SPOKANE, Wash. – The No. 20/19 Gonzaga women's basketball team hits the road for a Thursday night game at Santa Clara. Due to COVID-19 restrictions within Santa Clara county, Thursday's game will be played in Santa Cruz, Calif., at the Kaiser Permanente Arena.
 
#20/19 GONZAGA (10-2, 5-0 WCC) at SANTA CLARA (7-4, 3-2 WCC)
JAN. 14 | 6 P.M. | SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. | KAISER PERMANENTE ARENA
LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM
 
THE TIP-OFF
- The Bulldogs extended their home win streak to 22 games with a 75-43 romp of Portland on Saturday. Entering the season, GU held the eighth-longest home win streak in the nation at 18 games. The 23-game home win streak is the longest under Head Coach Lisa Fortier.
- With the win over Portland, Gonzaga improved to 5-0 in conference play for the fourth-straight season and the fifth time in the last six seasons.
- Thursday will mark the 11th time the Bulldogs have played on Jan. 14. GU carries a 6-4 overall record on the date. On this date, Gonzaga also recorded one of its top free throw shooting performances. On 1/14/89, the Bulldogs finished 23-of-23 from the line in an 88-74 victory against Saint Mary's at home. It ranks as the second-best free throw performance in history. The top mark? A 24-of-24 performance at Saint Mary's on 2/3/05.
- 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 20th in the AP Poll and 19th in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have now been ranked or receiving votes for 46 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: 24-8, Gonzaga leads
- ROAD: 21-17, Santa Clara leads
- NEUTRAL: 1-0, Gonzaga leads
- FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga won, 59-45 (1988)
- LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 53-46 in Spokane on Feb. 2, 2020
- STREAK: Gonzaga, Won 8
 
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
- After finishing the 2019-20 season with a 12-19 overall record including a 5-13 mark in WCC play, Santa Clara boasts a 7-4 record this season with a 3-2 mark in WCC play. The Broncos have collected conference wins over Loyola Marymount, Saint Mary's and Pacific.
- SCU's road wins over Saint Mary's and Pacific mark the first time since the 2015-16 season, the same year the Broncos advanced to the WNIT.
- Currently, Santa Clara averages 63.2 points per contest shooting 39.9 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from long range. The Broncos add 37.9 rebounds, 11.4 assists and 10.1 steals per contest.
- The Broncos limit opponents to an average of 59.9 points per game shooting 39.2 percent from the floor and 26.7 percent from three. SCU's three-point field goal percentage defense leads the WCC.
- Two players average double-figures for the Broncos, led by Lindsey VanAllen, a 5-foot-9 junior guard out of Gilbert, Ariz. VanAllen averages 13.2 points per game shooting 39.4 percent from the floor and 31.8 percent from long range. Ashlyn Herlihy, a redshirt senior forward, also averages double-figures at 11.1 per contest while leading the Broncos in rebounding at 7.4 boards per game.
- Ashlee Maldonado leads the squad in assists with 40 on the season for a 3.64 per game average.
- SCU hasn't traveled out of the great state of California yet this season, and it has only hosted one home game (Loyola Marymount, Jan. 2).
- Given Santa Clara County COVID-19 restrictions and regulations, all of SCU's home contests are played at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, Calif. The arena is home to the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Golden State Warriors' G League affiliate.
 
NORMALIZING DOUBLE-DOUBLES
[Jan. 11] Jenn Wirth reached another double-double Saturday against Portland as she poured in 21 points and collected 10 rebounds in the victory. It marked the sixth double-double of the season for Wirth and the fifth double-double in the last six games. In conference play, Wirth averages a double-double at 16.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, and she currently ranks third in scoring and second in rebounding in WCC play.
 
JENN WIRTH, UCU #WCCHOOPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
[Jan. 11] Jenn Wirth became the first Zag this season to earn a player of the week nod as the senior from Mesa, Ariz., was selected as the University Credit Union #WCCHoops Player of the Week. Wirth finished with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds in GU's 75-43 romp of Portland on Jan. 9. With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 5-0 in WCC conference play and became the only remaining unbeaten program in the conference.
 
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
[Jan. 11] Senior Jill Townsend is the latest Zag to inch closer to the 1,000 career points mark. Townsend currently has 964 career points; the senior guard averages 13.1 points per game. At that rate, she's predicted to eclipse the mark within the next three to four games.