SPOKANE, Wash. – The No. 21/19 Gonzaga women's basketball team will close the regular season at home Saturday, Feb. 27 against Loyola Marymount at 1 p.m. inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga will honor five seniors prior to Saturday's tip: Gillian Barfield, Louise Forsyth, LeeAnne Wirth, Jenn Wirth and Jill Townsend.
 
#21/19 GONZAGA (20-3, 15-1 WCC) vs LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (5-17, 4-13 WCC)
FEB. 27 | 1 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. |McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TELEVISION: SWX | LIVE STREAM (OUT OF REGION) | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF
- With a dominating 95-49 victory over Pepperdine Thursday evening, Gonzaga clinched the outright West Coast Conference title for the fifth-straight season and 17th time in program history.
- The win was also GU's 20th of the year, the fifth-straight 20-win season and 19th 20-win season in program history.
- The home victory also extended GU's nation-leading home win streak to 24 straight. The Zags haven't lost a game in the Kennel since the 2018-19 season. Currently, Gonzaga is tied with Stephen F. Austin for the nation's longest win streak. Maryland is third with 22 straight, while Princeton (19 straight) and South Dakota (18 straight) round out the top five.
- Saturday will mark the ninth time in program history that the Zags have played on Feb. 27. GU carries an even 4-4 record on the date. The Bulldogs have taken great care of the ball on this date; back on Feb. 27, 2016, GU committed the fewest number of turnovers in a game under Head Coach Lisa Fortier with seven. GU recently tied that mark, committing a season-low seven turnovers against Pepperdine on Thursday.
- 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: 26-6, Gonzaga leads
ROAD: 21-14, Gonzaga leads
NEUTRAL: 3-1, Gonzaga leads
FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga won, 100-78 (1985 in Los Angeles)
LAST MEETING: Gonzaga won 65-62 in Los Angeles on 12/28/20
STREAK: Gonzaga, Won 27
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
- Loyola Marymount is 5-17 overall on the season with a 4-13 mark in WCC play, good for ninth in the conference standings.
- As a squad, LMU averages 60.1 points per game shooting 39.1 percent from the floor and 30.1 percent from long range to go along with 33.4 rebounds per game, 12.5 assists per game and a league-leading 5.0 blocks per game.
- Two players average double figures for LMU, led by Ariel Johnson at 13.4 points per game shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from long range. Johnson also leads the team in assists with 52 on the year, and ranks third in rebounding with 5.3 per game.
- Chelsey Gibson ranks second in scoring to the tune of 10.3 points per outing shooting 36.8 perceont from the floor.
- Of the 22 games the Lions have played, only four players have seen action in every game: Ciera Ellington, Khari Clark, Meghan Mandel and Nicole Rodriguez.
- After winning four of their first seven conference games, the Lions have now lost 10 straight dating back to Jan. 23.
 
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
[Feb. 26] Senior forward Jenn Wirth became the 25th player in program history to eclipse 1,000-career points on Thursday against Pepperdine. Wirth's first field goal of the day gave her her 1000th point; she now has 1,005 career points.
 
WCC CHAMPS
With the monster 95-45 victory over Pepperdine on Thursday, the Zags clinched the regular-season title for the 17th time in program history and the fifth straight season.
 
HIGHS AND LOWS
Thursday against Pepperdine, Gonzaga defeated the Waves by 46 points, the largest margin of victory over a WCC opponent under Head Coach Lisa Fortier. The previous largest margin of victory was 39 points, which GU completed against Portland back on Jan. 25, 2018. The Bulldogs also committed as season-low seven turnovers against Pepperdine, which ties the fewest number of turnovers in a game during Fortier's tenure. The last time GU committed just seven turnovers was on Feb. 27, 2016 against BYU. Gonzaga's 95 points are also the most points scored since the 2018-19 season when the Bulldogs finished with 97 points in a win over Portland on Jan. 12, 2019.
 
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
[Feb. 26] Gonzaga currently boasts the nation's longest home win streak at 24 games, dating back to the 2018-19 season. It is also the longest home win streak under Head Coach Lisa Fortier.