Gonzaga (19-7, 10-3 WCC) vs. Pepperdine (10-16, 4-9)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 | 7 P.M. | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TELEVISION: KHQ/ESPN+
Seattle TV – FOX13+
Portland TV – FOX12+
LIVE VIDEO (Outside of KHQ Region/Not blacked out in Montana) | LIVE VIDEO (In KHQ/SWX Region) | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
 
THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga remains at home and welcomes Pepperdine in the 100th meeting between the programs Saturday at 7 p.m.
- GU is coming off an 88-77 win over San Francisco Thursday. Graham Ike (18 pts, 13 rbs), Ryan Nembhard (18 pts, 13 asts), and Michael Ajayi (12 pts, 10 rbs) all finished with double-doubles.
- Gonzaga is one from its 28th straight 20-win season. The Zags' 27-straight 20-win seasons ranks as the second longest active run in the country. (Kansas 33)
- Mark Few was named one of 17 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-time nominee.
- Ryan Nembhard broke his own single season assist program record at Pacific. He is fifth in West Coast Conference history with 259 assists this season, 25 away from the league record.
- Nembhard is three assists away from being the 51st player in NCAA Div. 1 history with 800 career assists. He is also eight assists from setting a new WCC record for most assists in a single conference play season. (Kyle Collinsworth, BYU, 136)
- Ryan Nembhard's 259 assists are first in the nation, to only 60 turnovers. Nembhard's 10.0 assists per game also tops the country. His 4.30 assist-to-turnover ratio is second.
- As a team, the Zags are first in the nation in assists per game at 19.5 and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.01.
- GU and Auburn are the only programs in the nation with six players, that have appeared in at least 10 games, averaging double-digit scoring.
- Gonzaga is second in the country averaging 87.2 points per game, eighth in field goal percentage (49.6), and sixth in free-throw percentage (80.0).
- Khalif Battle is fourth from the free-throw line at 93.6 percent (1st in WCC). Graham Ike (59.2%) and Braden Huff (56.7%) are first and second in the WCC in field goal percentage.
- Graham Ike is fourth in the West Coast Conference averaging 17.1 points per game, while shooting a conference-best 60.1 percent from the field in league games. He is third grabbing 7.9 rebounds per conference game.
- Ryan Nembhard was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 10 Watch List. Graham Ike was named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Top 10 Watch List.
- Graham Ike and Nembhard Named to Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watchlist.
 
SCOUTING THE WAVES
- Pepperdine snapped a three-game skid with an 88-81 home win over San Diego Thursday. Stefan Todorovic led the Waves with 24 points. Zion Bethea came off the bench and scored 17 points. Boubacar Coulibaly grabbed 10 rebounds.
- Moe Odum is second in the conference, and fourth in the nation, with 187 assists. His 7.2 assists per game ranks only behind Ryan Nembhard in the WCC. Odum's 1.5 steals per game is sixth in the league,
- Stefan Todorovic is second in the conference averaging 19 points per outing. Odum adds 11.7 points.
- Coulibaly leads Pepperdine at 7.0 rebounds per game.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 100th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pepperdine. The Zags have a 68-31 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 48 straight versus the Waves, with the last Pepperdine victory in the series coming on Jan. 18, 2002, 88-79, in Malibu.
- It ranks as the third-longest streak versus an opponent in Div. 1 history, and currently the longest active.
- The Bulldogs are 52-2 against the Waves under Few.
- In the first meeting this season on Dec. 30, Khalif Battle scored 21 points, Braden Huff added 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting and No. 19 Gonzaga won at Pepperdine 89-82.
- Gonzaga has a 35-12 advantage in the meetings in Spokane, winning 25 in-a-row against Pepperdine in Spokane. The last time the Waves won at GU was on Feb. 19, 1998, 65-64.
- In last season's matchup in Spokane, the No. 24 Zags rolled to an 86-60 win in the 2024 CCF Classic in the Spokane Arena. Graham Ike was one of five Zags in double-figures with 20 points. Nolan Hickman had 14 points with four threes. Ryan Nembhard finished with 10 points and seven assists, and Braden Huff added 11 points off the bench. Michael Ajayi had 14 points for the Waves.
- Gonzaga has won 22 in-a-row inside the Firestone Fieldhouse and is 28-17 all-time in the meetings in Malibu.
- Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting, 93-70, in the Knights of Columbus Tournament in Portland, on Dec. 11, 1964.
 
UP NEXT
- The 152nd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Washington State in Pullman Wednesday at 6 p.m.
- The Cougars have an 98-53 all-time lead.
- GU has won eight of the last nine meetings, including each of the last six.
- The Zags are 13-3 against WSU under Few.
- Gonzaga won the first meeting this season in Spokane, 88-75. Graham Ike had 21 points and seven rebounds. Nolan Hickman added 19 points and hit five 3-pointers, and Ben Gregg had 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
- Washington State has a 45-20 advantage in the series at home in Pullman.
- The Cougars last win in the series came in Pullman on Dec. 8, 2010, 81-59. Klay Thompson scored 24 points and had six assists for WSU, and the Cougars made 11-of-21 from three-point range. Sam Dower led GU with 11 points, while Rob Sacre grabbed 10 rebounds.
- WSU has a 54-37 advantage in the meetings in Spokane, including games at the Spokane Arena.
- Gonzaga is 30-33 against the Cougars in games on the GU campus all-time, but the Zags have won five of the six matchups in the McCarthey Athletic Center, including the last 90-74 in 2013.
- Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting with Washington State, 21-18, in Spokane on Dec. 16, 1907.
 
20/28 VISION
- GU is two wins from its 28th straight 20-win season.
- The Zags' 27-straight 20-win seasons rank second for the longest active run in the country. (Kansas 33)
- Prior to the previous 27 seasons, the Bulldogs reached 20 wins in a season eight times since 1907-08.
- Gonzaga has won at least 25 games in each of the last 17 consecutive seasons.
 
FEW NAMED HALL OF FAME FINALIST
- Gonzaga head coach Mark Few is one of 17 Finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced at NBA All-Star Weekend.
- Few was named a first-time nominee in December.
- The Finalists will be put forward to the Honors Committee to be considered for election as members of the Class of 2025. The new class will be announced in San Antonio on April 5, at the NCAA Men's Final Four.
 
ZAG DUO ON MIDSEASON WATCH LISTS
- Graham Ike and Ryan Nembhard have been named to the midseason watch lists for the Naismith Trophy and USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy.
- The winners will be announced at the NCAA Men's Final Four from April 5-7.
- Final watch lists will be released in early March.
- Nembhard was named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List.
 
STRAWTHER NAMED NBA RISING STAR
- Former Zag Julian Strawther was selected to the NBA Rising Stars game at the league's All-Star Weekend. The game is set for 7 p.m. Friday (TNT/TruTV) at Chase Center in San Francisco.
- Strawther is averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field and 36.3% from 3-point range in his second season with the Denver Nuggets.
- Gonzaga has had at least one selection to the NBA Rising Stars since 2014.
2025: Julian Strawther
2024: Chet Holmgren
2023: Andrew Nembhard
2022: Jalen Suggs
2021: Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura
2020: Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura
2018: Domantas Sabonis
2017: Domantas Sabonis
2015: Kelly Olynyk
2014: Kelly Olynyk
 
BULLDOG BALANCE
- Gonzaga and Auburn are the only programs in the nation with six players, that have appeared in at least 10 games, averaging double-digit scoring.
- Five different Zags have been the high-scorer in a game this season, while four have led in rebounds.
- The Zags have had six players in double-figures three times this season, five players in double-digits 10 times, four players eight times, and three players six times.
- Six Zags have scored 20 points in a game this season, and eight have multiple 20-point games in their careers.