#23/23 Gonzaga (9-2) at Rice (5-3)
SATURDAY, DEC. 9 | 7 P.M. | HOUSTON, TEXAS | TUDOR FIELDHOUSE (5,208) | TV: ESPN+
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | RADIO: 94.1 FM or 790 AM

THE TIPOFF
- The Gonzaga women's basketball team continues its road trip this week by going to Rice on Saturday, Dec. 9. Tipoff is slated for noon Pacific Time.
- GU is coming off an overtime win at Cal on Thursday, 78-70. Yvonne Ejim scored 21 points and Brynna Maxwell scored 18 points for the Zags. Ejim scored at least 20 points for the seventh game this season. She currently has scored in double digits for 17-straight games, dating back to last season. 
- Four Zags are averaging double digits in scoring including Yvonne Ejim (20.1), Kayleigh Truong (13.8), Brynna Maxwell (14.1) and Kaylynne Truong (11.5).
- The Zags are 18th in the country in three-point percentage at 48.8 percent. GU's 47.7 field goal percentage also ranks 27th. From the free throw line, GU is fifth with 82.3 percent.
- Kaylynne Truong is third in the nation in assists with 73 so far this year along with 15th in the country in assists per game with 6.6. Yvonne Ejim is also second in the country in field goals with 94 scored this season and is also fourth in the nation in points scored this year with 221. Brynna Maxwell is sixth in the country in three-pointers made with 31 so far.
- After defeating EWU and Stanford last week, Yvonne Ejim was named the WCC Player of the Week, ESPN's Player of the Week and the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week. 
- Gonzaga is currently on a 24 home game winning streak, which ranks third in the country only behind UNLV (27) and South Carolina (46).
- Kaylynne Truong was one of 20 point guards in the country named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list. Brynna Maxwell was also one of 20 shooting guards in the country named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list.
- Yvonne Ejim, Brynna Maxwell and Kaylynne Truong were named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Becky Hammon Player of the Year Award. Gonzaga is the only team with multiple players on the watch list and becomes the first team to ever place three players on a single list.
- Lisa Fortier was recently named to the 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year Award preseason watch list. This year's watch list includes coaches from 16 conferences.
- The Bulldogs were picked to win the West Coast Conference. The Zags received eight first-place votes that and totaled 64 points in the poll. 
- Gonzaga has amassed a conference record of 274-34 (.889) during the last 18 seasons, which includes 17 West Coast Conference regular season titles and nine WCC Tournament championships.
- Graduate students Brynna Maxwell, Kayleigh Truong, Kaylynne Truong and senior Yvonne Ejim were named to the Preseason All-WCC Team. 
- The Zags won the West Coast Conference Regular Season Title for the 18th time in program history by going 17-1 in conference play last season.
- Last season, GU had a record breaking performance from the three point line. The team recorded a program record 40.5 shooting percentage, which led the country.
- Last season, Gonzaga advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth-straight year under Lisa Fortier.

THE SERIES
SERIES INFO: This will mark the first meeting between the two teams.  

SCOUTING THE OWLS   
- The Owls took control and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire for an 84-56 win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last Saturday afternoon. Dominique Ennis led the Owls with 14 points while Jazzy Owens-Barnett added another 13 points.
- Dominique Ennis earned the first AAC Honor for the Owls, being named to the AAC Honor Roll after dropping a career-high 25 points, with six three-pointers, while adding a career-high five assists, five rebounds and four steals in Rice's 74-44 win over Texas Southern. Ennis added another 14 points at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.     
- Junior forward Malia Fisher was named to the 2023 Preseason All-AAC Second Team. Fisher, an All-C-USA Second Teamer last season, was second on the team with 11.8 points per game while leading the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. She also had a team-high five double-doubles on the season. Fisher had a career-high 22 points, including the game-winning steal and layup against Louisiana Tech. Rice was selected third in the team's AAC debut, finishing behind preseason favorite South Florida and last season's champion East Carolina.