#10/11 Gonzaga (11-3) vs. Pepperdine (7-7)
SATURDAY, DEC. 31 | 2 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
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THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga begins West Coast Conference play against Pepperdine on New Years Eve at 2 p.m.
- The Bulldogs have won 26 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996. Gonzaga has won all 23 WCC openers under Mark Few.
- The Zags own the country's longest home win streak with 73 consecutive victories inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. Texas Tech is the next closest with 29 straight home wins.
- Gonzaga's 73 straight home wins are the most in the modern era of Div. 1 (Since 1985). Arizona had 71 consecutive victories from 1987-1992. The Bulldogs' last loss at home was during the 2017-18 season, a 74-71 setback to Saint Mary's on Jan. 18, 2018.
- Gonzaga is coming off a record-breaking 120-42 win over Eastern Oregon Wednesday. The Zags broke the program record for largest margin of victory (78), most made field goals (51), and second-best field goal percentage (70.8 percent). Seven Zags finished in double-digit scoring led by Drew Timme's 18 points.
- Drew Timme is at 101 wins in his collegiate career. He currently boasts a 101-10 career record.
- Gonzaga ranks third in the country shooting 51.9 percent from the field, which tops the West Coast Conference. The Bulldogs are seventh in NCAA Div. 1 averaging 85.1 points per game, which also leads the WCC.
- Drew Timme ranks second in the nation with 122 made field goals and third with 305 points. His 21.8 points per game ranks eighth in the nation and tops the West Coast Conference. He also leads the conference shooting 64.6 percent from the field. He is fifth averaging 8.2 rebounds and sixth with 1.07 blocks per outing. Nolan Hickman is fifth in the league in assists per game (3.80). Julian Strawther's 7.7 rebounds per game are sixth.
 
SCOUTING THE WAVES
- Pepperdine is coming off a 76-66 setback to Iona in the fifth-place game at the Diamondhead Classic on Dec. 25 in Hawaii. Maxwell Lewis had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Waves, while Jalen Pitre matched his career high from the previous game with 11 points and added on six rebounds.
- Lewis averages a team-high 19.4 points on 53.3 shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from behind-the arc.
- Houston Malette adds 13.4 points per outing. Mike Mitchell Jr. and Jevon Porter chip in 10.9 and 10.5 points. Porter grabs 7.5 rebounds per game.
- Pepperdine swept the weekly West Coast Conference awards, as Lewis and Porter earned Player and Freshman of the Week honors Tuesday.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 95th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pepperdine. The Zags have a 63-31 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 43 straight versus the Waves, with the last Pepperdine victory in the series coming on Jan. 18, 2002, 88-79, in Malibu.
- The Bulldogs are 47-2 against the Waves under Mark Few.
- In the last meeting, Drew Timme scored 19 points, Chet Holmgren had 18 points and 17 rebounds and Andrew Nembhard added a career-high 14 assists to lead top-ranked GU to an 86-66 win over Pepperdine in Malibu on Feb. 16.
- Gonzaga has a 33-12 advantage in the meetings in Spokane.
- In the matchup last season in Spokane, Anton Watson scored 19 points and Drew Timme scored 18, and No. 4 Gonzaga routed Pepperdine 117-83. Hunter Sallis scored 13 and Rasir Bolton and Julian Strawther had 12 points.
- The Bulldogs have won 23 in-a-row against Pepperdine in Spokane. The last time the Waves won at Gonzaga was on Feb. 19, 1998, 65-64.
- Gonzaga has won 19 in-a-row inside the Firestone Fieldhouse and is 25-17 all-time in the meetings in Malibu.
- Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting, 93-70, in the Knights
of Columbus Tournament in Portland, on Dec. 11, 1964.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga visits San Francisco Thursday at 8 p.m. for another West Coast Conference matchup.
- It will be the 91st all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Francisco. GU has a 68-22 advantage in the series.
- GU is 47-4 against San Francisco under Mark Few.
- The Zags have won 24 straight versus the Dons. USF's last win in the series came on Feb 18, 2012, 66-65, at USF.
- The Bulldogs won the latest meeting 81-71 in last season's WCC Tournament Semifinals in Las Vegas. Drew Timme scored 27 points, Chet Holmgren added 17, and top-ranked Gonzaga reached the West Coast Conference championship game for the 25th straight year. The Zags raced out to a 24-point second-half lead.
- GU is 25-18 all-time at San Francisco. The Bulldogs have won the last 10 matchups at USF.
- San Francisco edged GU, 64-62, in the first-ever meeting at USF on Jan. 28, 1961.
- Gonzaga has won 32 straight games in January, dating back to a 74-71 home loss to Saint Mary's in 2018.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Drew Timme ranks seventh in program history with 1,808 points and ninth with 725 rebounds. He is two points from sixth and 16 from fifth. Timme is 32 rebounds from eighth in program history.
- Malachi Smith is four rebounds from 600 in his career.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend the nation's longest home win streak, and longest in program history, to 73 games. That mark would extend the modern NCAA Div. 1 record (since 1985).
- Extend the second-longest streak in the AP Poll era for ranked against unranked opponents to 78 games.
- Be the 88th straight victory over an unranked team.
- Be the 67th straight victory over an unranked team at home, 51st over a non-conference opponent at home and 52nd over an unranked non-conference foe at home.
- Be the 33rd straight win in the month of January.
 
CONFERENCE OPENING SUCCESS
- Gonzaga has won 26 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996.
- The Zags have won all 23 WCC openers under Mark Few.
 
HISTORIC WIN
- The Bulldogs' 120-42 victory over Eastern Oregon set multiple record marks.
- The 78-point margin broke the program record for margin of victory (previously 61 vs. Denver).
- The 51 made field goals set a new program record (previously 50 vs. Carroll). GU attempted 72 shots versus EOU.
- Gonzaga's 70.8 percent from the field matched the second-best mark in program history (record is 71.8% against Saint Mary's in 1996).
- The Zags' 120 points were the most points scored in a regular season game since a 120-79 win over Idaho State on Nov. 6, 2018. It was only the sixth time Gonzaga reached the 120-point mark in program history.
- GU made 75.0 percent of its shots from the field in the first half, which was the best percentage in a half over the last nine seasons.
- Gonzaga had seven double-digit scorers for the first time since a 116-88 win at Portland on Jan. 9, 2021.
- The Zags forced Eastern Oregon into 28 turnovers, the most by a GU foe since Southern Utah had 28 in 2012. Gonzaga had 19 steals in the win over EOU, the most under Mark Few.