No. 19/19 Gonzaga (10-4, 1-0 WCC) vs. Portland (5-10, 0-2 WCC)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE ARENA | SPOKANE
TELEVISION: KHQ/ESPN+
Seattle TV - FOX13+
Portland TV – FOX12+
LIVE VIDEO (Outside of KHQ Region) | LIVE VIDEO (In KHQ/SWX Region) | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
 
THE OPENING TIP
- No. 19/19 Gonzaga faces Portland in the 2025 Community Cancer Fund Classic inside the Spokane Arena Thursday at 6 p.m.
- Gonzaga is coming off an 89-82 win at Pepperdine Monday. Khalif Battle scored 21 points, Braden Huff added 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting. The Zags led by as many as 20 points during the second half in their 48th straight win over the Waves.
- The Bulldogs have now won 29 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996. Gonzaga has won all 26 WCC openers under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga's 10 straight true road wins are tied for the longest active streak in the nation. (Saint Mary's - 10)
- Ryan Nembhard's 133 assists are first in the nation. The senior has 34 turnovers. Nembhard's 9.5 assists per game also lead the country. His 3.91 assist-to-turnover ratio is third.
- Gonzaga is 11th in the nation averaging 87.3 points per game, which would rank third in GU history. (2020-21: 91.0)
- Four Zags are currently averaging double-digit scoring, with a sixth and seventh at 9.9 points per game. Five Bulldogs are 1,000-point career scorers.
- As a team, GU is seventh in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.82). The Zags are sixth averaging 18.9 assists per game.
- The Bulldogs are ninth in the country shooting 80.5 percent from the free throw line. GU averages 16.2 made free throws per game, which leads the West Coast Conference.
- Khalif Battle is 18th in the nation from the line at 91.7 percent. He made 50 straight free throws before missing which ranks second in program history (Derek Raivio, 56)
- Gonzaga is 15th in the country in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to 28 percent from behind-the-arc. Only one Zag opponent has shot at least 33% from 3-point range, and only three have made 10 or more threes in a game versus GU.
- Braden Huff (59.4 percent) and Graham Ike (58.9 percent) are first and second in the WCC in field goal percentage.
- Mark Few was recently named a first-time nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
- Portland has fell in its first two West Coast Conference games, including the last an 89-79 loss at Oregon State Monday. Three Pilots finished in double-digit scoring led by Austin Rapp's 22 points and six rebounds. He made five three-pointers. Max MacKinnon and Jermaine Webb added 14 and 19 points. MacKinnon dished out four assists.
- Rapp is averaging team-highs of 14.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He's made a team-best 39 threes at 41.1 percent, and is also 45-of-49 from the free-throw line. He's blocked a team-high 17 shots.
- Vukasin Masic adds 10.2 points and 3.43 assists per game. MacKinnon is scoring 10.1 points per outing.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 176th all-time meeting between GU and Portland.
- The Zags have a 109-66 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 18 straight versus the Pilots.
- The Bulldogs are 45-2 against Portland under Mark Few.
- The Pilots last win in the series came on Jan. 9, 2014, 82-73, at Portland.
- Gonzaga is 42-6 at home in the series, and has won 18 in-a-row over Portland at home, dating back to a 72-68 loss on Feb. 19, 2003.
- GU won the latest meeting in Portland 86-65 on Feb. 22. Graham Ike scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Nolan Hickman scored 19 points, making four three-pointers. Ben Gregg scored 13 points. Ryan Nembhard scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out seven assists.
- Last season in Spokane, Braden Huff scored 25 points, Anton Watson added 20 and Gonzaga beat Portland 96-64 on Feb. 7. The Zags made 15 three-pointers on 33 attempts (45.5 percent). Nolan Hickman had 12 points and shot 4 for 6 from beyond the arc. Ryan Nembhard had 10 points and six assists with no turnovers.
- Portland edged GU, 70-66, in the first-ever NCAA meeting on Jan. 18, 1959, inside the Spokane Coliseum.
 
UP NEXT
- The 104th all-time meeting between GU and Loyola Marymount. GU has an 81-22 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 32 of the last 34 meetings.
- The Bulldogs are 49-4 against LMU under Mark Few.
- In the latest matchup, Graham Ike scored 23 points and Nolan Hickman added 22 in Gonzaga's 91-74 victory over Loyola Marymount on Feb. 15, 2024. Ryan Nembhard had 16 points.
- Gonzaga is 31-14 all-time at LMU and has won 12 straight in Los Angeles. The Lions' last home win in the series came on Feb. 18, 2010, 74-66, in Los Angeles.
- The Zags won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 75-71, in Spokane in 1953.
 
ZAGS IN THE SPOKANE ARENA
- Gonzaga is 14-6 all-time in its games inside the Spokane Arena since it opened in 1995.
- In this season's opener, Nolan Hickman scored 17 points, Graham Ike had 15 points and eight rebounds, and No. 6 Gonzaga beat No. 8 Baylor 101-63 in the Spokane Arena.
- In the 2022-23 season, GU cruised to an 88-72 victory over Kentucky in the Spokane Arena. The Top-5 matchup drew 12,333 fans, the largest crowd ever for any event in the history of the Spokane Arena.
- Last season, Gonzaga beat Pepperdine in the CCF Classic in the Spokane Arena, 86-60, in front of 12,015 fans.
 
Gonzaga Men's Basketball History in the Spokane Arena
11/24/95 Washington State L 67-72 (OT)
11/30/96 Washington State L 62-75
12/8/98 Washington W 82-71
11/29/99 Washington State W 73-63
1/2/01 New Mexico L 80-81 (OT)
1/6/01 Prairie View W 93-50
12/22/02 Eastern Washington W 67-64
11/24/03 Georgia W 82-76 (OT)
12/31/03 Eastern Washington W 70-49
12/21/04 Eastern Washington W 83-70
12/19/05 Eastern Washington W 75-65
2/17/07 Memphis L 77-78 (OT)
2/7/09 Memphis L 50-68
12/12/09 Davidson W 103-91
2/5/11 Memphis L 58-62
11/26/11 Western Michigan W 78-58
12/10/14 Washington State W 81-66
11/20/22 Kentucky W 88-72
1/4/24 Pepperdine W 86-60
11/4/24 Baylor W 101-63