SPOKANE, Wash. – The No. 16/16 Gonzaga women's basketball team travels to Provo, Utah, to take on BYU Thursday evening inside the Marriott Center at 5 p.m. PT.
 
#16/16 GONZAGA (18-2, 13-0 WCC) at BYU (14-3, 10-2 WCC)
FEB. 18 | 5 P.M. PT | PROVO, UTAH | MARRIOTT CENTER
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THE TIP-OFF
- The Bulldogs extended their win streak to 17 games with a 67-50 win over Santa Clara at home on Feb. 13. GU's win streak is currently tied for the second-longest win streak in the nation amongst teams participating in the 2020-21 season (Princeton has won 22-straight, but the Tigers have opted out of the 2020-21 season). California Baptist claims the longest win streak at 21 games, dating back to the 2019-20 season, while Bucknell is tied with Gonzaga with 17 wins, also dating back to last season for Bucknell. Gonzaga's win streak started with an 89-50 victory at Wyoming on Dec. 8, 2020.
- With the win over the Broncos, Gonzaga improved to 13-0 in WCC play for the second time the last four seasons.
- Gonzaga remains the only unbeaten team in the WCC at 13-0. Currently, there are 14 teams in the nation that are undefeated in conference play, but only seven of those teams have played at least 10 conference games. UConn and Gonzaga lead the way with a 13-0 undefeated conference record. South Carolina is next with a 12-0 unblemished record.
- Thursday will mark the 10th time that Gonzaga has played on Feb. 18, and the Bulldogs own a 4-5 overall record on the day. Gonzaga lost its first four contests on Feb. 18, before winning the next three straight. One of GU's top rebounding performances came on Feb. 18 as the Zags corralled 62 rebounds against Pepperdine back on 2/18/12. That mark ranks tied for fifth all-time for rebounds in a single game.
- Currently, Gonzaga is ranked 16th in the AP Poll and 16th in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have now been ranked or receiving votes for 51 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: 11-3, Gonzaga leads
- ROAD: 6-5, BYU leads
- NEUTRAL: 3-2, BYU leads
- FIRST MEETING: BYU won 80-63 in Spokane in 1983-84
- LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 63-56 in Spokane on Feb. 2
- STREAK: Gonzaga, Won 3
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
- BYU carries a 14-3 overall record with a 10-2 conference record. As a team, the Cougars average 70.2 points per game shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and 34.3 percent from long range. The Cougars currently rank second in the WCC standings with two conference losses, one to GU and the other to San Diego.
- The Cougars are led in scoring by redshirt sophomore Shaylee Gonzales at 17.8 points per game. Gonzales ranks second in the conference in scoring and sixth in shooting percentage, shooting 45.4 percent from the floor.
- Paisley Harding (13.5 points per game) and Lauren Gustin (12.1 points per game) round out the double figure scoring for the Cougars. Gustin also leads the Cougars and the West Coast Conference in rebounding with 12.9 points per game. That mark also ranks second in the nation.
- 6-foot-7 center Sara Hamson is the current career active leader in blocked shots with 381 career blocks. Hamson also ranks second among active players in blocked shot average, with an average of 3.70 blocked shots per game throughout her career. Currently, Hamson averages 2.65 blocked shots per game, good for second in the WCC and 18th in the nation.
- BYU is one of the best passing teams in the conference, as it averages 16.8 assists per contest. That number ranks third in the WCC behind Gonzaga (17.7) and Portland (17.6).
- The last time Gonzaga played BYU, senior guard Cierra Walker hit back-to-back threes to halt a late-game surge from visiting BYU to help lift GU over the Cougars 63-56.
 
WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK, AGAIN
[Feb. 16] Senior forward Jenn Wirth earned her second WCC Player of the Week honor on Feb. 15. Wirth finished the week of Feb. 8-14 averaging 13.0 points per game shooting 52.4 percent from the floor to go along with 9.0 rebounds per game to help Gonzaga to a perfect 2-0 record. This was Wirth's fourth career player of the week honor.
 
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
[Feb. 16] Senior forward Jenn Wirth is the second Zag this season that has the 1,000-career point milestone within reach. Wirth currently has 974 career points; she is averaging 13.3 points per game this season and is expected to reach the milestone within the next two contests.
 
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
[Feb. 16] Gonzaga currently boasts the nation's longest home win streak at 23 games, dating back to the 2018-19 season. It is also the longest home win streak under Head Coach Lisa Fortier.
 
TOPS IN THE NATION
[Feb. 16] Did you know that Gonzaga women's basketball and Gonzaga men's basketball have the best combined record in collegiate basketball at 38-2? Both programs also claim the nation's top home win streak, with the women at 23-straight home wins and the men at 47-straight home victories. Together, they combine for a 41-game win streak.
 
WE LIKE THE STREAKS
[Feb. 16] Gonzaga is currently on a 17-game win streak, dating back to an 89-50 win at Wyoming on Dec. 8, 2020. In program history, Gonzaga has put together a 17-game win streak during in four other seasons including two-straight (2019-20, 2020-21). Its first win streak of at least 16 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.