#16/19 Gonzaga (22-2, 9-0) vs. Pepperdine (5-17, 1-8)
THURSDAY, FEB. 8 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE, WA | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER (6,000)
RADIO: 94.1 FM or 790 AM | SWX and ESPN+ | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

THE TIPOFF
- The No. 19/16 Gonzaga women's basketball team is home this Thursday to host Pepperdine.
- GU is coming off an 104-39 win over Pacific on Saturday. The Zags hit a historic 19 three-pointers and won by 65 points which is the most against a Division I opponent. The 104 points was also the most points scored by a team under Lisa Fortier. 
- Gonzaga is currently on a 30 home game winning streak. It ranks second in the country South Carolina (51). Gonzaga's 16-straight wins is third in the country along with their 22-2 (.913) record. Their 22 wins is the most in the country.
- GU is currently defeating conference opponents by an average of 31 points.
- Five Zags are averaging double digits in scoring including Yvonne Ejim (20.3), Brynna Maxwell (14.1), Kayleigh Truong (12.7), Kaylynne Truong (11.1) and Eliza  Hollingsworth (10).
Head coach Lisa Fortier currently sits at 255-61 in her career. Among active Division I coaches, she is fifth in winning percentage at 80.7%.
- The Zags are third in the country and first in the WCC in three-point percentage at 40.4%. GU's 49.1% in field goals also ranks ninth. From the free throw line, GU is fourth with 80.6%.
- Kaylynne Truong is fourth in the nation and first in the conference in assists with 148 so far this year along with 12th in the country in assists per game with 6.2.
- Yvonne Ejim is second in the country in field goals with 209 scored this season. Her 487 points scored this year ranks 10th in the nation. Ejim has also scored double figures for 30-straight games and has scored at least 20 points in 14 games this season. 
- Ejim is shooting at 65.1%, which ranks fifth in the country and first in the WCC. She is currently averaging 20.3 ppg, which is ranked 20th in the nation and first in the conference.
- Yvonne Ejim has been named to the Katrina McClain Top 10 Power Forward Watch list, the Wade Trophy Watch List along with the Becky Hammon Player of the Year Midseason Watch List. She has been WCC Player of the Week five times this season. She was also ESPN's Player of the Week and the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week (12/4). 
- Lisa Fortier was recently named to the 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year Award midseason watch list. This year's watch list includes coaches from eight 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 81st matchup between the two programs and the Zags hold a 50-30 record over the Waves.        
STREAK: Gonzaga - 14        
FIRST MEETING: In 1988, the Zags won 60-59 on the road.        
LAST MEETING: The Bulldogs defeated the Waves twice last season with the most recent win being at home, 67-49. Brynna Maxwell led the team with 26 points with six made three pointers.    

SCOUTING THE WAVES
- Pepperdine is looking to steer out of an eight-game skid. The Waves are tied for eighth in the conference with San Diego, which they hold the tiebreaker over thanks to a 53-52 road win on Jan. 4.
- Last week at home against San Francisco and Santa Clara, senior guard Jane Nwaba averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for the Waves — all of which led the team in both contests. She currently leads Pepperdine with 9.6 points, 7.5 rebounds (4th in the WCC), 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
- So far, seven different Waves have led the team in scoring and eight have finished in double-figures during conference play. As a unit, Pepperdine's bench averages 22.6 points per game, which ranks 66th in Division I and second in the WCC behind Portland.
- In the team's most recent outing against Santa Clara, Emerita Mashaire led the Waves with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting off the bench — including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
- Over the last five games, Friend has averaged 9.0 points and 3.0 steals per game, the latter of which was boosted by a career-high five steals at Pacific and two, four-steal outings against Portland and Santa Clara. 
- Pepperdine has a 5-75 all-time record against AP Top 25 opponents with its last win over a ranked opponent coming on Feb. 2, 2019, against #25 BYU. The Waves have a 0-12 record against the Bulldogs when Gonzaga is ranked.