SPOKANE, WA – The No. 23/23 Gonzaga women's basketball team opens West Coast Conference play at Loyola Marymount Monday, Dec. 28. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. in Los Angeles.
 
#23/23 GONZAGA (5-2, 0-0 WCC) at LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (1-4, 0-0 WCC)
DEC. 28 | 6 P.M. | GERSTEN PAVILION | LOS ANGELES
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF
- The Gonzaga women's basketball team opens conference play on the road for the fourth time in the last five seasons as it travels to Loyola Marymount for a 6 p.m. tip of Dec. 28.
- GU completed non-conference play with a 5-2 overall record. The Zags collected a commanding 87-57 victory over North Alabama on Dec. 21 to conclude their non-conference slate. Jenn Wirth and LeeAnne Wirth led the way with a double-double each--14 points, 12 rebounds for LeeAnne with 14 poitns, 10 rebounds for Jenn--while Jill Townsend and Melody Kempton added 14 points and 10 points, respectively.
- Gonzaga has only played on Dec. 28 five times in program history, and it carries a 1-4 overall record. The last time the Zags played on Dec. 28 was during the 2017-18 season; that day, GU set a record for most points scored in a WCC game under Lisa Fortier with 99 points. That year, the Bulldogs defeated Pacific 99-72 to open WCC play.
- For the second time in program history, the Bulldogs were ranked in the preseason Associated Press Poll. Gonzaga debuted at No. 21 in the AP poll and at No. 20 ranking in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. It marks the third time in history GU has been ranked in the preseason coaches poll and the second-straight season.
- Currently, Gonzaga is ranked 23rd in both the AP and Coaches polls. The Bulldogs have now been ranked or receiving votes for 43 consecutive voting weeks, dating back to Dec. 3, 2018.
- The Bulldogs return three starters and nine letter winners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' fourth consecutive West Coast Conference regular season title.
- In 2019-20, Gonzaga rose to its highest regular-season national ranking ever, securing a No. 11 AP and No. 10 ranking in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. Prior to the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Zags were predicted as high as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were expected to host the First and Second Rounds for the first time since the NCAA changed hosting rules for the tournament in 2014-15.
- Gonzaga returns 79.1 percent of its scoring and 79.2 percent of its rebounding from last season.
- Gonzaga returns as one of the top defensive teams in the nation from a season ago. In 2019-20, the Bulldogs ranked third in the nation in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 51.9 points per game.
- The Bulldogs won 28 games last season, including a 17-1 mark in WCC play to tie their own record for wins in a conference season. It was the fourth-straight 25+ win season and 12th 25+ win season in the last 13 seasons.
 
SERIES NOTES
HOME: 26-6, Gonzaga leads
ROAD: 20-14, Gonzaga leads
Neutral: 3-1, Gonzaga leads
FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga won, 100-78 (1985 in Los Angeles)
LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 75-47 in Los Angeles.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
- Loyola Marymount is 1-4 through five non-conference games, claiming its lone win to the tune of a 66-56 victory over UC Irvine on Dec. 3. The Lions have dropped games to USC, Grand Canyon, LSu and UNLV, with its largest loss coming at UNLV, 94-59.
- Through five games, LMU averages 57.2 points per game shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and 25.0 percent from long range.
- The Lions average 35.6 rebounds per game, 13.0 assists per game, 5.8 steals and 4.0 blocks. Loyola Marymount also averages 21.4 turnovers per contest, the third-most of any WCC team.
- Two players average double-figures for LMU, led by Ciera Ellington at 12.6 points per contest. Khari Clark adds 11.0 per game, while Brittney Reed is close behind with 9.0 points per game.
- Clark and Meghan Mandel lead the Lions in rebounding as each average 8.0 rebounds per game. Nicole Rodriguez is the next closest at 4.8 per contest.
 
NEW RECORDS DURING THE FORTIER ERA
[Dec. 26] On Monday against North Alabama, the Zags reached new heights under Head Coach Lisa Fortier. The Zags dished out 30 assists, a new high under the seventh-year head coach, eclipsing the previous mark of 27. The program record for assists in a single game is 33; that record was set more than 32 years ago back on Dec. 17, 1988. The second Fortier-era record to fall was rebounding margin. Gonzaga finished with a 56-20 rebounding edge against the Lions on Dec. 21 for a +36 rebounding margin, eclipsing the previous mark of +35 set back on Jan. 16, 2016 at San Diego.
 
DOUBLE-TROUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Try saying that five times fast. LeeAnne and Jenn Wirth led the Zags with a double-double each on Dec. 21 against North Alabama. So far this season, Jenn Wirth leads the Zags with three double-doubles, while LeeAnne Wirth and Jill Townsend have each contributed one each.