#24/25 Gonzaga (9-4) vs. Pepperdine (7-8)
THURSDAY, JAN. 2 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE ARENA | SPOKANE
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THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga opens West Coast Conference play against Pepperdine in the CCF Classic benefitting the Community Cancer Fund at the Spokane Arena Thursday at 6 p.m.
- The Zags start conference play against the Waves for the third straight season. Gonzaga has won 45 consecutive games against Pepperdine, which ranks as the third-longest streak versus an opponent in Div. 1 history.
- GU has won 27 straight WCC openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996. The Bulldogs have won all 24 WCC openers under Mark Few.
- The Zags are coming off an 84-74 setback to San Diego State. Graham Ike led Gonzaga with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Anton Watson added 16 points and Ryan Nembhard scored 15 points and had nine assists.
- The Zags are No. 24 in the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs' 142 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation, and now ranks 11th all-time in the poll's history, one more appearance from tying for 10th.
- The Bulldogs have won 154 straight games when leading by 10 or more points at halftime.
- Anton Watson moved to No. 2 in program history with 182 steals in his career, trailing only John Stockton.
- Head Coach Mark Few currently boasts the best winning percentage among active head coaches at 83.6 percent, which also is the best in NCAA Div. 1 all-time with a minimum of 10 seasons.
- Few is three wins from 700 in his head coaching career. He would be the 14th active head coach in NCAA Div. 1 history to reach 700 victories.
 
ABOUT THE WAVES
- Pepperdine is coming off back-to-back wins, including the latest an 83-47 victory over Westcliff Saturday. Four Waves players finished in double-figure scoring and Boubacar Coulibaly (11 points, 15 rebounds) recorded his second-straight double-double. Jevon Porter scored a game-high 18 points.
- Michael Ajayi averages team-highs of 17.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He's also shooting 55.6 percent (20-36) from behind-the-perimeter.
- Houston Mallette chips in 16.7 points per game and has made a team-best 32 threes this season.
- USC and Wyoming transfer Ethan Anderson dishes out a team-high 3.27 assists per outing.
- Coulibaly, a USC transfer, has only played in five games and is averaging 9.8 points and 8.0 rebounds.
 
SERIES INFO
- This will be the 96th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pepperdine. The Zags have a 65-31 advantage in the series.
- The Zags open conference play against the Waves for the second straight season.
- Last season, No.10 Gonzaga eased to a 111-88 win over Pepperdine in Spokane. Anton Watson scored 11, while Ben Gregg chipped in 10.
- The Bulldogs have won 27 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996. Gonzaga has won all 24 WCC openers under Mark Few.
- GU has won 45 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 49-2 against the Waves under Few.
- Gonzaga has a 34-12 advantage in the meetings in Spokane, and has won 24 in-a-row against Pepperdine in Spokane. The last time the Waves won at GU was on Feb. 19, 1998, 65-64.
- The Zags won the latest meeting, 97-88, in Malibu last season on Feb. 18. Watson scored nine points.
- Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting, 93-70, in the Knights of Columbus Tournament in Portland, on Dec. 11, 1964.
 
UP NEXT
- The 102nd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Diego. GU has a 79-22 lead in the series.
- GU has won 16 straight versus the Toreros, 27 of the last 28, and 49 of the last 52 matchups.
- The Bulldogs are 50-4 against San Diego under Few.
- The Toreros' last win in the series came on Feb. 22, 2014, 69-66, at San Diego.
- In the last matchup, Drew Timme had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help No. 12 Gonzaga beat San Diego 97-72 in Spokane on Feb. 23. Ben Gregg scored 18 points in 18 minutes, and Nolan Hickman added 10 points.
- Gonzaga is 38-5 at home versus San Diego all-time, including 19-0 in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- GU has won 23 straight games at home in the series, dating back to an 82-70 loss on Feb. 17, 2000.
- Gonzaga is 34-13 all-time at San Diego. The Zags have won 13 of their last 14 at USD.
- The Zags won the first-ever meeting, 72-62, on Feb. 1, 1980, in San Diego.
 
CONFERENCE OPENING SUCCESS
- Gonzaga has won 27 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996.
- The Zags have won all 24 WCC openers under Mark Few.
 
INSIDE THE ARENA
- Gonzaga is 12-6 all-time in its games inside the Spokane Arena since it opened in 1995.
 
WHERE WE RANK
- Gonzaga is 15th in the country in rebound margin (10.7), and 13th averaging 42.85 rebounds per game.
- GU is 35th in the nation in field goal percentage (48.8) and 31st in field goal percentage defense (39.1).
- The Zags lead the WCC in scoring offense (83.5).
- Ryan Nembhard tops the WCC in assists per game (5.7).
 
MORE IMPRESSIVE WCC STATS
- Since the 2016-17 season, the Zags have won 107 out of their last 113 West Coast Conference regular season games. Including the WCC Tournament, GU is 122-7 over that span.
- The Bulldogs have won 65 of their last 69 games against conference competition dating back to the 2019-20 season.