No. 4/5 Gonzaga (2-0) vs. UMass Lowell (2-0)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
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THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga welcomes UMass Lowell to the McCarthey Athletic Center in the first-ever meeting between the programs Friday.
- The Bulldogs are coming off an 88-80 victory over Arizona State Sunday. Three Zags finished in double-digit scoring led by Braden Huff's 21 points. Khalif Battle had all 19 points in the second half. Ryan Nembhard had 11 assists and no turnovers.
- Gonzaga returned to the Top 5, ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll, and fifth in the USA Today/Coaches poll. The Bulldogs were last in the Top 5 at No. 2 in the first two polls of the 2022-23 season.
- Ryan Nembhard's 11 assists per game tops the nation, after dishing out 11 assists in each of the first two games. The senior had two turnovers against Baylor, but none versus Arizona State. His 11.00 assist-to-turnover ratio is sixth in the country. GU is seventh as a team averages 23 assists per outing.
- The Bulldogs cruised to a 101-63 season-opening win over No. 8 Baylor in the Spokane Arena. Nolan Hickman scored 17 points and Graham Ike had 15 points and eight rebounds. It was Gonzaga's biggest margin of victory over a top-10 opponent in school history, the largest by any team in a season opener against a top-10 opponent in AP Poll history, and the largest win by any team against an AP Top-10 opponent since Villanova beat Oklahoma by 44 in the 2016 National Semifinal.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
- The River Hawks opened the season with a 115-59 win over Rivier. Six players finished in double-digit scoring led by Quinton Mincey's 20 points.
- In Game 2, Mincey matched a personal-best with 27 points to help lift UMass Lowell to an 81-74 victory against Saint Peter's Friday. Yuri Covington and Quincy Clark finished with 13 and 11 points. Max Brooks grabbed eight rebounds.
- UMass Lowell swept the conference weekly awards as Mincey was named Player of the Week and Martin Somerville  was tabbed Rookie of the Week.
- Last season, the River Hawks nearly won the America East Conference, finishing second with a 22-10 record. It was the team's second consecutive 20-win season and third America East championship game appearance in four years.
- UMass Lowell was picked second in this year's America East preseason poll. Returning three starters and the league's Sixth Man of the Year, the River Hawks received 55 points and one first-place vote in this year's poll. This ties for the team's best preseason ranking since joining the America East.
- Fifth year forward Max Brooks was named to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
SERIES INFO
- It is the first meeting between Gonzaga and UMass Lowell.
- The Bulldogs are 5-0 all-time against current members from the America East Conference (Bryant 2-0, Maine 2-0, New Hampshire 1-0). The last meeting with the conference was a 109-70 win over Bryant on Nov. 18, 2016.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga travels to San Diego State Monday at 7 p.m. It will be the Zags' first true road game of the season.
- It will be the sixth all-time meeting between GU and San Diego State, with the Aztecs leading the series 3-2.
- SDSU won in Spokane last season, 84-74, on Dec. 29. Graham Ike led No. 13 Gonzaga with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Nembhard scored 15 points and had nine assists.
- The Aztecs held off GU in the last meeting at Viejas Arena, 72-70, on Dec. 22, 2017.
- Gonzaga won the first meeting, 72-69, in the 1959 City of Roses Tournament in Portland. The Aztecs won the second matchup, 79-76, on Nov. 16, 2010, during the third annual ESPN Tip-Off Marathon. In the second game of the 2016-17 season, the Bulldogs cruised to a 69-48 win in Spokane during ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon.
 
SHARING IS CARING
- Ryan Nembhard's 11 assists per game tops the nation, after dishing out 11 assists in each of the first two games.
- The senior had two turnovers against Baylor, but none versus Arizona State.
- His 11.00 assist-to-turnover ratio is sixth in the country.
- GU is seventh as a team averages 23 assists per outing and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.42.
 
B HUFF BE TOUGH
- Braden Huff is off to a great start to his sophomore season. After scoring 14 points against No. 8 Baylor, he scored a team-high 21 versus Arizona State.
- Both performances were off the bench, and he made 16-of-24 from the field.
- The Illinois native recorded his fourth career 20-point game with team-high 21 points against Arizona State.