Gonzaga (10-4, 1-0 WCC) at Pacific (3-9, 0-1 WCC)
THURSDAY, JAN. 13 | 7 P.M. | ALEX G. SPANOS CENTER (6,150) | STOCKTON, CALIF.
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THE TIP OFF
- The Gonzaga Bulldogs travel to Pacific to continue West Coast Conference play this Thursday, Jan. 13.
- The Zags are coming off a huge road test against No. 2 Stanford. GU fell 60-55, but held the Cardinal to its lowest shooting percentage of the year. It was the first time the two programs had a home-and-home series in a single season. 
- In the first WCC game at the Portland Pilots, senior Melody Kempton had a dominating performance with a career-high 25 points. Sophomore Yvonne Ejim was right behind her with a double-double performance of 22 points and 10 rebounds, which are both career records for her. It was the first time since Dec. 2, 2017, that the Zags have had two players score 20+ points in the same game.
- GU is forcing an average of 13.4 turnovers per game and a total of 188 so far this season.
- The Zags are averaging 40.1 rebounds a game and a 10.9 rebound margin, which ranks ninth in the nation and first in the conference. GU also leads the WCC in its scoring defense with 56.1 points along with made free throws at 176 so far this year. 
- Melody Kempton leads the Bulldogs with 11.6 points a game and leads the WCC in field goal percentage as she
averages 57 percent. Yvonne Ejim leads the team in boards with 5.6 a game and has also recorded 16 blocks.
- The Bulldogs historically play very well against Pacific. The team has not lost to the Tigers since the 2017 season and hasn't fell at Pacific since 2016, with a combined three point difference between the two games.
- Gonzaga opens up WCC play at home this weekend on Saturday, Jan. 15 against San Diego.
- GU had received votes every week in the Coaches Poll before this week. The team received votes in the AP Poll for six weeks during the non-conference slate.
- 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 thrilling over BYU in the championship game.

GAME AT A GLANCE
SERIES INFO: 20 all-time meetings, Gonzaga leads 15-5    
STREAK: Gonzaga - 10    
FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga defeated Pacific in 1999 at a neutral site, 65-64.    
LAST MEETING: Gonzaga beat the Tigers on the road, 77-65 in 2021. The Zags also won 79-59 at home.    
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Zags haven't played in McCarthey Athletic Center since Dec. 12 against Stephen F.
Austin. The Bulldogs then traveled to UC Davis (Dec. 19), Eastern Washington University (Dec. 21), University of Portland (Jan. 6) and Stanford (Jan. 9). Gonzaga has compiled a 4-2 record on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites this season.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- Pacific currently is 3-9 overall and 0-1 in the WCC. The one loss in WCC play was against No. 18 BYU on Jan. 8, which was also their last game. The Tigers lost 94-68 against the Cougars on the road. Freshman Anaya James led Pacific with 18 points, including nine in the third quarter alone. Elizabeth Elliot scored 15 points and recorded 11 rebounds for her second double-double fo the season.
- The one common opponent between Gonzaga and Pacific is Stanford as the Tigers lost 91-62 to then ranked No. 4 Stanford on the road.
- Pacific's three wins are over William Jessup (83-33), CSU Bakersfield (78-65) and Weber State (75-62). The Tigers are currently 2-2 at home and 1-7 on the road.
- Freshman Anaya James currently leads Pacific with an average of 15.7 points a game. She has made a team-high 18 three pointers this season and also leads the team in assists with 45 recorded. She has notched two WCC Freshman Player of the Week awards so far this season.
- Elizabeth Elliot leads the Tigers with 5.6 rebounds a game and has the second-best scoring performances by averaging 12.9 points a game.
- In preseason polls, Pacific was picked to finish 10th overall in the WCC.