MORAGA, Calif. – The No. 18/17 Gonzaga women's basketball team plays at Saint Mary's Saturday, Jan. 30 at 1 p.m. inside the UCU Pavilion.
 
#18/17 GONZAGA (14-2, 9-0 WCC) at SAINT MARY'S (5-11, 3-7 WCC)
JAN. 30 | 1 P.M. | MORAGA, CALIF. | UCU PAVILION
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THE TIP-OFF
- The Bulldogs extended their win streak to 13 games with a 77-65 victory at Pacific on Thursday. GU's win streak is currently the fourth-longest win streak in the nation amongst teams participating in the 2020-21 season.
- With the win over the Tigers, Gonzaga improved to 9-0 in WCC play for the second-straight season and the third time the last four seasons.
- Gonzaga remains the only unbeaten team in the WCC at 9-0. BYU is second in the conference standings at 5-1.
- Saturday will mark the 11th time in program history that Gonzaga has played on Jan. 30 as well as the second-straight season. The Zags are 5-5 on the day. Last season, Gonzaga defeated San Diego 57-46 on Jan. 30 in Spokane.
- Currently, Gonzaga is ranked 18th in the AP Poll and 17th in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have now been ranked or receiving votes for 48 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: 24-10, Gonzaga leads
- ROAD: 18-15, Saint Mary's leads
- NEUTRAL: 7-1, Gonzaga leads
- FIRST MEETING: Saint Mary's won 79-63 in Moraga (2/6/1988)
- LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 69-36 at home on Jan. 2, 2021
- STREAK: Gonzaga, Won 1
 
SCOUTING THE GAELS
- Saint Mary's is 5-11 overall with a 3-7 mark in WCC play. The Gaels have won three of their last four games, and narrowly lost to Portland at home on Thursday, dropping the contest 69-68 and effectively ending their win streak.
- As a team, SMC averages 64.6 points per game shooting 42.5 percent from the floor and 33.6 percent from long range. The Gaels add 38.9 rebounds, 12.4 assists and 6.4 steals per game while averaging a league-leading 20.3 turnovers per game. Saint Mary's also claims the worst turnover margin in the WCC at -7.9 as the Gaels opponents average just 12.4 turnovers per contest.
- Three players average double-figures for SMC, led by Taycee Wedin at 12.3 points per game. Wedin was the most recent WCC Player of the Week after the junior guard combined for 35 points in back-to-back wins, finishing 50 percent from beyond-the-arc. Madeline Holland adds 11.5 points per game shooting 45.5 percent from the floor while freshman Finau Tonga adds 10.6 points per game. Tonga, however, hasn't played in a game since a 56-73 loss at San Francisco on Jan. 9.
- Brianna Simonich leads the team in rebounding at 8.8 per outing. That mark is good for second in the league. Tonga averages 7.6 per contest.
- The Gaels opened WCC play with six straight losses until a commanding 79-61 victory against Pepperdine on Jan. 21 gave SMC a win. That kickstarted three-straight, with wins over LMU (69-65) and at San Diego (63-56). SMC narrowly lost to Portland on Jan. 28, falling 69-68. The Gaels had all but erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit, but the last second attempt from Simonich fell short.
- In the last meeting between Gonzaga and SMC, the Zags used a dominating defensive and rebounding effort to run past the Gaels, 69-37. GU controlled the glass 41-23 while forcing 15 turnovers on SMC, which led to 18 Bulldog points. Gonzaga held the Gaels to 31.1 percent shooting, including an ice cold 15.4 percent from three.
 
CLOSING IN ON 600
[Jan. 29] Jenn Wirth is close to becoming the 19th player in program history to amass 600+ career rebounds. The Mesa, Ariz., has 598 to date, as through 16 games this season she is averaging 8.3 per contest. Wirth would be the first Zag to surpass 600 career rebounds since Jill Barta did so back in 2018.
 
KAYLEIGH TRUONG DROPPING DIMES
[Jan. 29] Truong finished with a career-high eight assists in Thursday's game at Pacific, accounting for over a third of GU's 21 total assists on the night. The Houston, Texas, native has recorded at least five assists in each of the last four games and eight of the last 11 contests. Currently, Truong ranks fifth in the WCC in assists per game at 4.06 while she ranks third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.04. On the season, Truong has 65 assists to just 36 turnovers in 23.8 minutes per game.
 
WE LIKE THE STREAKS
[Jan. 29] Gonzaga is currently on a 13-game win streak, dating back to an 89-50 win at Wyoming on Dec. 8, 2020. In program history, Gonzaga has put together a 13-game win streak during in eight other seasons including three of the last four seasons. Its first win streak of at least 13 games came during the 2004-05 season; that year, the Bulldogs won 23-straight. That 23-game win streak still stands as the longest win streak in program history.