#16/17 Gonzaga (14-2) vs. Santa Clara (13-3)
THURSDAY, JAN. 11 | 6 P.M.  | SPOKANE, WA. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER (6,000)
RADIO: 94.1 FM or 790 AM | ESPN+ and SWX |  (LIVE VIDEO)  | LIVE STATS

THE TIPOFF
- The No. 16/17 Gonzaga women's basketball team hosts their first West Coast Conference game this Thursday against Santa Clara. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- GU is coming off a 74-53 win at Portland on Jan. 4. Brynna Maxwell led the with 21 points as she went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 7-for-11 from the floor. Yvonne Ejim was the other double figure scorer with 18 points and five rebounds.
- Gonzaga is currently on a 26 home game winning streak. It currently ranks fourth in the country behind LSU (27), UNLV (28) and South Carolina (49).
- Five Zags are averaging double digits in scoring including Yvonne Ejim (20.1), Brynna Maxwell (14.3), Kayleigh Truong (13.1), Kaylynne Truong (10.6) and Eliza Hollingsworth (10.6).
- The Zags are sixth in the country in three-point percentage at 39.4%. GU's 47.9 field goal percentage also ranks 16th. From the free throw line, GU is eighth with 80.2%.
- Kaylynne Truong is ninth in the nation in assists with 97 so far this year along with 18th in the country in assists per game with 6.1. Both rank first in the WCC. 
- Yvonne Ejim is second in the country in field goals with 140 scored this season. Her 322 points scored this year ranks ninth in the nation. Ejim has also scored double figures for 21-straight games and has scored at least 20 points in nine games this season. 
- Yvonne Ejim has been named the WCC Player of the Week four times this season. She was also ESPN's Player of the Week and the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week (12/4). 
- 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 this season by the league's coaches.
- Gonzaga has amassed a conference record of 274-34 (.889) during the last 18 seasons. 
- Last season, GU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth-straight year under Lisa Fortier.

THE SERIES
SERIES INFO: This will be the 77th matchup between the two programs and the Zags hold a 46-30 record over the Broncos.             
STREAK: Santa Clara - 1       
FIRST MEETING: In 1988, the Zags won 59-45 at home.            
LAST MEETING: The Bulldogs went 1-1 against the Broncos last season. The Zags won at home, 78-61, then fell to Santa Clara on the road, 77-72.    

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
-  Santa Clara sits at 13-3 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
- The Broncos are led by Tess Heal, who is averaging 18.3 points per game. 
- The Broncos are currently third in the country in free throw percentage at 81.6%. Heal is also first in the nation in free throws made with 94 so far this year.
- Santa Clara has only been allowing 55.1 points per game to rank first in the WCC and 30th in the nation. 
- The Broncos' 12 non-conference wins are their most since the 1990-91 season when they went 28-3 and won both the WCC and the WNIT. 
- Santa Clara collected seven wins in November, the most in program history in that month.