
JAN. 17 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TV: KHQ/ROOT
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF:
- Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount meet for the 94th time on Thursday in Spokane, at 6 p.m. GU has a 72-21 advantage in the series.
- The Zags have won 19 straight versus the Lions, and 23 of the last 24 meetings. The Lions last win in the series came on Feb. 18, 2010, 74-66, in L.A. The Bulldogs are 40-3 against Loyola Marymount under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga is 36-6 at home against the Lions and has won all 15 meetings in the McCarthey Athletic Center. GU has won 28 straight at home over Loyola Marymount. The last Lion win in Spokane was in 1991, 91-79.
- Gonzaga is coming off a 96-83 win at San Francisco Saturday. With the score tied at 81 with 3:39 left in regulation, the Zags closed the game on a 17-2 run. Brandon Clarke scored 24 points and Rui Hachimura added 21.
- Clarke is third in the nation with 61 blocks, third averaging 3.39 blocks, and fifth in field goal percentage (68.5). Josh Perkins is sixth in the country with 122 assists and is ninth averaging 6.8 assists per game.
- The Zags are first in the nation in field goal percentage (52.6 percent), first in scoring margin (23.7), second in scoring offense (92.2), third with 332 total assists and fourth with 331 made free throws.
- Through the first three games, the Bulldogs are outscoring their conference opponents by an average of 29 points.
 
SERIES NOTES:
- This is the 94th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount. GU has a 72-21 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 19 straight versus the Lions, and 23 of the last 24 meetings. The Lions last win in the series came on Feb. 18, 2010, 74-66, in L.A. The Bulldogs are 40-3 against Loyola Marymount under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga is 36-6 at home against the Lions and has won all 15 meetings in the McCarthey Athletic Center. GU has won 28 straight at home over Loyola Marymount. The last Lion win in Spokane was on Feb. 7, 1991, 91-79.
- In last season's meeting in Spokane, Gonzaga cruised to a 76-46 win on Feb. 15, 2018. Five Zags finished in double-figures, including Corey Kispert who scored 14 points. GU shot 51 percent from the field and held LMU to 33 percent.
- Gonzaga is 27-14 all-time at LMU and have won eight straight in Los Angeles.
- The Zags won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 75-71, in Spokane in 1953.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS:
- Loyola Marymount is coming off of a 71-60 loss at home to Saint Mary's last Saturday. Eli Scott led LMU with 14 points, while Mattias Markusson chipped in 12 points. Scott grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.
- The Lions were 49 percent from the field, while SMC was 52 percent. LMU was held to 3-of-11 from three-point range.
- James Batemon leads the Lions averaging 17.9 points, 3.8 assists and 1.88 steals per game. Markusson is adding 11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per outing.
- Loyola Marymount was picked seventh in the WCC Preseason Poll, but opened the season 11-1, including 8-0 to start the season. The Lions have traded wins and losses over their last six games.
 
COOL UNDER PRESSURE:
- Gonzaga turned the ball over only four times in a big 96-83 win at San Francisco.
- The Zags' four turnovers matched the second-lowest total in a game in program history.
- GU dished out 14 assists to its four turnovers. Josh Perkins had five assists with only one turnover.
- The Bulldogs shot over 50 percent from the field for the seventh time out of the last eight games.
 
STAYING IN FRONT:
- So far through three conference games, Gonzaga has trailed for only two minutes and 15 seconds, all at San Francisco.
- In the two WCC games at home against Santa Clara and Pacific, Gonzaga never trailed.
- The Zags have not trailed in the last 114:54 at home.
- In the last six home games (240 minutes), Gonzaga has played from behind for a total of two minutes and six seconds, all against CSU Bakersfield.
- So far in 11 home games, GU has trailed for only eight minutes and eight seconds, roughly 1.8 percent of the total 440 minutes.
- In total over the last two seasons and this season in home conference games, the Bulldogs have trailed for only 47 of the 800 minutes, roughly 5.8 percent of the time. Including all 1,560 minutes of conference play over the last two seasons and this season, GU has trailed for 104 minutes and 17 seconds, roughly 6.7 percent of the time.
 
FAMILIAR START:
- The Zags have started West Coast Conference play 3-0 for the seventh straight season.
- Gonzaga has opened WCC play 4-0 in each of the past five seasons, dating back to a 2-1 start in the 2011-12 season, when the Bulldogs lost at Saint Mary's in the third game.
 
ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE WCC STAT:
- Since losing 69-66 at San Diego on Feb. 22, 2014, the Zags have gone 68-0 (including conference tournament games) against WCC teams not named St. Mary's or BYU.
- Thursday will be 1,790 days since a team other than Saint Mary's or BYU defeated Gonzaga in conference play.