Saturday, January 18
San Francisco, CA
5 P.M.
Gonzaga University
at
San Francisco
#16/13 Zags Face San Francisco Saturday
1/17/2020 1:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bulldogs look to remain unbeaten in WCC play
#16/13 GONZAGA (17-1, 6-0 WCC) at SAN FRANCISCO (7-11, 0-6 WCC)
JAN. 18 | 5 P.M. | SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. | WAR MEMORIAL GYM
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga set a new program record Thursday evening following a 67-52 victory at Santa Clara as the Zags now carry a 17-1 overall record, the best start to a season ever.
- Gonzaga will look to improve to 18-1 overall on the season Saturday at San Francisco. With a win, Gonzaga will extend its program-record start; previously, Gonzaga's best start was 16-1, a record the Bulldogs set during the 2018-19 season.
- GU is currently on an 15-game win streak, the longest of the season so far. 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.
- Gonzaga broke into the Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 23 following a 76-70 overtime loss at Stanford on Nov. 17. This week, GU remained the same in the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 16 while moving up two spots in the Coaches Poll to No. 13. It's the highest ranking for the Zags this season. Previously, GU reached its highest ranking in history during the 2018-19 season at No. 12/11.
- Saturday will mark the eighth time in program history that Gonzaga has played on Jan. 18. The Bulldogs carry a 3-4 overall mark, all against current WCC opponents. This will be the first time since the 2017-18 season that GU has played on the date; that season, the Zags defeated Saint Mary's 73-65 in Moraga to improve to 7-0 in WCC play.
- Gonzaga currently ranks third in the nation in percent attendance capacity. The Zags average 93.31 percent capacity; that's an average of 5,598 fans that fill McCarthey Athletic Center every game.
- The Bulldogs also rank inside the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense; Gonzaga limits its opponents to 53.2 points per contest to lead the WCC and rank eighth in the nation.
- Gonzaga returns two starters and seven letter-winners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' third consecutive and 15th overall West Coast Conference regular season title.
- In 2018-19, the Bulldogs advanced to their third-straight NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Second Round.
SCOUTING THE DONS
- San Francisco carries a 7-11 overall record with an 0-6 mark in WCC play.
- As a squad, the Dons average 69.2 points per game shooting 39.9 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from long range.
- Lucie Hoskova leads the Dons in scoring at 15.3 points per game shooting 49.1 from the floor. Hoskova's 49.1 shooting percentage ranks eighth in the WCC. Mikayla Williams adds 14.4 points per game shooting 45.2 percent from the floor.
- San Francisco adds 41.4 rebounds per game, 11.6 assists per game and 2.2 blocks per game. Leilah Vigil leads the charge on the glass with a conference-leading 10.1 rebounds per game. Williams adds 9.2 rebounds per game to rank second in the WCC.
- The Dons are currently on a six-game losing streak after finishing 5-1 in the final six games of non-conference play. USF picked up wins against Bowling Green, Houston, Cal State Fullerton, Sacramento State and UC Irvine to close non-conference play with a 7-5 record.
SERIES REVIEW
- OVERALL: Gonzaga leads 44-26
- HOME: 23-10, Gonzaga leads
- ROAD: 17-15, Gonzaga leads
- NEUTRAL: 4-1, Gonzaga leads
- FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga won, 57-36, Spokane (1/14/1988)
- LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 64-44 (2/23/19, San Francisco)
- STREAK: Gonzaga, Won 6
SHARING THE SCORE
- Through 18 games this season, three players average double-figures for Gonzaga with six players averaging over 7.0 points per contest. The Bulldogs have had seven different top scorers this season, spanning each academic year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior). Jenn Wirth leads the Zags in scoring at 11.6 points per game, Jill Townsend ranks second at 11.1 while Katie Campbell adds 10.9 points per game. LeeAnne Wirth adds 9.6 points per contest while Jessie Loera chips in 8.1 and Melody Kempton is at 7.1.
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
Currently, Gonzaga ranks eighth in the nation in scoring defense at 53.2 points per game. This season alone, Gonzaga has limited eight opponents to 50 points or fewer and 15 opponents to under 60 points. Thursday at Santa Clara, the Bulldogs limited the second-best scoring team in the conference to 52 points, more than 20 points less than SCU's season average of 74.3 points per game. Against BYU on Jan. 2, Gonzaga limited the Cougars to 43 points, the fewest scored by a WCC opponent since Gonzaga limited BYU to just 37 points in Spokane on Feb. 24, 2018. Gonzaga followed it up by limiting San Diego to just 42 points on Jan. 4 and 49 points to Saint Mary's on Jan. 9.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE, PLEASE
Jill Townsend is just the latest Zag to notch a double-double. The Okanogan, Wash., native posted her second career double-double on Thursday at Santa Clara, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Townsend's 12 boards are a career-high for the junior; she ranks second on the squad with 5.6 rebounds per contest. Jenn Wirth won WCC Player of the Week on Jan. 13 after posting back-to-back double-doubles in a pair of league games. First, she notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Saint Mary's on Jan. 9, then posted a career-high 24 points along with 10 rebounds in a win over Pacific. LeeAnne Wirth notched her second career double-double and the second for the Zags this season Dec. 8 at Washington State. The junior forward finished with a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. Melody Kempton is the only other Zag to notch a double-double this season; the sophomore forward scored 12 points and hauled in 10 rebounds at Stanford on Nov. 17.
DISHIN' ON UP
With her fifth assist of the afternoon against Portland on Dec. 29, Jessie Loera moved into seventh all-time in career assists with 356. Loera surpassed Robin Allen (355, 1984-88). Loera now has 385 career assists after dishing out two assists at Santa Clara on Jan. 16, and she is 8 assists shy of sixth place. Loera also ranks 16th nationally and second in the WCC in total assists on the season with 90.
JAN. 18 | 5 P.M. | SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. | WAR MEMORIAL GYM
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga set a new program record Thursday evening following a 67-52 victory at Santa Clara as the Zags now carry a 17-1 overall record, the best start to a season ever.
- Gonzaga will look to improve to 18-1 overall on the season Saturday at San Francisco. With a win, Gonzaga will extend its program-record start; previously, Gonzaga's best start was 16-1, a record the Bulldogs set during the 2018-19 season.
- GU is currently on an 15-game win streak, the longest of the season so far. 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.
- Gonzaga broke into the Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 23 following a 76-70 overtime loss at Stanford on Nov. 17. This week, GU remained the same in the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 16 while moving up two spots in the Coaches Poll to No. 13. It's the highest ranking for the Zags this season. Previously, GU reached its highest ranking in history during the 2018-19 season at No. 12/11.
- Saturday will mark the eighth time in program history that Gonzaga has played on Jan. 18. The Bulldogs carry a 3-4 overall mark, all against current WCC opponents. This will be the first time since the 2017-18 season that GU has played on the date; that season, the Zags defeated Saint Mary's 73-65 in Moraga to improve to 7-0 in WCC play.
- Gonzaga currently ranks third in the nation in percent attendance capacity. The Zags average 93.31 percent capacity; that's an average of 5,598 fans that fill McCarthey Athletic Center every game.
- The Bulldogs also rank inside the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense; Gonzaga limits its opponents to 53.2 points per contest to lead the WCC and rank eighth in the nation.
- Gonzaga returns two starters and seven letter-winners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' third consecutive and 15th overall West Coast Conference regular season title.
- In 2018-19, the Bulldogs advanced to their third-straight NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Second Round.
SCOUTING THE DONS
- San Francisco carries a 7-11 overall record with an 0-6 mark in WCC play.
- As a squad, the Dons average 69.2 points per game shooting 39.9 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from long range.
- Lucie Hoskova leads the Dons in scoring at 15.3 points per game shooting 49.1 from the floor. Hoskova's 49.1 shooting percentage ranks eighth in the WCC. Mikayla Williams adds 14.4 points per game shooting 45.2 percent from the floor.
- San Francisco adds 41.4 rebounds per game, 11.6 assists per game and 2.2 blocks per game. Leilah Vigil leads the charge on the glass with a conference-leading 10.1 rebounds per game. Williams adds 9.2 rebounds per game to rank second in the WCC.
- The Dons are currently on a six-game losing streak after finishing 5-1 in the final six games of non-conference play. USF picked up wins against Bowling Green, Houston, Cal State Fullerton, Sacramento State and UC Irvine to close non-conference play with a 7-5 record.
SERIES REVIEW
- OVERALL: Gonzaga leads 44-26
- HOME: 23-10, Gonzaga leads
- ROAD: 17-15, Gonzaga leads
- NEUTRAL: 4-1, Gonzaga leads
- FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga won, 57-36, Spokane (1/14/1988)
- LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 64-44 (2/23/19, San Francisco)
- STREAK: Gonzaga, Won 6
SHARING THE SCORE
- Through 18 games this season, three players average double-figures for Gonzaga with six players averaging over 7.0 points per contest. The Bulldogs have had seven different top scorers this season, spanning each academic year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior). Jenn Wirth leads the Zags in scoring at 11.6 points per game, Jill Townsend ranks second at 11.1 while Katie Campbell adds 10.9 points per game. LeeAnne Wirth adds 9.6 points per contest while Jessie Loera chips in 8.1 and Melody Kempton is at 7.1.
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
Currently, Gonzaga ranks eighth in the nation in scoring defense at 53.2 points per game. This season alone, Gonzaga has limited eight opponents to 50 points or fewer and 15 opponents to under 60 points. Thursday at Santa Clara, the Bulldogs limited the second-best scoring team in the conference to 52 points, more than 20 points less than SCU's season average of 74.3 points per game. Against BYU on Jan. 2, Gonzaga limited the Cougars to 43 points, the fewest scored by a WCC opponent since Gonzaga limited BYU to just 37 points in Spokane on Feb. 24, 2018. Gonzaga followed it up by limiting San Diego to just 42 points on Jan. 4 and 49 points to Saint Mary's on Jan. 9.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE, PLEASE
Jill Townsend is just the latest Zag to notch a double-double. The Okanogan, Wash., native posted her second career double-double on Thursday at Santa Clara, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Townsend's 12 boards are a career-high for the junior; she ranks second on the squad with 5.6 rebounds per contest. Jenn Wirth won WCC Player of the Week on Jan. 13 after posting back-to-back double-doubles in a pair of league games. First, she notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Saint Mary's on Jan. 9, then posted a career-high 24 points along with 10 rebounds in a win over Pacific. LeeAnne Wirth notched her second career double-double and the second for the Zags this season Dec. 8 at Washington State. The junior forward finished with a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. Melody Kempton is the only other Zag to notch a double-double this season; the sophomore forward scored 12 points and hauled in 10 rebounds at Stanford on Nov. 17.
DISHIN' ON UP
With her fifth assist of the afternoon against Portland on Dec. 29, Jessie Loera moved into seventh all-time in career assists with 356. Loera surpassed Robin Allen (355, 1984-88). Loera now has 385 career assists after dishing out two assists at Santa Clara on Jan. 16, and she is 8 assists shy of sixth place. Loera also ranks 16th nationally and second in the WCC in total assists on the season with 90.
Players Mentioned
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