#8/8 Gonzaga (15-3, 4-0 WCC) vs. Portland (9-11, 1-4 WCC)
SATURDAY, JAN. 14 | 7 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
TELEVISION: ESPN2
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga welcomes Portland for a West Coast Conference game Saturday at 7 p.m.
- The Zags have won 35 straight games in the month of January, dating back to a 74-71 setback to Saint Mary's on Jan. 18, 2018, also GU's last home loss. GU has also won 92 consecutive games over unranked opponents.
- The Zags own the country's longest home win streak with 74 consecutive victories inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. Auburn is the next closest with 27 straight home wins. Gonzaga's 74 straight home wins are the most in the modern era of Div. 1 (Since 1985). GU is one home win from tying for eighth all-time in Div. 1 history.
- In its last game, Julian Strawther hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left to lift Gonzaga to a 75-74 victory over BYU on Thursday night. Drew Timme had 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Anton Watson added 18 points and Strawther finished with 11. The Zags trailed by 10 with 4:56 remaining in the game.
- The Bulldogs are 4-0 in WCC play for the 11th straight season, they have been 5-0 the past eight seasons.
- GU is on a 10-game win streak, the sixth straight season the Zags have had a 10-game or better win streak.
- The Zags' 10-game win streak currently ranks as the fifth-longest in NCAA Div. 1.
- Gonzaga leads the country shooting 51.4 percent from the field. The Bulldogs are fifth in NCAA Div. 1 averaging 85.3 points per game. Drew Timme ranks second in the nation with 156 made field goals and fourth with 390 points. His 21.7 points per game rank 10th in the nation. He is 26th in the country shooting 60.7 percent from the field. He is fourth in the WCC averaging 8.2 rebounds. Julian Strawther's 7.3 rebounds per game are seventh.
- Gonzaga ranks sixth in KenPom's offensive efficiency, finishing in the top three in the past four seasons.
 
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
- Tyler Robertson, Kristian Sjolund and Moses Wood all put up at least 20 points to help lead Portland over the San Francisco Dons 92-87 at home Thursday. The Pilots knocked down 13 of 30 long range attempts.
- The victory snapped a five-game losing streak.
- Prior to conference play, the Pilots ranked top 30 nationally in three-pointers made, three-point field goal percentage and assists per game, but were averaging just 57.7 points, 4.3 three-pointers made on 22 percent shooting and 6.3 assists per game through the first three league games. On Thursday Portland knocked down 13-of-30 threes, dished out 20 assists and went 29-for-31 at the foul line.
- Portland leads the WCC and ranks 17th nationally in free throws made (17.1) and 19th in the country in free throws attempted (23.5) per game.
- Robertson is 14th in the nation in total assists (97), 22nd in assists per game (5.4), 7th in free throws made (88) and one of 16 players with a triple-double this year. He also leads the WCC in each of those categories.
 
SERIES NOTES
- This is the 172nd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Portland. The Zags have a 105-66 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 14 straight versus the Pilots, and is 40-6 at home in the series. Gonzaga has won 16 in-a-row over Portland at home, dating back to a 72-68 loss on Feb. 19, 2003.
- The Bulldogs are 41-2 against Portland under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga won the latest meeting between the teams, 104-72, in Spokane on Jan. 29. The Zags made a McCarthey Athletic Center record 18 3-pointers. Drew Timme had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Anton Watson also scored 16.
- The Pilots last win in the series came on Jan. 9, 2014, 82-73, at Portland.
- Gonzaga is 36-22 at Portland in the series. Gonzaga has won 23 of the last 24 inside the Chiles Center.
- Portland edged GU, 70-66, in the first-ever NCAA meeting on Jan. 18, 1959, inside the Spokane Coliseum.
 
MORE IMPRESSIVE WCC STATS
- Since losing 69-66 at San Diego on Feb. 22, 2014, the Zags have gone 115-0 (including conference tournament games) vs. WCC teams not named St. Mary's or BYU.
- Saturday will be 3,248 days since a team other than Saint Mary's or BYU defeated Gonzaga in WCC play.
- Since the 2016-17 season, the Bulldogs have won 97 out of their last 101 West Coast Conference regular season games. Including the WCC Tournament, GU is 110-5 over that span.
- The Zags have won 53 of their last 55 games against conference competition dating back to the 2019-20 season.
 
UP NEXT
- The 100th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount Thursday in Spokane at 6 p.m.
- The Zags have a 78-21 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 25 straight versus the Lions, and 29 of the last 30 meetings. The Lions last win in the series came on Feb. 18, 2010, 74-66, in L.A.
- The Bulldogs are 46-3 against LMU under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga is 40-6 at home against the Lions and has won all 19 meetings in the McCarthey Athletic Center. GU has won 32 straight at home over Loyola Marymount. The last Lion win in Spokane was on Feb. 7, 1991, 91-79.
- In the latest meeting, Gonzaga eased to an 89-55 win over Loyola Marymount in Spokane on Jan. 27, 2022. Nolan Hickman had 11 points and Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton scored 10 apiece for the Bulldogs.
- The Zags won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 75-71, in Spokane in 1953.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Drew Timme ranks third in program history with 1,911 points and ninth with 765 rebounds. He is 105 points from second. Timme is 19 rebounds from seventh in GU history.
- Hunter Sallis is at 100 rebounds in his career.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend the nation's longest home win streak, and longest in program history, to 75 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 82 games.
- Be the 93rd straight victory over an unranked team.
- Be the 69th straight victory over an unranked team at home.
- Be the 39th straight win over a WCC team at home.
- Be the 36th straight win in the month of January.
 
PROVO FINALE
- In the final West Coast Conference meeting between Gonzaga and BYU in Provo, Utah, the Zags escaped with a 75-74 victory due to late game heroics.
- With four minutes and 56 seconds left, GU trailed 68-58. The Bulldogs then scored 17 of the game's final 23 points.
- In the final five minutes, Gonzaga made six of nine from the field, including four of six from behind-the-arc. BYU was limited to two of seven from the field.
- Julian Strawther made two threes, including the game-winner with nine seconds left, and Hunter Sallis and Nolan Hickman both made one three in the final five minutes.
- Gonzaga forced three turnovers in the final stretch with Sallis and Hickman both coming away with key steals.
- It's the first time Gonzaga has had back-to-back-to-back single-digit wins in regular season conference play since the 2002-03 season, beating Portland (72-68), and winning at Santa Clara (71-66) and at San Diego (72-69).
 
NEVER A DOUBT
- In the last three games, all victories, Gonzaga has trailed by 12 at San Francisco, 14 at Santa Clara and 10 at BYU. The Zags were behind 50-38 at the 18:36 mark of the second half at USF, and 68-58 with 4:56 left in the game at BYU.
- The Bulldogs have come back to win five games this season after trailing by double-digits.
- GU also trailed Baylor by 10 points before taking the lead, but fell by one in Sioux Falls, 64-63.
- The Zags also have a win over Alabama on the road after trailing by nine, and over Xavier after trailing by eight with 6:19 remaining in regulation, 71-63, in Portland.
DAGGER DOGS
- In the Bulldogs' six wins by single digits, they have outscored their opponents 80-47 (13.3-7.8) over the last five minutes of those games.
- In the last five minutes of those games, GU has shot 57.5 percent (23-of-40) from the field, including 11-of-17 from three-point range. Zag foes have been held to 17-of-47 (36.2 percent) from the field, and 3-of-18 from behind-the-arc.
- Gonzaga has outrebounded opponents 34-20 over that span.
- Julian Strawther leads the team with 25 points on 7-11 shooting from the field (5/7 from three) over that stretch.
 
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
- Since the NCAA introduced NET in 2019-20, Gonzaga is 104-10 in Div. I games, including a perfect 72-0 record in Quad 2, Quad 3 and Quad 4 games.
- Zags by quadrant, 2019-20 to present--
Q1: 32-10 | Q2: 18-0 | Q3: 22-0 | Q4: 32-0
- Gonzaga has won 82 consecutive games when ranked against unranked opponents, the 2nd-longest such streak in the AP Poll era.
- GU has won 92 straight games over unranked teams.
 
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
- Gonzaga's 74 straight home wins are the longest streak in program history, breaking the previous record of 50 from 2003-07.
- During the Zags' 74-game home win streak, GU has won 47 times by 20 or more points, 36 times by 30-plus points, 12 times by 40 points, four by 50 points, two by 60 points and one by 78 points. Sixty-seven of the 74 straight wins inside the McCarthey Athletic Center have been by double-digits.
- The Bulldogs have 38 straight home victories over WCC
opponents, including 35 by double-digit scoring. GU has beat the last 25 conference foes at home by 10 or more points.
- The 38 straight wins over WCC foes is a program best.
- Since the McCarthey Athletic Center opened in 2004, Gonzaga boasts a 258-15 record at home.
- The Zags' 94.5 winning percentage at home since 2004-05 ranks second in the nation.
- GU has sold out every game since the 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center opened, a streak of 273 games.