SPOKANE, Wash. – The No. 21/19 Gonzaga women's basketball team hosts Pepperdine Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
 
#21/19 GONZAGA (19-3, 14-1 WCC) vs. PEPPERDINE (5-15, 2-14 WCC)
FEB. 25 | 7:30 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TELEVISION: SWX | LIVE STREAM (OUT OF REGION) | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF
- The Bulldogs got back in the win column on Saturday with a 69-47 win over San Diego inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Deigo, Calif.
- With the win, GU is a win away from clinching the WCC Regular-Season Title for the 17th time in program history and the fifth-straight season.
- A win on Thursday would also give GU its 20th of the season, marking the 19th 20-win season in program history and the fifth-straight.
- Thursday will mark the 10th time in program history that the Zags have played on Feb. 25, and the first time since the 2016-17 season. GU carries a 4-5 overall mark on the date.
- Currently, Gonzaga is ranked 21st in the AP Poll and 19th in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have now been ranked or receiving votes for 52 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: 22-10, Gonzaga leads
- ROAD: 18-17, series tied
- NEUTRAL: 5-3, Gonzaga leads
- FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga won, 60-59 in Malibu (1/22/88)
- LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 58-42 (12/30/20 in Malibu)
- STREAK: Gonzaga, Won 9
 
SCOUTING THE WAVES
- Thursday will mark the second time the Zags have faced Pepperdine this season, but the first time in nearly two months. Their last meeting was back on Dec. 30, 2020.
- Pepperdine is 5-15 on the season with a 2-14 mark in West Coast Conference play. After dropping the first 12 WCC games of the season, the Waves collected their first conference win with a 51-49 victory over Loyola Marymount at home on Feb. 13. Pepperdine picked up its second conference win on Saturday with a 62-42 win over Saint Mary's.
- As a team, the Waves average 56.8 points per game shooting 38.0 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from long range. Pepperdine adds 36.8 rebounds per game, 9.4 assists per game, 7.4 steals per game and 3.6 blocks per contest.
- Malia Bambrick is the lone Wave to average double figures at 10.1 points per game, while both Monique Andriuolo and Cheyenne Givens contribute 9.1 points per game. Andruiolo also leads the team in rebounds with 7.5 per contest, while Givens leads the team in assists at 1.9 per game.
 
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
[Feb. 23] Senior forward Jenn Wirth is the second Zag this season that has the 1,000-career point milestone within reach. Wirth currently has 998 career points; she is averaging 13.2 points per game this season and is expected to reach the milestone Thursday against Pepperdine.
 
CLINCHING SCENARIOS
[Feb. 23] The Zags still have a bit more work to do before they can clinch the outright WCC regular season title. With the loss at BYU on Feb. 18 followed by a win at San Diego on Feb. 20, Gonzaga now needs one win out of the next two contests to secure the title IF BYU also wins all of its remaining contests. However, if BYU loses Thursday against Santa Clara, and Gonzaga defeats Pepperdine, the Zags will clinch the regular-season title for the 17th time in program history and the fifth straight season.
 
YEAH, SHE'S GOT CLASS
[ Feb. 23] Jill Townsend was recently announced as one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. Townsend, the reigning WCC Player of the Year, currently leads the Zags in scoring at 13.2 points per contest shooting 48.0 percent from the floor and ranks third in rebounding at 4.9 per game. The Okanogan, Wash., native has reached double-figures 14 times this season, including a career-high 29 in a double-overtime loss—the last time GU lost this season—at South Dakota State on Dec. 6. She also has three double-doubles on the season (points, rebounds), and on Jan. 24 she became the 24th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points.