GONZAGA (18-2, 7-1 WCC) vs. SANTA CLARA (10-9, 3-5 WCC)
JAN. 26 | 2 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TV: SWX
RADIO: KJRB 790 AM | 94.1 FM
LIVE STREAM (Out of Region) | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga and Santa Clara meet for the 68th time in program history and the 31st time in Spokane. The Zags lead the all-time series 38-29 and claim a 22-8 edge in Spokane. Currently, GU is on a four-game win streak and have won 24 of the last 26 meetings.
- Gonzaga has put together its best team shooting performances as of late, shooting a combined 57.3 percent from the floor. The Zags have hit 67-of-117 shots in the last two games, shooting a then- season-best 55.6 percent at San Diego followed by a season-high 59.3 percent against San Francisco. It's the best shooting performance by the Bulldogs since sinking 40-of-66 attempts against Saint Francis to shoot 60.6 percent on Dec. 17, 2017.
- Prior to Gonzaga's 70-68 loss at BYU on Jan. 17, the Zags has posted a program-best 16-1 start. However, the current 18-2 mark is only the second of program history. The Bulldogs were also 18-2 during the 2004-05 season. That season, the Zags posted a program-best 23-game win streak and finished the season 28-4 overall with an unblemished 14-0 mark in WCC play. Gonzaga advanced to the second round of the WNIT, losing at Missouri State 85-66 to end the season.
- The Bulldogs currently lead the WCC in seven categories: Scoring defense (58.0 ppg), scoring margin (+16.5, 21st nationally), field goal percentage defense (37.4%), 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.1%), rebounding defense (30.4 rpg), rebounding margin (+7.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1). The Zags also rank second in six categories: scoring offense (74.4), field goal percentage (45.8%), 3-point field goal percentage (37.7%), steals per game (9.5), turnover margin (+3.3) and defensive rebounding percentage (71.6%).
- Gonzaga is ranked for the eighth-straight week after entering the polls at No. 24/22 on Dec. 3. Following their 97-71 win over Portland on Jan. 12, the Bulldogs moved up to 13th in the AP Poll on Jan. 14. It's the program's highest ranking ever; currently Gonzaga is ranked No. 18 following a 70-68 loss at BYU and 86-61 win at San Diego last week.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: 68th meeting, Gonzaga leads 38-29
In Spokane: 22-8| In Santa Clara: 15-19| N: 1-2
Current Streak: Gonzaga, Won 4
Last Meeting: Gonzaga defeated Santa Clara 71-44 in Spokane on Jan. 20.
Series Notes: Gonzaga and Santa Clara meet for the first time this season and the 68th time in program history. The game will also be the 31st meeting in Spokane. Gonzaga is currently on a four-game win streak, but the Bulldogs have dominated the series since 2007, winning 24 of the last 26 meetings.
- Santa Clara's two wins since 2007 came in back-to-back meetings in 2016. The Broncos defeated the Zags 71-64 in Santa Clara, Calif., on Jan. 28, 2016 and bested the Bulldogs in the championship of the WCC Tournament by one point, 59-58.
- Since 2007, the Bulldogs have averaged 75.1 points per contest while limiting the Broncos to an average of 55.2 points per game. Gonzaga at least 75 points in 16 of the last 26 games, scoring over 90 twice, while limiting Santa Clara to 50 or fewer points 11 with a series low 37 in an 89-37 win on Jan. 30, 2014.
 
SCOUTING SANTA CLARA:
- The Broncos carry a 10-9 overall record with a 3-5 mark in conference play, good for seventh. Santa Clara opened the season with three straight wins over Sonoma State, Nevada and San Diego State (all at home), and continued on to win five of its first six. The Broncos closed nonconference play with a 7-4 mark before losing their first to WCC games to BYU and San Diego.
- Through 19 games, Santa Clara averages 60.8 points (10th in WCC), shooting 39.8 percent from the floor (8th in WCC). Two players average double-figures for the Broncos, led by junior guard Tia Hay with 15.6 points per game (7th in WCC). Redshirt sophomore forward Ashlyn Herlihy also averages double-figures with 10.6 per game.
- Santa Clara averages 34.3 rebounds as a squad, with Lauren Yearwood leading the team with 7.1 rebounds per game, good for sixth in the WCC. Yearwood also adds a team- and conference-high 2.5 blocks per game, good for 15th in the nation. Yearwood currently has 47 blocks on the season to rank tied for fifth all-time in Santa Clara history. As a team, the Broncos lead the WCC in blocks per game with 4.3.
- Probable Starters: Hay (15.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg); Emily Wolph (6.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg); Naomi Jimenez (2.3 ppg, 3.9 ppg); Herlihy (10.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg); and Yearwood (6.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg).
 
CATCHING FIRE FROM THE FLOOR
In the last two games combined, the Zags have shot 57.3 percent from the floor, hitting 67-of-117 shots. The Bulldogs shot a then season-best 55.6 percent from the floor at San Diego on Jan. 19 followed by a season-high 59.3 percent against San Francisco at home on Jan. 24. GU's hot shooting against the Dons is the best shooting performance by a Bulldogs squad since Dec. 17, 2017. That night, the Zags finished 40-of-66 from the floor to shoot 60.6 percent from the floor. The Bulldogs two-game shooting percentage also leads the WCC. In the last two games, the next-best performance by a WCC squad was 50.9 percent shooting from Saint Mary's; the Gaels were the only other team to have finished above 50 percent from the field in the last two games.
 
SHOTS FIRED, AND MADE
Currently, Jill Townsend and Zykera Rice are shooting over 52 percent from the floor for the season. Townsend leads the Zags and ranks third in the WCC shooting 53.9 percent from the floor, while Rice ranks fifth in the conference shooting 52.4 percent. Townsend's numbers currently rank fourth all time for field goal percentage in a single season behind Sheri McNeal (1st, 57.6%), Kayla Standish (2nd, 56.0%) and Tammy Tibbles (3rd, 54.0%).
 
WHILE WE'RE TALKING SHOOTING %'S...
Zykera Rice claims the top two spots in the WCC for shooting percentage in a single game. Her career- and program-best (since 1999) 11-for-12 performance (91.7 percent) at Pepperdine on Dec. 31 and her 11-for-13 (84.6 percent) shooting night against Portland on Jan. 12 are the two best shooting performances by any WCC player this season. Katie Campbell, meanwhile, claims two of the top five spots for three-point percentages in a single game. Campbell's 5-for-6 performance (83.3 percent) against Stanford on Dec. 2 leads the WCC, and her 5-for-7 performance (71.4 percent) from beyond-the-arc at San Diego is in a four-way tie for second.
 
KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE
Katie Campbell is currently on an 18-game streak with at least one three-point field goal. Through the first 20 games, Campbell is 44-88 from long range shooting 50.0 percent to lead the Zags. Campbell's 50.0 percent also ranks fourth in the nation.