#14/14 Gonzaga (17-4, 6-1 WCC) at Portland (11-11, 3-4 WCC)
SATURDAY, JAN. 28 | 4 P.M. | CHILES CENTER | PORTLAND, OR
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THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga travels to the University of Portland for the 173rd meeting between the programs Saturday at 4 p.m.
- The Zags are coming off of a 99-90 win at Pacific. Drew Timme scored 24 of his career-high 38 points in the second half, including 18 straight points during one stretch. Anton Watson added 16 points and 13 rebounds.
- Gonzaga leads the country shooting 51.8 percent from the field and averaging 86.5 points per game. Drew Timme tops the nation with 185 made field goals and is third with 463 points. His 22.0 points per game rank fifth in the nation. He leads the conference shooting 61.3 percent from the field. He is sixth in the WCC averaging 7.6 rebounds. Julian Strawther's 7.0 rebounds per game are seventh. Nolan Hickman tops the West Coast Conference with a 2.33 assist-to-turnover ratio. Anton Watson is fourth averaging 1.76 steals.
- GU ranks third in KenPom's offensive efficiency, finishing in the top three in each of the past four seasons.
- The Zags are No. 14 in the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs' 126 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation. Houston is the next closest at 57 consecutive appearances in the Top 25. 
- The Bulldogs have come back from double-digit deficits in five victories this season.
- Drew Timme was named to the Wooden and Oscar Robertson National Player Midseason Watch Lists.
- Over the last three seasons, and this season, Gonzaga is a national-best 107-11 (91.2 percent).
- Head Coach Mark Few currently boasts the best winning percentage among active head coaches at 83.5 percent, which also is the best in NCAA Div. 1 all-time with a minimum of 10 seasons.
- Gonzaga has won 144 straight games when leading by 10 or more points at halftime.
 
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
- Portland fell at Loyola Marymount Thursday, 79-60. Marcus Wood led the Pilots with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Chika Nduka added 12 points. Portland was limited to 3-of-18 shooting from behind-the-arc.
- The Pilots were coming off back-to-back wins after falling in Spokane to Gonzaga on Jan. 14.
- Wood averages a team-best 14.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He's made a team-high 48 three-pointers at 40 percent shooting behind-the-arc.
- Tyler Robertson adds 14.2 points per game and leads the team with 5.4 assists per outing.
- Kristian Sjolund chips in 12.5 points per game.
 
SERIES NOTES
- This is the 173rd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Portland. The Zags have a 106-66 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 15 straight versus the Pilots.
- The Bulldogs are 42-2 against Portland under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga won the latest meeting between the teams on Jan. 14 in Spokane, 115-75. Malachi Smith led six teammates in double figures with his season high 27 points, seven 3-pointers and a team-leading eight rebounds. Drew Timme scored 18 for Gonzaga, Strawther added 14 and seven rebounds, Nolan Hickman scored 13 and Anton Watson and Ben Gregg each added 12. The Zags raced out to a 40-14 lead.
- The Pilots last win in the series came on Jan. 9, 2014, 82-73, at Portland.
- GU is 36-22 at Portland in the series. The Zags have won seven in-a-row, and 23 of the last 24, inside the Chiles Center.
- In their last game at Portland, Joel Ayayi posted the first triple-double in Gonzaga history and the top-ranked Bulldogs routed Portland 116-88 on Jan. 9, 2021. Drew Timme and Anton Watson added 26 and 23 points.
- Gonzaga is 41-6 at home in the series, and has won 17 in-a-row over Portland at home, dating back to a 72-68 loss on Feb. 19, 2003.
- Portland edged GU, 70-66, in the first-ever NCAA meeting on Jan. 18, 1959, inside the Spokane Coliseum.
 
IMPRESSIVE WCC STATS
- Since the 2016-17 season, the Bulldogs have won 99 out of their last 104 West Coast Conference regular season games. Including the WCC Tournament, GU is 112-6 over that span.
- The Zags have won 55 of their last 58 games against conference competition dating back to the 2019-20 season.
 
UP NEXT
- The 100th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Santa Clara. GU owns a 69-30 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 48 of the last 50 meetings against the Broncos, including the last 25 straight matchups.
- Santa Clara's last win in the series was an 85-71 home victory on Jan. 20, 2011.
- The Bulldogs are 48-4 against SCU under Mark Few.
- In the latest meeting earlier this season on Jan. 7 at Santa Clara, Drew Timme and Nolan Hickman scored 20 points each and Gonzaga beat the Broncos 81-76. Julian Strawther had 18 points and Ben Gregg grabbed eight rebounds. GU trailed by 14 points in the first half but shot 48.3% (14 of 29) — including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc — the rest of the way to pull out the win. SCU led the back-and-forth contest by one with 90 seconds remaining.
- In last season's game at GU, Drew Timme had 23 points and nine rebounds and Gonzaga won its 10th straight West Coast Conference regular-season title, with an 81-69 win in Spokane on Feb. 19. Rasir Bolton contributed 18 points.
- Gonzaga is 26-23 all-time at Santa Clara, but have won 22 of their last 23 at SCU.
- Santa Clara won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 67-62, in Santa Clara on Feb. 3, 1959.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Drew Timme ranks third in program history with 1,984 points and eighth with 777 rebounds. He is 32 points from second. Timme is seven rebounds from seventh in GU history.
- Malachi Smith is 13 points from 1,500 in his career. He is seven made free-throws from 300 in his career and two steals from 150.
- Rasir Bolton is eight assists from 350 in his career.
- Anton Watson is 17 steals from 150 in his career.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Be the 41st straight road win over an unranked team.
- Be the fifth consecutive road win, which would match the eighth-longest streak currently in the country.
 
DREW UP A PERFORMANCE IN STOCKTON
- Drew Timme totaled 38 points on 17-of-23 shooting from the field in the Zags win at Pacific on Jan. 21.
- His 38 points were a new career-high, besting his 37-point performance against Texas in 2021-22.
- The 38 points were the most by a Bulldog since Johnathan Williams scored 39 against Florida on Nov. 24, 2017.
- Timme's 17 made shots from the field are the most by a GU player since Adam Morrison made 18 at Washington in a 43-point effort on Dec. 4, 2005.
- Kyle Wiltjer totaled 45 points at Pacific on Feb. 19, 2015.
- Timme's 38 points were the second-most by a WCC player this season. San Diego's Eric Williams Jr. had 43 versus Utah State on Nov. 17. Timme's 17 made field goals are currently the most in a single game this season by a WCC player.