#4 Gonzaga (30-3) vs #13 UC Irvine
SATURDAY, MARCH 23 | 4:30 P.M. | SPOKANE, WA | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER (6,000)
RADIO: 94.1 FM or 790 AM |  ESPN2 | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

THE TIPOFF
- The No. 16/13 Gonzaga women's basketball team was selected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host the First Round in the McCarthey Athletic Center against UC Irvine on March 23 at 4:30 p.m.
- This marks GU's seventh-straight NCAA appearance and its 15th appearance overall. It is also the highest seed in program history at No. 4.
- The Zags are coming off a heartbreaking WCC Tournament title loss to Portland, 67-66. The loss marked the end of the historic 24-game winning streak for GU. Yvonne Ejim and Eliza Hollingsworth both recorded double-doubles.
- Yvonne Ejim was recently tabbed the WCC Player of the Year and WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Lisa Fortier also won WCC Coach of the Year. Maud Huijbens was named WCC's Sixth Woman of the Year as well.
- Gonzaga's 30-3 (.909) record sits at fourth overall. The Zags have also won 34-straight at home, which is a school record and ranks second in the nation only behind South Carolina (57-straight).
- Head coach Lisa Fortier currently sits at 263-62 in her career. Among active Division I coaches, she is fifth in winning percentage at 80.9%.
- The Zags are second in the country in three-point percentage at 40%. GU's 48.5% in field goals also ranks eighth. From the free throw line, GU is sixth with 79.7%.
- Overall, GU is third in the country with assists per game with 20. Kaylynne Truong is ninth in the nation and first in the conference in assists with 194 along with 14th in the country in assists per game with 5.9. Against Pacific, she reached 606 career assists, which moves her to No. 2 of all-time at Gonzaga. She also is shooting at 43.2% from the three to rank 12th in the country.
- Brynna Maxwell has made a three-pointer in every game this season and is ninth in the country with 91 three-pointers made this season. She sits at fifth overall with 45.3% from beyond the arc.
- Ejim is seventh in the country in field goals with 263 scored this season. Ejim has scored double figures for 37-straight games and has scored at least 20 points in 16 games this season. She has recorded 13 double doubles this year.
- Ejim is shooting at 61.3%, which ranks sixth in the country and first in the WCC as it is also a program record. She is currently averaging 19.8 ppg, which is ranked 24th in the nation and first in the conference.
- Yvonne Ejim has been named to an AP All-American Honorable Mention, Naismith POY Watch List, Katrina McClain Top 5 Power Forward Finalist, 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 six 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 named a semifinalst for the Naismith Coach of the Year award as she leads the Zags to its 15th overall NCAA appearance. 
- This marks Gonzaga's seventh-straight NCAA appearance under Lisa Fortier as 2020 did not count towards the streak. 

THE SERIES
SERIES INFO: This will be the fourth time the two teams face each other. Gonzaga currently leads the overall series 2-1.
STREAK: Gonzaga -2                        
FIRST MEETING: In 1984, the Zags lost 84-65 on the road.                 
LAST MEETING: The Bulldogs defeated the Anteaters in 2017 at home, 102-38 in 2017.         

SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
- UC Irvine won the program's second Big West tournament title, and first in 29 years. In last Saturday's championship game, the second-seeded Anteaters used a big third quarter, where they outscored No. 5 seed UC Davis, 23-4, to run away with a 53-39 victory. UCI, which earned a double-bye into the semifinals, defeated No. 7 seed Long Beach State, 69-57, on Friday (March 15) to advance to the championship game for the third time in the last four seasons. Déja Lee was named the Most Valuable Player, while Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba was an all-tournament team selection.
- The 'Eaters are making their third-straight national postseason tournament appearance, but first NCAA trip since 1995, when they traveled to Stanford for a first-round match-up. UC Irvine was a WNIT automatic qualifier in 2022 and 2023, and advanced to the second round last year.
- Junior Déja Lee became the first 'Eater in program history to be named The Big West Player of the Year. Lee was recognized after closing out the conference season ranked among the top-five in the league in scoring, steals, FG%, 3FG% and 3FG made.