No. 13/14 Gonzaga (7-3) vs. Nicholls (7-4)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
TELEVISION: KHQ/ESPN+
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THE OPENING TIP
- After 28 days away from home, Gonzaga returns to the McCarthey Athletic Center to host Nicholls in the first-ever meeting between the programs Wednesday at 6 p.m.
- Gonzaga is coming off a 77-71 loss to No. 18 UConn in the Hall of Fame Series at Madison Square Garden in New York City Saturday. Khalif Battle had 21 points, Ryan Nembhard finished with 16 points and Michael Ajayi added 14 points. The Bulldogs got within 73-70 on a 3-point play by Ajayi with 3:25 left.
- Ryan Nembhard's 103 assists top the nation through 10 games. Nembhard's 10.3 assists per game also lead the country. The senior has 17 turnovers. His 6.06 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the country.
- As a team, GU is second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.08). The Zags are 12th averaging 18.9 assists per game.
- Five Zags are currently averaging double-digit scoring, with a sixth at 9.5. Five Bulldogs are 1,000-point career scorers.
- Gonzaga is seventh in the nation averaging 88.3 points per game, which would rank second in program history.
- The Bulldogs are eighth in the country shooting 80.8 percent from the free throw line. GU averages 17.7 made free throws per game, which leads the West Coast Conference.
- Khalif Battle is second in the nation from the line at 35-for-36 to start the season. He made 50 straight free throws before missing which ranks second in program history (Derek Raivio, 56)
- Gonzaga is third in the country in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to 24.5 percent from behind-the-arc. Zag foes average 5.8 made threes per game, which is 25th in the nation. Only one GU opponent has made 10 or more this season.
 
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
- Nicholls (Thibodaux, La.) is off to a 7-4 start to the season and is coming off a home win over Southern University at New Orleans. Six Colonels reached double-digit scoring led by Robert Brown III's 28 points. Sincere Malone added 23 points off the bench, going 9-for-10 from the field. Mekhi Collins grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. Nicholls outrebounded SUNO 51-31, with 17 offensive boards.
- Byron Ireland averages a team-high 13.2 points and 2.7 assists per game. Brown adds 11.4 points. Jamal West Jr. chips in 10.4 points and team-best 6.5 rebounds.
- The Colonels won 20 games last season, going 13-5 in the Southland Conference, before falling to McNeese State in the league's tournament championship game.
- Jamal West Jr. is back for his senior season after being named Second Team All-Conference.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the first-ever meeting between the programs.
- The Bulldogs are 6-0 all-time versus current members of the Southland Conference.
- Gonzaga last meeting with a Southland Conference member was last season's 86-65 NCAA Tournament First Round win over McNeese State.
 
UP NEXT
- Another first time meeting between the Bulldogs and Bucknell Saturday at 6 p.m.
- It is Bucknell's first-ever trip to the state of Washington.
- Bucknell is 4-7 to start the season and is coming off a 74-70 overtime loss at Radford on Dec. 8. It was the Bison's fifth-straight setback.
- The Bison were 10-8 in the Patriot League last season.
- Bucknell is expected to be among the favorites in the Patriot League this season after the Bison finished in a tie for second place in the regular-season standings a year ago.
- The Bison return six of their top seven scoring leaders.
 
ALL STREAKS MUST COME TO AN END
- Gonzaga has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since December 2018.
- That snaps a streak of 204 consecutive games without losing back-to-back games, which was the longest active streak in DI and third longest by any team since 1980-81.
- The Zags led Kentucky at halftime, 50-34, before the Wildcats rallied for the 90-89 overtime win in Seattle, snapping the Bulldogs' streak of 175 consecutive victories when leading by 10 or more points at halftime.
- Kentucky became the first team since the 2015-16 season to erase a double-digit halftime deficit and defeat GU.
 
SHARING IS CARING
- Ryan Nembhard's 10.3 assists per game is first in the nation, after dishing out 103 assists (1st in the country) to just 17 turnovers through the first seven games.
- His 6.06 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the country.
- Nembhard finished with a career-high and single game tournament record 14 assists against Davidson in the Battle 4 Atlantis. He totaled 39 assists in the three-game event, setting a new tournament record, to just eight turnovers.
- Gonzaga is second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.08. The Zags' 18.9 assists per game tops the West Coast Conference, and is 12th in the country.