#16/16 Gonzaga (20-5, 9-2 WCC) vs. BYU (16-11, 6-6)
SATURDAY, FEB. 11 | 7 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
TELEVISION: ESPN2
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga and Brigham Young meet for the 32nd time in the McCarthey Athletic Center Saturday at 7 p.m.
- The Bulldogs clinched their 26th straight 20-win season. The Zags' 26-straight 20-win seasons ranks second for the longest active run in the country. (Kansas 32)
- In their last game, Rasir Bolton scored 23 points and had six assists, and Drew Timme added 21 points to lead Gonzaga past San Francisco 99-81 on Thursday. GU shot 59.5 percent from the field in the first half.
- Timme moved to first place on Gonzaga's career made field goals list Thursday. He also moved into the career scoring Top 10 in West Coast Conference history. He is 10 points from climbing to ninth in league history.
- Gonzaga leads the country shooting 52.0 percent from the field and averaging 86.2 points per game. The Zags are also first in effective field goal percentage (.582). Timme is third in the nation with 211 made field goals and is sixth with 530 points. His 21.2 points per game rank 12th in the nation. Timme and Anton Watson are first and second in the WCC in field goal percentage at 60.6 and 60.1 percent. Watson is second in two-point field goal percentage at 66.7 percent. Timme is sixth averaging 7.4 rebounds. Strawther's 6.7 rebounds per game are 10th. Nolan Hickman is third with a 2.02 assist-to-turnover ratio. Anton Watson is second averaging 1.88 steals.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
- After a back-and-forth battle to begin the game, BYU was unable to overcome a 24-6 Pepperdine run as the Cougars lost to the Waves 92-80 in Malibu on Thursday. Fousseyni Traore finished with a team-high 19 points as the sophomore was 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line while pulling down six rebounds. Gideon George tied a career-high with four offensive rebounds to go along with 13 points and three assists. Dallin Hall and Rudi Williams also reached double figures with 12 and 10 respectively.
- The Cougars are 2-5 in true road games this season.
- Twenty-seven of Spencer Johnson's 33 steals have come in conference play, two shy of entering the Top 10 in steals in a single conference season in program history.
- Traore leads the team averaging 12.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Rudi Williams adds 12.2 points, while Gideon George and Spencer Johnson chip in 11.3 and 10.8 points per outing. Dallin Hall dishes out 3.22 assists.
 
SERIES NOTES
- This is the 32nd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and BYU. The Zags have a 24-7 advantage in the series, with all 31 matchups coming under Mark Few.
- GU has won the last six meetings dating back to a 91-78 loss in Provo on Feb. 22, 2020. Gonzaga was No. 2 at the time and BYU was No. 23.
- On Jan. 8 at BYU, Julian Strawther hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left to lift No. 8 Gonzaga to a 75-74 win. Drew Timme had 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Anton Watson added 18 points and Strawther finished with 11.
- Gonzaga has won eight of the 11 Spokane matchups in
the series, all coming inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Bulldogs won last season's meeting in Spokane,
110-84. Drew Timme scored 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting. Andrew Nembhard had 22 points and 12 assists, and Julian Strawther added 20 points.
- Gonzaga has won nine of the 12 meetings in Provo, including eight of the last nine matchups at BYU.
- GU has won all six of the meetings against the Cougars in
the WCC Tournament, including in the 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2021 championship games.
- The Cougars won the first-ever meeting, 89-67, in the third
round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colo.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga is at Loyola Marymount Thursday at 8 p.m.
- It will be the 101st all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount. GU has a 78-22 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 29 of the last 31 meetings. The Lions snapped a 25-game Zag win streak in the series earlier this season with a 68-67 victory in Spokane on Jan. 19.
- The Bulldogs are 46-4 against LMU under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga is 29-14 all-time at LMU and have won 10 straight in Los Angeles. The Lions' last home win in the series came on Feb. 18, 2010, 74-66, in Los Angeles.
- In the last meeting in Los Angeles, the Zags picked up an 87-62 victory on Jan. 11, 2020. Drew Timme recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- The Zags won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 75-71, in Spokane in 1953.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Drew Timme ranks second in program history with 2,051 points and eighth with 802 rebounds. He is 146 points from first. Timme needs to average 18.25 points during the next eight games to surpass Frank Burgess for the top spot. Timme is 18 rebounds from sixth in GU history.
- Malachi Smith is four made free-throws from 300 in his career and is at 150 steals in his career.
- Anton Watson is seven steals from 150 in his career.
 
26/20 VISION
- GU has clinched its 26th straight 20-win season.
- The Zags' 26-straight 20-win seasons rank second for the longest active run in the country. (Kansas 32)
- Prior to the previous 26 seasons, the Bulldogs reached 20 wins in a season eight times since 1907-08.
- Gonzaga has won at least 25 games in each of the last 15 consecutive seasons.