-/RV Gonzaga (8-3, 0-0 WCC) vs. Eastern Washington (2-7)
SUNDAY, DEC. 21 | 6 P.M. | REESE COURT | CHENEY, WASH.
TELEVISION: SWX
LIVE VIDEO |
LIVE STATS | 94.1 FM or 790 AM KJRB
THE TIP OFF
- The Gonzaga Bulldogs travel to Eastern Washington University this Tuesday, Dec. 21. This game marks the last non-conference competition in the regular season for the Zags.
- The EWU Eagles are the fourth Big Sky school GU has played this season. The Zags have recorded wins over Montana State, Montana and Idaho State so far this year.
- Gonzaga is coming off a tough loss on the road to UC Davis. The Zags were outscored 19-8 in the final quarter to give Aggies the 69-66 win.
- EWU is coached by Jodie Gleason and it is her first year at Eastern. Gleason also coached for GU head coach
Lisa Fortier at Butte Community College from 2002-04. Fortier went on to play her final two years at Cal State Monterey Bay.
- GU is forcing an average of 13.9 turnovers per game and a total of 153 so far this season.
- The Zags are averaging 39.4 rebounds a game and a 11.5 rebound margin, which ranks 12th in the nation. The team also has the 12th-best free throw shooting percentage in the country, recording an average of 78.2 percent from the charity stripe.
- Senior
Melody Kempton just notched 400 rebounds in her career at GU after bringing in five against UC Davis. Senior
Cierra Walker also recently joined the 1,000-point club after scoring 18 points against SFA on Dec. 12. Walker also ranks 26th in the country in 3-point shooting percentage with 46 percent made.
- Offensively, Gonzaga is averaging 66.7 points per game and holding its opponents to 55.1 points a game.
- Junior
Kaylynne Truong leads the team with 12.4 ppg and 3.3 assists a game. Senior
Anamaria Virjoghe and sophomore
Yvonne Ejim both lead the team in rebounds with 5.5 a game.
- The Bulldogs will face six teams that were part of the 2021 NCAA Tournament during the 2021-22 campaign.
- Last season, the Zags advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight year under head coach
Lisa Fortier.
- Gonzaga returns two starters and seven letterwinners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' fifth consecutive West Coast Conference regular season title.
-The Zags won their ninth WCC Tournament Title in 2021 with a victory over BYU in the championship game.
GAME SERIES
SERIES INFO: 47 all-time meetings, Gonzaga leads 34-13
STREAK: Gonzaga - 16
FIRST MEETING: EWU defeated Gonzaga 79-39 at home in 1982.
LAST MEETING: Gonzaga defeated Eastern in 2020 in the Kennel, 84-44. The Zags haven't lost to the Eags since 2004 at the Spokane Arena, 72-69.
BIG SKY COMPETITION: The Zags have historically done very well against Big Sky teams in recent years. This year, the Bulldogs have been 3-0 against other Big Sky foes. Gonzaga hasn't lost to a Big Sky team since 2008, when they lost 75-72 at Portland State.
SCOUTING THE EAGS
- EWU is 2-7 on the year with its two wins coming over Multnomah and Evergreen. The Eags are coming off an appearance at the Husky Classic on Dec. 18 and 19. The team fell 62-59 to Washington and then 71-60 against Nevada.
- Eastern has played one other WCC team this year at Pepperdine on Nov. 14 and lost 67-48.
- EWU is averaging 67 points per game and holding its opponents to 63.6.
- Jaydia Martin leads the Eagles with 17 points a game and Jacinta Buckley brings in an average of 7.2 rebounds a game, despite only playing in six of the nine games so far this year.
- The 2021-22 squad is split between eight returners and eight fresh faces, five of which are true freshmen and three that have transferred to the Eagles.
- In preseason Big Sky polls, EWU was picked to finish 11th by the coaches and 10th by the media.
