#9/9 Gonzaga (8-1) vs. Texas Southern (2-5)
DEC. 4 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE, WASH.
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THE TIP OFF:
- Gonzaga and Texas Southern meet for the third straight season, and fifth overall, on Wednesday, at 6 p.m.
- The Zags have won all of the previous matchups against TSU, with all four inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- GU is 14-0 against current members from the SWAC.
- This will be the third meeting against a SWAC member this season. Gonzaga opened the season with wins over Alabama State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
- The Zags are coming off of their first loss of the season, an 82-64 loss to No. 4 Michigan in the championships of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Killian Tillie led GU with 20 points.
- Filip Petrusev was named to the Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament Team after averaging 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during the event.
- The loss snapped the Bulldogs' 28 straight regular season win streak, which was the longest streak in the nation.
- Gonzaga's 27 consecutive wins at home is the second longest active streak in the country (Tennessee 30), and fifth longest in program history.
- The Zags are second in the nation in free throw attempts (217), fifth in total assists (151) and total rebounds (373), eighth in scoring margin (20.4), 15th in rebound margin (10.0), and 16th in assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Joel Ayayi's 3.00 assist-to-turnover ratio is 22nd in the nation. He has 33 assists to 11 turnovers.
- Filip Petrusev currently leads the West Coast Conference in rebounds per game (8.7), blocks per game (1.4), offensive rebounds per game (3.1), is third in defensive rebounds per game (6.3), and fourth in points per game (16.1).
 
SERIES NOTES:
- This is the fifth all-time meeting between Texas Southern (Houston) and Gonzaga.
- The Zags won the previous four meetings, and all four were played in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- GU won the last meeting between the programs, last season, 104-67, in Spokane on Nov. 10. Filip Petrusev hit a pair of threes and scored 14 points, and Corey Kispert grabbed eight rebounds. Brandon Clarke scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, while Josh Perkins had 19 points and 11 assists. Gonzaga grabbed 52 rebounds.
- 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 76-73 win over Lamar in its home opener of the season. John Walker III led TSU with a career-high 20 points and five rebounds. Tyrik Armstrong followed with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists while Justin Hopkins chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds.
- The Tigers will play only two games at home during its non-conference slate.
- Armstrong averages a team-high 14 points per game. He has also dished out a team-best 25 assists this season, and leads TSU with 15 steals. Yahuza Rasas is grabbing 5.1 rebounds per outing.
- Texas Southern was slated second in the SWAC Preseason Poll behind Prairie View A&M. The Tigers' Eden Ewing was named to the league's preseason first team.
- TSU has won the SWAC four out of the last six seasons. It fell in the conference tournament championship game last year, before ending the season with 24 wins in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Make Gonzaga 110-42 in December games under Mark Few.
- Extend GU's home win streak to 28.
- Be the 30th consecutive home non-conference victory.
- Be the 24th straight home win over an unranked foe.
 
LIVING THE ISLAND LIFE:
- The Zags finished in second place at the 2019 Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis.
- GU picked up a Top-15 win in the semifinals, defeating No. 11/10 Oregon.
- Corey Kispert led the Bulldogs averaging 17 points per game during the tournament, shooting 59 percent from the field, including 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) from behind-the-arc.
- Filip Petrusev was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per outing.
- Joel Ayayi had a breakout week. The redshirt sophomore averaged 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while playing 30.3 minutes per game.
- In his two appearances, Killian Tillie scored 13.5 points per game. He totaled a team-high 20 points in the championships.
- As a team, Gonzaga made 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from three-point range inside the Imperial Arena.