GONZAGA (7-8, 2-2 WCC) at PORTLAND (14-1, 3-1 WCC)
THURSDAY, JAN. 2 | 6 P.M. | PORTLAND, ORE. |CHILES CENTER (4,852)
TV: ESPN+ | RADIO: 101.5 FM
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

THE TIPOFF
- The Gonzaga women's basketball team hits the road to play Portland on Thursday, Jan. 2.
- Bree Salenbien made her return to the court for the first time since a knee injury sustained last February. She scored five points for the Zags and went 2-for-3 from the floor against Pepperdine.
- Yvonne Ejim has a chance to make history in the record books. She currently has 1,971 career points and is 184 points away from breaking the all-time scoring record. She has recorded 30 double doubles in her career and has scored double digits in 57-straight games. She also ranks fifth in the nation in scoring with 312 points this season. 
- Ejim is now second all-time in rebounds with 938. She needs 46 more to pass Kay Koppelman's 983 rebounds set from 1987-91.
- Allie Turner has made a huge impact as a freshman already this season. She ranks first in the nation in three-pointers made (45) among freshmen and is averaging 13.4 points per game. Overall, she ranks seventh in the country and first in the WCC in made three-pointers.
- Claire O'Connor ranks second on the team in three pointers made with 21.
- Turner is the first true freshman to score 20 points in a game since Courtney Vandersloot.
- Ejim ranks third in the nation in field goals made this season with 119. She currently has made 808 in her career at GU to rank third all-time. She needs 29 more to break the record.
- Ejim leads the Zags with 20.6 points a game, which ranks 13th in the country and first in the WCC. She also grabs an average of 8.2 rebounds a game this season to rank first in the conference and on the team. Her five double doubles this season ranks her 31st in the nation and first in the conference. 
- Gonzaga is shooting at 36.4% from beyond the arc to rank 32nd nationally and first in the WCC.  
- As a team, GU has a rebound margin of +7.9 and has an average of 38.5 rebounds a game.
- Head coach Lisa Fortier currently sits at 272-71 in her career. Among active Division I coaches, she is seventh in winning percentage at 79.3%. 
- The Bulldogs were picked to finish first in the West Coast Conference in preseason polls for the third-straight season. Ejim and Maud Huijbens were named to the All-WCC Preseason Team.
- Lisa Fortier was named to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year preseason watch list after she had won the award last season.
- The Bulldogs are coming off a historical season after advancing to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in program history. GU finished with 32 wins last year, which was the most in program history.

THE SERIES
SERIES INFO: Gonzaga leads 63-29     
LAST MEETING: Portland won 67-66 on March 12, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nev., in the WCC Tournament Final    
STREAK: GU has won 31-straight regular season games; Portland has won 3-straight in WCC Tournament    

SCOUTING THE PILOTS
-  Portland is coming off its first loss of the year to Oregon State in overtime on Monday. The Pilots sit at 14-1 overall and 3-1 in the WCC.
- Prior to their loss, Maisie Burnham and Emme - Shearer are two of the top scorers in the conference, tied for second in points per game at 16.7. Their 217 points each also ranks second
- Portland currently leads the WCC in field-goal percentage (47.0%), turnover margin (8.08), turnovers forced per game (23.92), steals per game (12.7), scoring offense (80.7), scoring defense (59.2), scoring margin (21.5), assists per game (17.7) and free throws made per game (17.2).
-Against OSU, Maisie Burnham and Emme Shearer scored 21 points each. Each of them have scored at least 20 points in five games this year.