Gonzaga (11-5, 2-1 WCC) at Pepperdine (9-9, 2-2)
THURSDAY, JAN. 18 | 7 P.M. | FIRESTONE FIELDHOUSE | MALIBU, CA
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THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga makes a trip to Pepperdine Thursday at 7 p.m. It's the 97th meeting between the teams. The Zags have a 65-31 advantage in the series, and have won 46 straight over the Waves.
- GU has won 20 in-a-row inside the Firestone Fieldhouse and is 26-17 all-time in the meetings in Malibu.
- Head Coach Mark Few is one win from 700 in his head coaching career. Few would rank second in NCAA Div. 1 history behind Kentucky's Adolph Rupp (700-136) as the fastest to 700 wins.
- Few currently boasts the best winning percentage among active head coaches at 83.4 percent, which also is the best in NCAA Div. 1 all-time with a minimum of 10 seasons.
- The Bulldogs are coming off a 77-76 loss at Santa Clara on Jan. 11. Anton Watson matched a career-high with 32 points to lead GU. He added nine rebounds and six steals. Ryan Nembhard scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and Braden Huff added 14 points. The Zags came back from a 13-point deficit late in the first half, and had a five-point lead in the second half before falling.
- GU leads the West Coast Conference in scoring (84.3), and rebounds per game (41.8, 15th in NCAA Div. 1). The Zags are second in the WCC and 14th in the nation shooting 49.7 percent from the field.
- Ryan Nembhard leads the conference dishing out 5.9 assists per game and minutes per game (34.6).
 
ABOUT THE WAVES
- After falling in their WCC openers against Gonzaga and Santa Clara, Pepperdine grabbed a pair of wins over Pacific and at San Diego last week.
- Against San Diego, A 17-0 run with six minutes to go propelled the Pepperdine into an 83-77 win. The Waves snapped their streak of 29-straight road losses. Earning his 10th double-double of the season, Michael Ajayi put together a 24-point, 12-rebound performance, including four clutch free throws with under a minute to play. Boubacar Coulibaly scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
- Michael Ajayi averages team-highs of 18.2 points, a WCC best, and 9.8 rebounds per game. He's also shooting 50 percent (26-52) from behind-the-perimeter.
- Houston Mallette chips in 16.7 points per game and has made a team-best 45 threes this season.
- USC and Wyoming transfer Ethan Anderson dishes out a team-high 3.8 assists per outing.
- Jevon Porter has only played in seven games but is averaging 12 points per outing.
 
SERIES INFO
- The 97th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pepperdine. The Zags have a 66-31 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 46 straight versus the Waves, with the last Pepperdine victory in the series coming on Jan. 18, 2002, 88-79, in Malibu.
- It ranks as the third-longest streak versus an opponent in Div. 1 history, and currently the longest active.
- The Bulldogs are 50-2 against the Waves under Few.
- On Jan. 4, Graham Ike scored 20 points, Anton Watson added 15 and No. 24 Gonzaga beat Pepperdine 86-60 inside the Spokane Arena in the CCF Classic. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures including Nolan Hickman, who had 14 points.
- Gonzaga has won 20 in-a-row inside the Firestone Fieldhouse and is 26-17 all-time in the meetings in Malibu.
- The Zags won the latest meeting in Malibu, 97-88, last season on Feb. 18. Watson scored nine points.
- Gonzaga has a 35-12 advantage in the meetings in Spokane, and has won 25 in-a-row against Pepperdine in Spokane. The last time the Waves won at GU was on Feb. 19, 1998, 65-64.
- Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting, 93-70, in the Knights of Columbus Tournament in Portland, on Dec. 11, 1964.
 
UP NEXT
- The 103rd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Diego. GU has a 80-22 lead in the series.
- GU has won 17 straight versus the Toreros, 28 of the last 29, and 50 of the last 53 matchups.
- The Bulldogs are 51-4 against San Diego under Few.
- The Toreros' last win in the series came on Feb. 22, 2014, 69-66, at San Diego.
- In the meeting earlier this season, Ben Gregg had a career-high 22 points, Graham Ike scored 15 of his 19 points during a big first half, and No. 24 Gonzaga beat San Diego 101-74 in Spokane on Jan. 6.
- Gonzaga is 34-13 all-time at San Diego. The Zags have won 13 of their last 14 at USD, including the last eight.
- In the Zags' last game at San Diego, Chet Holmgren had 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 2 Gonzaga past San Diego 92-62 on Feb. 3, 2022. Anton Watson added 11 points.
- Gonzaga is 39-5 at home versus San Diego all-time, including 20-0 in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- GU has won 24 straight games at home in the series, dating back to an 82-70 loss on Feb. 17, 2000.
- The Zags won the first-ever meeting, 72-62, on Feb. 1, 1980, in San Diego.
 
FEW CLOSING IN ON 700
- Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few is one win from 700 in his head coaching career.
- He would be the 14th active head coach in NCAA Div. 1 history to reach 700 victories.
- Few would rank second in NCAA Div. 1 history behind Kentucky's Adolph Rupp (700-136) as the fastest to 700 wins.
 
WAVE BREAKERS
- Gonzaga has won 46 straight games against Pepperdine.
- It ranks as the third-longest streak versus an opponent in Div. 1 history.
 
WHERE WE RANK
- Gonzaga is 17th in the country in rebound margin (8.7), and 15th averaging 41.75 rebounds per game.
- GU is 14th in the nation in field goal percentage (49.7) and 24th in field goal percentage defense (39.4).
- The Zags lead the WCC in scoring offense (84.3), which also ranks 19th in the nation. GU is 16th in the country in scoring margin at 15.6, which is second in the conference.
- Ryan Nembhard tops the WCC in assists per game (5.9), which also ranks 22nd in the country.