MBB Ready for First True Road Game Saturday
12/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2016
#7/6 Gonzaga (13-0, 1-0) at Pacific (6-8, 0-1)
SATURDAY, DEC. 31, 2016 | 5 PM | STOCKTON, CA | ALEX G. SPANOS CENTER
TELEVISION: KHQ-TV, ROOT Northwest/Rocky Mountain/Southwest, CSN Bay Area, Spectrum SportsNet, 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: Statbroadcast
ABOUT THE SERIES
- This is the 11th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pacific.
- The Zags have won nine of the previous 10 matchups in the series, including 4-1 in the meetings in Stockton.
- GU has won seven straight versus the Tigers, including the last three inside the Alex G. Spanos Center.
- The Bulldogs are 7-0 against Pacific under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga cruised to a 90-68 win in the most recent meeting last season on Feb. 18 in Spokane.
- Kyle Wiltjer had 19 of his 26 points in the second half and Domantas Sabonis finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
- The Tigers lone victory in the series came in Stockton in 1976, 70-60.
- The Zags edged Pacific, 85-83, in the first-ever meeting in Stockton on Feb. 5, 1959.
ABOUT PACIFIC
- Portland held off the Tigers in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams in Stockton Thursday, 80-76.
- Anthony Townes posted his third double-double this year, tying career-highs in points (18) and rebounds (12) for Pacific to lead four players in double-figures. D.J. Ursery recorded 17 and Ray Bowles pumped in 16 points.
- The Tigers finished 50 percent (30-of-60) shooting, their third-straight game of 50 percent or better.
- Bowles leads Pacific with an average of 14.2 points per game, while T.J. Wallace adds 13.3 points per outing.
- Townes is pulling down 7.2 boards a game (5th in WCC), with Jack Williams contributing 6.3 rebounds per game.
- The Tigers rank 11th in the nation (2nd, WCC) with 579 total rebounds and 17th (3rd, WCC) averaging 41.36 rpg.
- Pacific currently leads the conference and is 27th in the country at13.57 offensive rebounds per game.
- The Tigers' +6.9 rebound margin is third in the WCC and 39th in the nation.
- Six of Pacific's eight losses have been by 10 points or less, including two setbacks within a single possession.
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 now won 21 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996.
- The Zags have won all 18 West Coast Conference openers under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga opened West Coast Conference play last season with a 99-73 home win over Pepperdine.
SWIPING RIGHT
- Gonzaga made a season-high 16 steals versus Pepperdine Thursday, converting 20 Waves' turnovers into 33 points.
- Nigel Williams-Goss (4 steals) and Przemek Karnowski (3 steals) both hit career steals marks in the win. Zach Collins' three steals also matched his freshman season-high.
- Five Zags made multiple steals in the conference season-opening victory.
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.
NO THREES FOR YOU
- Gonzaga is limiting opponents to 27.6 percent shooting from behind-the-arc, which is third in the country.
- Pepperdine's 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) three-point shooting was the best outing for a GU opponent over the last seven 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 13 games so far this season.
- GU has trailed for only 38 minutes and 11 seconds, out of 520 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 10 minutes and 19 seconds out of the 320 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 12 lead changes and 14 ties for GU this season.
ZAGS WITH DEFENSIVE SWAG
- Gonzaga ranks eighth in the country holding opponents to 36.7 percent shooting from the field so far this season.
- Only five Bulldog opponents have shot over 40 percent from the field this season. Pepperdine's 45.5 percent shooting from the field was a season-high for a GU opponent.
- Prior to Pepperdine, the previous five GU opponents were held under 39 percent shooting from the field.
- The Zags have outshot all 13 opponents from the field this season.
- GU leads the West Coast Conference in steals per game (7.9) and total steals (103).
MORE HIGH NATIONAL RANKINGS
- The Zags are eighth in the nation beating opponents by an average of 21 points.
- GU is pulling down 30 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks 11th in the country.
- Gonzaga ranks first in the WCC in scoring offense (85.2, 18th in NCAA) and second in scoring defense (64.2, 38th in NCAA).
- The Bulldogs are 14th in the nation in total rebounds per game (41.77).
- GU tops the West Coast Conference in scoring offense, field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal percentage defense, scoring margin, steals per game, and total steals.
DOWN TO FIVE ...
- Gonzaga is one of just five teams that remain unbeaten this season in NCAA Div. I.
- The Zags are one of two teams on the West Coast that are still undefeated (USC 13-0).
- GU's 13-game win streak is tied for third in the country, behind Villanova's 19 straight victories and USC's 14.
- Unbeaten USC travels to No. 21 Oregon Friday and top-ranked Villanova is at undefeated No. 10 Creighton Saturday morning.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballFriday, January 10
Thursday, March 28
Saturday, March 23
Thursday, March 21
