#11/10 Gonzaga (5-1) vs. Southern California (5-2)
SATURDAY, DEC. 2 | 7 P.M. | MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA | LAS VEGAS
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THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga faces Southern California in the second game of the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational in the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday at 7 p.m. Washington and Colorado State play in the first game.
- The Bulldogs are coming off an 81-65 win at home over Cal State Bakersfield Tuesday. Ryan Nembhard scored a season-high 22 points and Anton Watson added 11 points and 13 rebounds. Six players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs. Nolan Hickman had 13 points and freshman Dusty Stromer finished with a season-high 10. Watson also got plenty of help in the scoring department. Braden Huff added 12 points and Graham Ike had 11.
- Gonzaga has won its last 15 meetings against Pac-12 foes, and is 45-15 against the league under Mark Few. The Bulldogs have won 20 of their last 23 games against Pac-12 competition since the 2014-15 season.
- The Zags finished fifth in a talented field in the Maui Invitational, with the only loss coming to eventual champion, top-ranked Purdue, 73-63, in the quarterfinals. GU led the Boilermakers for 21 minutes in the setback.
- For his efforts, Watson was named to the Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team. He averaged 17 points and seven rebounds per game in Honolulu, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
- The Zags are No. 11 in the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs' 137 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation, with Houston's 68 consecutive appearances as the next best.
 
ABOUT THE TROJANS
- Southern California is coming off a 106-78 home win over Eastern Washington Wednesday. Boogie Ellis made eight of his 10 threes and scored 28 points. Isaiah Collier added 15 points and six assists. The Trojans shot 57 percent from the field and 12-of-24 from three.
- Ellis averages 21.5 points per game to lead USC. Collier adds 17.7 points and a team-high 4.29 assists per outing. Kobe Johnson averages 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game. Joshua Morgan grabs a team-best 5.6 rebounds.
 
SERIES INFO
- This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Southern California.
- The Bulldogs won the last meeting, cruising past USC in the 2021 NCAA Tournament West Regional Final, 85-66, to advance to the program's second Final Four.
- The Trojans won the first two matchups. USC won the first all-time meeting, 77-60, on Dec. 4, 1991, in the Spokane Coliseum. The following season, the Trojans picked up a win at home, 77-59, on Dec. 7, 1992.
- The Trojans are off to a 4-2 start to their season.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga returns home to host Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday at 6 p.m.
- It will be the third meeting between the Zags and Arkansas Pine Bluff, with GU winning the first two matchups.
- The Bulldogs cruised in the first meeting, 92-42, in 2002. Gonzaga won the last meeting as well, 110-60, in 2020. Both meetings were in Spokane.
- It will be the first of three meetings against a SWAC opponent over a 15-day span.
 
ATTACK THE PAC
- Gonzaga has won its last 15 meetings against Pac-12 foes, and is 45-15 against the league under Mark Few. - The Zags have played each Pac-12 team under Few, except Oregon State and Arizona State. With the Pac-12 ending in its current form, GU boasts wins over each current Pac-12 member except those two and California (64-72, 1999).
- The Bulldogs have won 20 of their last 23 games against Pac-12 competition since the 2014-15 season.
- Nine of the 15 wins during the current streak were over ranked Pac-12 opponents. Only three of the victories were in Spokane and three were true road wins.
- During the 15-game win streak over the Pac-12, the Zags beat Washington five times, UCLA four times, Arizona three times, and Utah, USC and Oregon once.
11/22/23 - beat #24 UCLA in Honolulu, 69-65
3/23/23 - beat #7 UCLA in Las Vegas, 79-76
12/9/22 - beat Washington in Spokane, 77-60
11/23/21 - beat #2 UCLA in Las Vegas, 83-63
4/3/21 - beat UCLA in Indianapolis, 93-90 (OT)
3/30/21 - beat #24 USC in Indianapolis, 85-66
12/14/19 - won at #15 Arizona, 84-80
12/8/19 - won at #22 Washington, 83-76
11/28/19 - beat #11 Oregon in Bahamas, 73-72 (OT)
12/5/18 - beat Washington in Spokane, 81-79
11/20/18 - beat Arizona in Maui, 91-74
12/10/17 - won at Washington, 97-70
12/7/16 - beat Washington in Spokane, 98-71
12/3/16 - beat #16 Arizona in Los Angeles, 69-62
3/19/16 - beat #13 Utah in Denver, 82-59
 
WATSON NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- For his efforts in the Maui Invitational, Anton Watson was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week.
- This is Gonzaga's first men's basketball Conference weekly award this season.
 
WATSON NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- After big numbers in Hawaii, Anton Watson was named to the Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team.
- Watson scored a career-high 32 points on nearly perfect shooting in GU's 69-65 win over UCLA. Watson shot 14 of 15 from the field, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc, and grabbed seven rebounds.
- The 6-foot-8 graduate forward poured in 25 points after halftime. His previous career best was 23 points against Portland on Jan. 9, 2021.
 
WATSON JOINS 1K POINT CLUB
- Anton Watson needed 10 points going into the UCLA game to reach the 1,000-point plateau in his career.
- Watson cruised past that mark with his 32-point outburst.
- Watson is the 49th member of Gonzaga's 1,000-point career scoring club.
 
WHERE WE RANK
- Gonzaga is eighth in the nation in rebound margin (13.3) and ninth three-point percentage defense (25.0). The Zags lead the West Coast Conference in both of those stat categories.
- Anton Watson's 65.1 field goal percentage is 23rd in the nation and second in the WCC.
- Graham Ike is 22nd in the country pulling down 3.8 offensive rebounds per game.