#11/12 Gonzaga (1-0) vs. Eastern Oregon (0-3)
TUESDAY, NOV. 14 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE, WA
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THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga welcomes Eastern Oregon to the McCarthey Athletic Center Tuesday at 6 p.m.
- Braden Huff scored 19 points off the bench in his collegiate debut, helping No. 11 Gonzaga pull away from Yale for an 86-71 win on Friday night. The redshirt made 7 of 10 shots and grabbed nine rebounds. Ryan Nembhard added 16 points and seven assists for Gonzaga in his debut. Nolan Hickman added 15 points and Anton Watson and Graham Ike scored 11 apiece. GU opened the second half on a 23-9 run and built a 16-point lead.
- Graham Ike was named preseason first team All-American by The Sporting News.
- The Zags have now won 20 straight regular season-openers dating back to a 73-66 loss to Saint Joseph's in the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York City.
- GU has won 34 consecutive regular season home-openers since a 73-65 loss to Boise State on Dec. 7, 1988.
- Gonzaga has won all 19 regular season home-openers in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Bulldogs have won all 25 regular season home-openers under Head Coach Mark Few.
- The Zags are No. 11 in the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs' 135 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation, with Houston's 66 consecutive appearances as the next best.
 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- Eastern Oregon has already played three games this season, but have yet to pick up its first win. The Mountaineers have challenged themselves however, with two of the setbacks coming to a pair of Top-10 NAIA foes.
- After a season-opening three-point loss at Montana Western, EOU fell to No. 6 Montana Tech on Nov. 4.
- Most recently, Eastern Oregon dropped a 104-98 outcome in overtime to No. 3 Arizona Christian Friday in Lewiston, Idaho. Garrett Hawkes poured in 38 points, making 14 of 21 from the field. Kamal Muhammed scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Malachi Afework added 19 points.
- Afework averages a team-high 19 points per game, while Hawkes chips in 18 points per outing. Muhammed leads the team with 7.3 rebounds a game.
- The Mountaineers were picked second in the Cascade Collegiate Conference preseason poll, after finishing second in the league last season.
- EOU finished last season in the NAIA National Tournament with a 21-11 record.
 
SERIES INFO
- Last season, Drew Timme had 18 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes, and No. 10 Gonzaga raced past EOU 120-42 to set a program record for the largest margin of victory. It was Gonzaga's first time beating an opponent by 70-plus points. All five Gonzaga starters finished in double figures — with each playing less than 21 minutes. Rasir Bolton added 14 points, Nolan Hickman and Anton Watson each had 13 points, and Julian Strawther and Malachi Smith scored 10 apiece. GU shot 70.4% from the field (50 of 71) to narrowly miss setting another program record of 71.8% shooting against Saint Mary's in 1996.
- The programs have five regular season meetings since GU went  Div. 1 in 1958-59; Gonzaga has won all five matchups and all were in Spokane.
 
UP NEXT
- The Bulldogs venture away from Spokane for the first time this season and head to the Allstate Maui Invitational in Honolulu Nov. 20-22.
- The Zags open the tournament against No. 3 Purdue Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. PST.
- It will be the fourth all-time meeting between GU and Purdue, with the Boilermakers winning all three previous matchups.
- The programs met in the PK Legacy semifinals last season in Portland on Nov. 25. The Boilermakers won 84-66. Zach Edey scored 15 of his 23 points in the final 15 minutes, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer each added 14. Nolan Hickman had 15 points and five assists.
- Purdue won the first all-time meeting, 83-68, in West Lafayette on Nov. 18, 1998. The Boilermakers were ranked No. 15 at the time.
- In the second meeting, No. 25 Purdue held off Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament West Regional semifinal in Albuquerque, N.M., 75-66, March 23, 2000.
 
HUFF IS TOUGH
- Braden Huff had quite the collegiate debut in the Zags' regular season-opening win over Yale.
- The redshirt freshman finished with a game-high 19 points in 20 minutes off the bench. He was 7-of-10 from the field with nine boards.
- Per Will Maupin of The Inlander, Huff became the 16th Gonzaga freshman to score 10+ in a season opener in the Mark Few era.
 
STEADY IN THE POLLS
- The Zags' 135 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation, with Houston second at 66.
- The Bulldogs' 135 consecutive appearances in the Top 25 is 12th all-time in the poll's history.
- The Zags have finished in the Top-10 in each of the last seven final AP polls. The only program in the nation to accomplish that feat.
- Since 2017, Gonzaga has been in the Top-10 in the AP poll a national best 135 times. Kansas is second at 134.
- Since 2017, Gonzaga has been in the Top-5 in the AP poll a national best 80 times. Kansas is second at 77.
- GU is the only program in the country to appear in every AP poll since 2017, with a No. 6 average ranking.
 
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
- The Zags have now won 20 straight regular season-openers dating back to a 73-66 loss to Saint Joseph's in the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York City.
- GU has won 34 consecutive regular season home-openers since a 73-65 loss to Boise State on Dec. 7, 1988.
- Gonzaga has won all 19 regular season home-openers in the McCarthey Athletic Center and all 25 regular season home-openers under Mark Few.