#15/15 GONZAGA (23-2, 12-1 WCC) vs. SAN FRANCISCO (9-15, 2-10 WCC)
FEB. 13 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga's nation-leading win streak of 21 straight games was snapped on Saturday with a 70-60 loss at Saint Mary's. The Bulldogs are now 23-2 on the year with a 12-1 mark in WCC play. Saturday was the first loss for the Zags in more than two months; the last 'L' for the Zags came at then No. 3/3 Stanford on Nov. 17 with a 76-70 overtime loss at Maples Pavilion.
- Gonzaga will look to improve to 24-2 overall on the season Saturday at Saint Mary's. With a win, Gonzaga will match its program-record start. The Zags have posted a 24-2 mark only once before, during the 2004-05 season. That season, GU strung together a program-best 23-game win streak and finished the season 28-4 overall with an unblemished 14-0 mark in WCC play. The Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the WNIT, losing at Missouri State 85-66 to end the season.
- With the win over BYU on Feb. 1, the Bulldogs have extended their home win streak record under Lisa Fortier. GU has won 14-straight home games dating back to Feb. 28, 2019 with 12 home wins so far this season. Previously, GU's top mark under Fortier was 12 straight home wins, which occurred from 11/7/18-2/14/19.
- 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 fell four spots in the Associated Press poll to No. 15. The Zags held steady in the Coaches Poll at No. 12. It's the highest combined ranking for the Zags ever. Previously, the program record was No. 12/11.
- Thursday will be the ninth time in program history that the Zags have played on Feb. 13. GU holds a 5-3 overall record, with seven of the eight contests having been WCC games. Thursday will be the second time in program history the Zags have faced the Dons on Feb. 13. In the first meeting, USF defeated Gonzaga 76-47 in San Francisco during the 1996-97 season.
- Gonzaga ranks second in the nation in attendance percent capacity at 94.01 percent. That's an average of 5,641 fans inside the McCarthey Athletic Center every game.
- The Bulldogs also rank inside the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense; Gonzaga limits its opponents to 52.6 points per contest to lead the WCC and rank fifth in the nation.
- Gonzaga is also among the top three-point shooting teams in the nation. At 40.3 percent shooting from long range, Gonzaga ranks second in the nation. Four players shoot over 40 percent from long range, led by Jill Townsend at 46.1 percent, while eight total Zags shoot at least 30.0 percent from beyond-the-arc.
- The Zags also rank inside the top 15 in the nation in field goal percentage. At 45.6 percent shooting from the floor, GU ranks 16th nationally and first in the WCC.
- 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
- Through 24 games on the season, San Francisco carries a 9-15 overall record with a 2-10 mark in WCC play. The Dons are fresh off a 70-68 victory against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 8, and they have won two of their last three contests.
- As a team, USF averages 66.3 points per game shooting 40.1 percent from the floor and 33.2 percent from long range.
- Three players average double-figures for the Dons, led by Mikayla Williams at 14.9 points per game. Lucie Hoskova adds 14.8 shooting a team-leading 47.2 percent from the floor while Leilah Vigil chips in 11.3 per contest.
- The Dons average an even 40.0 rebounds per game to lead the West Coast Conference with a +4.6 rebounding margin. Leilah Vigil leads the team and the conference in rebounding at 10.3 per game; Williams ranks second on the squad and third in the conference at 9.0 boards per game. Hoskova is the next closest Don with 4.7 rebounds per contest.
- After opening WCC play with nine-game losing streak, USF picked up its first conference win with a 72-66 overtime victory at Santa Clara on Feb. 1. The Dons narrowly lost to Pepperdine (70-64) on Feb. 6 but picked up their second win with a 70-68 victory over LMU on Feb. 8.
- In the last meeting between the Dons and the Zags, Gonzaga had four players in double figures to secure the 69-46 road win. GU led by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter behind 13 points from Katie Campbell and continued on for the win. Jessie Loera added 11 points while Jenn and LeeAnne Wirth each chipped in 10.
 
SERIES REVIEW
- OVERALL: Gonzaga leads 45-26
- HOME: 23-10, Gonzaga leads
- ROAD: 18-15, Gonzaga leads
- NEUTRAL: 4-1, Gonzaga leads
- FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga won, 57-36, Spokane (1/14/1988)
- LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 69-46 (1/18/20, San Francisco)
- STREAK: Gonzaga, Won 7
 
DISHIN' ON UP
With her third assist of the night against Loyola Marymount on Jan. 25, Jessie Loera moved into fifth all-time in career assists, surpassing Jasmine Redmon (400, 2010-14). Loera now has 421 career assists and is 20 assists shy of surpassing Amy Simpson (439, 1982-86) for fourth place. Loera currently ranks 13th nationally in assists with 130 on the season and 29th nationally in assists per game with 5.2.
 
SHARING THE SCORE
- Through 25 games this season, two players average double-figures for Gonzaga with five 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).
Jill Townsend leads the Zags in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while Jenn Wirth adds 10.6 points per contest. LeeAnne Wirth adds 9.0 points per contest while Jessie Loera chips in 8.2 and Melody Kempton is at 7.0.
 
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
Currently, Gonzaga ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense at 52.6 points per game. This season alone, Gonzaga has limited 12 opponents to 50 points or fewer and 20 opponents to under 60 points. The six of the last eight games, the Zags have held their opponents to under 60 points; only two (Pacific, 65 points; Saint Mary's, 70 points) have scored more than 52 points. On Jan. On Jan. 23 against Pepperdine, Gonzaga held the Waves to just 36 points, more than 30 points below their season average of 66.4. Pepperdine's 36 points also ties for the fewest points allowed to a WCC opponent under Lisa Fortier.