#11/8 Gonzaga (26-2, 14-1 WCC) vs. Pacific (17-12, 8-8 WCC)
SATURDAY, FEB. 21 | 6 P.M. PT | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
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THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga returns to the McCarthey Athletic Center and welcomes Pacific Saturday at 6 p.m. The Zags are 24-1 all-time versus the Tigers, and have won the last 22 meetings in the series.
- The Bulldogs are coming off an 80-59 win at San Francisco in the Chase Center Wednesday. Graham Ike scored 22 points and Jalen Warley added 11. Mario Saint-Supery had 14 points and six assists, and Emmanuel Innocenti finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals. GU shot 54.8 percent from the field and held the Dons to 35 percent, including 5-of-24 from three-point range. The Zags outscored USF 46-26 in the paint.
- GU is one win from clinching a top two seed and byes into the semifinals of the WCC Tournament, and two wins from clinching the top seed and at least a share of the conference regular season title.
- Ike has eight straight 20-point games, which is tied for the longest streak by a Gonzaga player in the past 20 seasons (Adam Morrison, 8 games, 2006; Derek Raivio, 8 games, 2006; Ike, 7 games, 2024). Ike leads WCC with three 30-point games this season, all in the past eight games, matching the total from his first 131 career games. Ike is 13th in the nation, and first in the WCC, with 13 double-doubles this season.
- Ike is first in the nation among active scorers in NCAA Div. 1 with 2,436 points. His 1,101 rebounds also ranks second among active players. He is the only active player with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
- The Zags currently lead the WCC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.88, 6th in NCAA), assists (18.5, 11th), bench points (36.6, 5th), effective field goal percentage (.567, 25th), fast-break points (15.39, 21st), field goal percentage (51.6, 4th), field goal percentage defense (39.8, 19th), defensive rebounds per game (28.54, 10th), rebounds (40.89, 18th), scoring margin (20.4, 4th), scoring offense (87.4, 15th), turnover margin (4.9, 5th), turnovers forced (14.8, 22nd), and turnovers (9.9). GU tops the nation in points in the paint at 47.2 per game, and has outscored its opponents by 325 points inside-the-arc, which leads the country. The Bulldogs have also made 292 more shots from the field than their opponents. Gonzaga leads the nation in rebound and turnover combined margin (rebounds + turnovers forced minus opponents' total) at +402. (Florida 2nd at +368)
- The Bulldogs' 33 kill shots, which are 10-0 scoring runs, are the third-most in the country.
- Gonzaga clinched the program's 19th straight 25-win season, extending its own NCAA Div. 1 record. The Zags have reached the 25-win plateau in 22 of the last 23 seasons, and 26 of the last 28.
- Eight different Zags have led the team in scoring in a game this season. Seven GU players have scored at least 20 points in a game, and 11 have reached double-digit scoring.
- Mark Few returns as a nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Ike was named WCC Player of the Week for the fifth time this season, and to Wooden Top 20 watch list.
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SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- Pacific fell at Washington State Wednesday, 87-70. Pacific ran into a hot shooting Cougars squad that went 14-of-28 from three-point range; Washington State shot .567 from the field on the night. Conversely, the Tigers shot 8-of-21 from distance and .429 overall from the floor. Pacific was led by Elias Ralph who netted 16 points. Jaden Clayton recorded 14 points and four assists. Four Tigers scored in double-figures. TJ Wainwright tallied 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Isaac Jack had 10 points and five rebounds.
- Ralph averages team highs of 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He's shooting 47.7 percent from the field, including 41 percent from three-point range with 48 made threes.
- Wainwright adds 13.7 points per game, with a team-best 65 made threes. He's shooting 92.8 percent from the line.
- Jack and Justin Rochelin chip in 9.3 and 9.1 points. Jack is shooting 67.4 percent from the field. (116/172)
- Clayton dishes out a team-high 6.1 assists and averages a team-best 1.17 steals per game.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 26th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pacific. The Zags have won 24 of the previous 25 matchups in the series, including the last 22 straight.
- The Bulldogs are 22-0 against Pacific under Mark Few.
- The Tigers lone win came in Stockton in 1976, 70-60.
- In the latest meeting, Gonzaga rolled to a 78-61 win at Pacific, last season on Feb. 8. Braden Huff scored 17 points and Graham Ike added 13. The Zags led by as many as 28 points midway through the second half.
- The Bulldogs won the last meeting in Spokane, 102-76, on Feb. 17, 2024. Graham Ike went 9-for-9 from the field and led GU with 21 points. Ryan Nembhard had 18 points and 10 assists. Anton Watson and Braden Huff scored 17 points.
- Gonzaga has won all 13 meetings in Spokane, including all 12 inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- Gonzaga has won 11 of the 12 meetings in Stockton, including the last 10.
- The Zags edged Pacific, 85-83, in the first-ever meeting in Stockton on Feb. 5, 1959.
 
UP NEXT
- The the 179th all-time meeting between GU and Portland. The Zags have a 111-67 advantage in the series.
- Gonzaga is 47-3 against Portland under Mark Few.
- The Pilots last win in the series came on Jan. 9, 2014, 82-73, at Portland.
- In the first matchup this season in Portland on Feb. 4, the Pilots upset No. 6 Gonzaga, 87-80. Graham Ike had 24 points and 10 rebounds for GU. Mario Saint-Supery added 12 points and Davis Fogle scored 10.
- Gonzaga is 43-6 at home in the series, and has won 19 in-a-row over Portland at home, dating back to a 72-68 loss on Feb. 19, 2003.
- In last season's meeting in Spokane, Gonzaga cruised to an 81-50 victory in the 2025 Community Cancer Fund Classic in the Spokane Arena on Jan. 2. Nolan Hickman had 13 points, and Ryan Nembhard added 10 points and nine assists for the Bulldogs. Braden Huff had 10 points.
- GU is 39-23 at Portland in the series. The Zags have won 26 of the last 28 in the Chiles Center.
- Portland edged GU, 70-66, in the first-ever NCAA meeting on Jan. 18, 1959, inside the Spokane Coliseum.
 
IKE NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Helping Gonzaga move back into first place with a win at Santa Clara, Graham Ike won West Coast Conference Player of the Week Monday.
- Ike recorded his sixth and seventh straight 20-point games, matching his career-best, in wins over Washington State and at Santa Clara last week. After scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds against the Cougars, Ike boasted 21 points and 15 rebounds in the victory at Santa Clara. Ike shot 72 percent from the field in the wins combined (18-of-25). He also added seven assists total and a block in both games.
- Ike has now won WCC player of the week five times this season and the Bulldogs own seven awards overall.
 
ZAGS REACH 25 WINS AGAIN
- The Bulldogs have reached 25 wins this season.
- Gonzaga has won at least 25 games in each of the last 19 consecutive seasons, which is a NCAA Div. 1 record.
- The Zags have reached the 25-win plateau in 22 of the last 23 seasons, and 26 of the last 28. (23 wins in 2006-07, 24 wins in 2002-03, and 24 wins in 1997-98)
 
VIE FOR BYES IN VEGAS
- Gonzaga is one win away from clinching one of the top two seeds in the West Coast Conference Championships at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
- The top two seeds earn byes in the postseason event to the semifinals on March 9.
- Gonzaga has been the top seed in the WCC Tournament in 11 of the 16 years that the event has been in Las Vegas since 2009. The other five years, GU has been the two-seed.
 
IKE NAMED TO NAISMITH LATE SEASON LIST
- Graham Ike has been named to the Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Late-Season Team, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced.
- Ike is one of 30 players recognized as being considered for the award, presented to the nation's top player.
- The Naismith Player of the Year honor will be presented during the NCAA Tournament Final Four in Indianapolis in early April. The 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy will be announced in mid-March.
- The big man was the lone selection from the WCC.
 
FEW NAMED FINALIST FOR HALL OF FAME
- For the second straight season, Mark Few is a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the selection of Finalists for its Class of 2026 from the following committees: North American, Women's, Men's Veterans, Women's Veterans, International, and Contributors.
- The finalists will then be put forward to the Honors Committee to be considered for election as members of the Class of 2026. The new class will be announced on April 4.
- There are 20 finalists, with 11 from the North American Committee, including coaches Gary McKnight, Dick Motta, Doc Rivers, Kelvin Sampson, and Jerry Welsh.
 
BULLDOG BLOCKADE
- Gonzaga's defense has held six opponents to their season-lows in scoring this season.
- In back-to-back games, against Washington State in Spokane, the Cougars were limited to season-lows of 53 points and 21 rebounds. In Corvallis, Oregon State also grabbed a season-low 21 rebounds. The Beavers were limited to a season-low 43 attempts from the field, which matched the second-fewest by a GU opponent since 2004. WSU's 46 field goal attempts were its second-lowest output of the season.
- Seattle also committed a season-high 18 turnovers against the Bulldogs on Jan. 17.
- Campbell had a season-high 20 turnovers.
- Kentucky was held to a season-low 26.7 percent shooting from the field, with a season-low 16 made shots from the field.
- Southern Utah was held to a season-low 50 points on a season-low 29.5 percent from the field, 16 percent from three (4/25), grabbed a season-low 26 rebounds, and committed a season-high 23 turnovers.
- Arizona State was held to a season-low 36.2 percent shooting from the field with a season-low 21 makes.
- Oklahoma committed a season-high 16 turnovers.
- Texas Southern was held to a season-low 43 points, with season-lows of 15 makes from the field and 25.4 percent shooting, including 14 percent from 3 (3/21).
 
POWERFUL IN THE PAINT
- In the win at Santa Clara, GU was 33-for-46 (72%) inside the arc. Those 33 two pointers are the most SCU has allowed in a regulation game in at least 30 years.
- In the victory, the Zags made 29 layups or dunks. The Bulldogs were 16/18 inside the arc in the second half.
- Since getting outscored by Portland in the paint, GU has outscored its last four foes, 212-100, in that area.
 
BALANCED BULLDOGS
- Eight different Zags have led the team in scoring in a game this season. Seven GU players have scored at least 20 points in a game, and 11 have double-digits.
- Seven different Bulldogs have led in rebounds in a game. Six have grabbed at least eight boards.
- Seven Zags average at least seven points per game.
- Eight GU players are playing at least 17.9 minutes.
- Five Bulldogs have reached the 1,000-point mark in their careers, and Braeden Smith is eight points away.
 
GOLDEN GRAHAM
- Graham Ike is first in the nation among active players with 2,436 career points. His 1,101 rebounds rank second. No other player has 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Tucker DeVries of Indiana is second in points with 2,345 points. Notre Dame's Carson Towt's 1,319 rebounds are the most for an active player.
- Ike also leads the country with 936 field goals made in his career, and is fourth with 524 made free-throws.
- His 44 career double-doubles rank third.
- His 13 double-doubles this season ranks 13th in the nation. He had two games with nine rebounds with double-digit scoring. He's reached double-digit scoring in all but one game.
- Ike recorded his WCC-leading 13th double-double of season in the win at Santa Clara, passing Drew Timme for the most games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (16) by a Gonzaga player in the last 30 seasons.
- Ike ranks first in the WCC in scoring (19.8), second in rebounding (8.7), and second in field goal percentage (.579). In conference play, he is first in scoring (22.8), first in field goal percentage (.664), and rebounds (9.2).
- Ike's 1,658 points in his three seasons at Gonzaga ranks 11th in program history. He is 13 points from passing Blake Stepp for 10th. Ike has 2,436 career points in 139 games. Drew Timme broke the program record with 2,307 points in 134 career appearances.
- In the 10 games against Oklahoma (19 pts), Creighton (20), Arizona State (20), Alabama (21), Maryland (13), Kentucky (28), UCLA (25), Oregon (17), Santa Clara (34), and Saint Mary's (30); Ike has averaged 22.7 points on 55.9 percent shooting from the field. He's added 8.8 rebounds, 25 assists, five blocks, and five steals. He made 11-of-23 from three (47.8) and 54-of-65 from the free-throw line (83.1). He has six double-doubles over that 10-game span.
- Ike was named preseason All-American by CBS Sports and ESPN, and to the NABC, Wooden, Lute Olson, and Naismith Player of the Year watch lists.
 
SCORING BREAKDOWN
- Gonzaga tops the nation averaging 33.4 made field goals per game, and is second half scoring margin (10.2). The Bulldogs are second in extra scoring chances per game (8.7), and first in percentage of points from two-pointers (61.5).
- GU has outscored its opponents by 325 points inside-the-arc, which leads the country. (Arizona, 2nd, 216)
- The Bulldogs have also made 292 more shots from the field than their opponents, that also leads NCAA Div. 1, with St. Louis second at 209.
- The Zags' 33 kill shots, which are 10-0 scoring runs, are the third-most in the country. During the WCC games, GU has long runs of 21-0 (LMU), 18-0 (at Pepperdine), 17-0 (Santa Clara), 15-0 (Washington State), 12-0 (USF), 10-0 (San Diego, Pepperdine, and at OSU), 9-0 (at Washington State, at Seattle, Saint Mary's, and at San Francisco), 8-0 (Seattle, at Portland, and at Santa Clara).
- All but six of GU's wins have been by double-digits.