MBB Opens Conference Play Thursday
12/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2016
#7/6 Gonzaga (12-0, 0-0) vs. Pepperdine (4-8, 0-0)
THURSDAY, DEC. 29, 2016 | 6 PM | SPOKANE | MCCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TELEVISION: KHQ-TV, ROOT Northwest/Rocky Mountain/Southwest, CSN California, TheW.tv (out-of-market), ESPN3 (out of region) (Greg Heister, Dan Dickau and Richard Fox)
RADIO: Gonzaga IMG Radio Network (Tom Hudson and Matt Santangelo)
LIVE STATS:
ABOUT THE SERIES
- This is the 83rd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pepperdine.
- The Zags have a 51-31 advantage in the series, including 26-12 in the meetings in Spokane.
- GU has won 31 straight versus the Waves, 18 in-a-row at home, and all 13 matchups in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Bulldogs are 35-2 against the Waves under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga held off Pepperdine in the most recent meeting, 69-66, in Malibu last season on Feb. 7.
- Domantas Sabonis had 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Josh Perkins added 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.
- The Zags won the first-ever meeting, 93-70, in the Knights of Columbus Tournament in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 11, 1964.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE
- The Waves have lost seven straight entering Wednesday's conference opener in Spokane.
- Pepperdine fell at Montana last Thursday, 71-70. Lamond Murray Jr. led the Waves with 14 points.
- The Waves shots 52 percent from the field, but turned the ball over 19 times.
- Murray Jr. ranks third in the WCC and 63rd nationally in scoring (19.3 ppg).
- Chris Reyes ranks 16th in the nation in field goal percentage (61.9%) and first in the WCC in blocked shots (1.92).
- Reyes leads the Waves with 8.1 rebounds per game, while Jeremy Major has dished out a team-best 50 assists.
- The Waves have been playing without two expected starters due to injury.
- Of the eight active players averaging double-digit minutes, only two saw action for the Waves last season.
- Major cracked the 1,000-point plateau in his career last week at Louisiana. He's 28 assists away from the school's career record and needs two three-pointers to break into the school's top 10.
- Pepperdine is 0-4 in true road games this season and 1-6 away from the Firestone Fieldhouse.
THE HOT START
- Gonzaga is off to the best start in program history. The 1944 Zags started 11-0, before finishing 21-2.
- This is the first time that the Zags have gone unbeaten in non-conference play since joining the NCAA in 1958.
- In 2012-13, the Bulldogs won their first nine games before falling to Illinois.
CONFERENCE OPENING SUCCESS
- Gonzaga has won 20 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996.
- The Zags have won all 17 West Coast Conference openers under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga opened West Coast Conference play last season with a 99-73 home win over Pepperdine.
ZACH ATTACK
- Zach Collins had a breakout performance in the Zags' 102-65 win over South Dakota Wednesday.
- He helped GU complete its non-conference schedule unbeaten with a career-high 21 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting from the field.
- On the defensive end, the freshman blocked four shots and helped limit South Dakota to 36 percent shooting from the field.
- The Las Vegas, Nev. native also pulled down three rebounds in the win.
NOBODY DOES IT BETTER
- Gonzaga is limiting opponents to 26.7 percent shooting from behind-the-arc, which tops the country.
- Over the past six games, Zag opponents are 28-of-120 (23 percent) from three-point range.
- Washington's 5-of-20 (25 percent) three-point shooting was the best outing for a GU opponent over the last six games.
- Bryant (7-of-15, 46.7 percent) has had the best three-point outing by percentage against the Bulldogs this season, while Utah Valley's nine made three-pointers are the most by a Gonzaga opponent this season.
- Arizona was 1-of-8 from three-point range against GU, and Florida was 2-of-19.
STAYING IN FRONT
- The Zags have not spent a lot of time trailing their opponent through the first 12 games.
- Gonzaga has led for the entirety of five of its 12 games so far this season.
- The Bulldogs have trailed in the second half only once this season against Florida.
- GU has trailed for only 33 minutes and 29 seconds, out of 480 total minutes, about 14 percent of the season.
- Excluding Florida's 27:28 lead over the Zags, Gonzaga has played behind a total of six minutes and one second this season.
- At home, Gonzaga has trailed for only five minutes and 37 seconds out of the 280 total minutes.
- The Bulldogs have trailed only once in the second half this season, the latest with 9:49 left in the Florida game.
- Gonzaga went 117 minutes without trailing between the Mississippi Valley State and Akron games.
- There's been a total of 10 lead changes and 11 ties for GU this season.
ZAGS RISE TO SIX ... AND STAY AT SEVEN
- Gonzaga moved up to sixth in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and remained seventh in the AP Top 25 Monday.
- The Zags are at their highest ranking in the AP poll since finishing the 2014-15 season at No. 7.
- GU opened this season at No. 14 in the preseason poll.
ZAGS WITH DEFENSIVE SWAG
- Gonzaga ranks fourth in the country holding opponents to 36.1 percent shooting from the field so far this season.
- Only four Bulldog opponents have shot over 40 percent from the field this season. Iowa State's 43.9 percent shooting from the field was a season-high for a GU opponent.
- The last five GU opponents have been held under 39 percent shooting from the field.
- The Zags have outshot all 12 opponents from the field this season.
MORE HIGH NATIONAL RANKINGS
- GU is pulling down 30.42 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks seventh in the country.
- The Zags are 11th in the nation beating opponents by an average of 20.3 points.
- Gonzaga ranks first in the WCC in scoring offense (84.6, 24th in NCAA) and second in scoring defense (64.3, 44th in NCAA).
- The Bulldogs are 15th in the nation in total rebounds per game (41.5).
- GU tops the West Coast Conference in scoring offense, field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal percentage defense and scoring margin.
OUT OF THE GATES
- Gonzaga has got off to great starts in recent games, jumping out to leads early in some recent victories.
- The Zags have outscored their opponent, 301-181, an average of 43.0-265.9, in the first half over the last seven games.
- GU has shot 53.6 percent in the first half over the past seven games, while opponents shot 30.6 percent.
- In the same span, from three-point range, the Bulldogs are 50 percent (42-of-84), and opponents are 15.4 percent (10-of-65).
- Gonzaga has 70 assists on its 112 made field goals in the first half over the past seven games, opponents have 21 assists.
HOME SWEET HOME
- The Zags have dominated the seven opponents they have faced inside the McCarthey Athletic Center so far this season.
- Gonzaga is averaging a 90-61 victory over its opponent through the first seven home games.
- The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents, 302-183 (43.1-26.1), in the first half over the same seven-game span.
- GU is shooting 49.7 percent from the field and holding its opposition to 34.8 percent in the seven home games.
- In their seven home games so far this season, the Zags have trailed for a total of five minutes and 37 seconds.
Players Mentioned
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