Thursday, February 28
Spokane, Wash.
6:00 PM
Gonzaga University
vs
Pepperdine University
Photo by: Mike Wootton
WBB: No. 16/14 Gonzaga Faces Pepperdine Thursday
2/26/2019 5:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bulldogs look to snap the Waves’ eight-game win streak
GONZAGA (25-3, 14-2 WCC) vs. PEPPERDINE (19-8, 12-4 WCC)
FEB. 28 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
RADIO: KJRB 790 AM/94.1 FM
STREAM: theW.tv
WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga and Pepperdine meet for the 72nd time in program history and the 31st time in Spokane.
- The Bulldogs have won the last five-straight meetings against the Waves and 20 of the last 21 meetings. Pepperdine picked up a 79-69 win in Malibu on Dec. 29, 2016; prior to that, the Waves last win was on Feb. 21, 2009. On that date, Pepperdine claimed a 72-62 victory over GU in Malibu. The last time the Bulldogs fell to Pepperdine in Spokane was on Feb. 1, 2007 when the Waves claimed a 70-56 win in McCarthey.
- Gonzaga currently leads the WCC in 20+ point victories over conference opponents. So far this season, the Bulldogs have won by 20 or more points nine times during conference play. Saint Mary's is the next closest program with five victories over WCC programs by 20 or more points. Every program in the WCC except San Diego and San Francisco have at least one win over a conference opponent by 20 or more points.
- The Bulldogs currently lead the WCC in five categories: Scoring defense (57.1 ppg, 33rd nationally), scoring margin (+16.5, 14th nationally), field goal percentage defense (.374), rebounding defense (31.0 rpg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). The Zags also rank second in six categories: field goal percentage (45.7%), three-point field goal percentage (37.1%), rebounding margin (+7.9), steals per game (9.4), turnover margin (+3.8) and offensive rebounding percentage (.381).
- Gonzaga is ranked for the 13th-straight week after entering the polls at No. 24/22 on Dec. 3. Following wins at Pacific (Jan. 31, 63-51) and at Saint Mary's (Feb. 2, 66-52), Gonzaga moved up to No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Zags' No. 12 ranking is the highest in either poll in program history. This week, the Bulldogs fell to No. 16 following wins at Santa Clara (74-61) and at San Francisco (64-44).
- Gonzaga eclipsed the 20-win plateau with its 63-51 victory at Pacific on Jan. 31. It marks the 14th time in program history that the Bulldogs have won at least 20 games; the Zags have eclipsed the 30-win game only once. During the 2010-11 season when the Bulldogs advanced to the Elite Eight, Gonzaga finished with a program-record 31 wins with a 31-5 overall record.
- With its 24th win on Thursday against Santa Clara, this season's squad becomes the 13th in GU history to reach at least 24 wins on the season. It also marks the third straight season and 12th of the last 13 seasons that the Zags have had at least 24 wins on the year.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: 72nd meeting; Gonzaga leads 41-30
In Spokane: 20-10| In Malibu: 16-17| Neutral: 5-3
Current Streak: Gonzaga, Won 5
Last Meeting: Gonzaga defeated Pepperdine 79-54 in Malibu on Dec. 31.
Series Notes: Gonzaga and Pepperdine meet for the 72nd time in program history and the 31st time in Spokane.
- Since the 2007-08 season, Gonzaga has lost just twice to Pepperdine, and each of those losses have occurred in Malibu.
- In the last five wins against the Waves, Gonzaga has averaged 76.6 points per game while limiting Pepperdine to 56.8 points per contest for a +19.8 scoring margin.
- In the first matchup this season, Zykera Rice led the Bulldogs with a career-high tying 23 points on 11-of-12 from the floor (91.7 percent), a program record for field goal percentage in a single game. Gonzaga limited the Waves to 26.5 percent shooting through the first three quarters and controlled the Waves' leading scorer Yasmine Robinson-Bacote, limiting her to 14 points (well below her then-season average of 19.0 points per game). The Bulldogs led by as many as 26 in the fourth quarter and cruised to the 79-54 win.
SCOUTING PEPPERDINE:
- Pepperdine is currently on an eight-game win streak, the longest current streak in the WCC. On the season, the Waves are 19-8 with a 12-4 mark in conference play. The only conference losses are to Gonzaga, BYU, Saint Mary's and Pacific.
- As a squad, the Waves average 72.5 points per game shooting 40.8 percent from the floor while limiting teams to 67.0 points per game. Pepperdine averages 41.0 rebounds per game, 13.7 assists per game and 7.7 steals per contest.
- Three players average double-figures for the Waves, led by WCC scoring leader Yasmine Robinson-Bacote with 20.6 points per game. Robinson-Bacote has taken nearly double the attempts of the next closest player and is shooting 46.7 percent from the floor. Paige Fecske and Barbara Sitanggan also average double-figures for Pepperdine at 11.4 and 11.1 points per game, respectively.
- Robinson-Bacote also leads the team in rebounding as the senior averages 7.9 per game, good for fourth in the conference.
- Sitanggan leads the squad and the conference in assists with 139 on the season for a 5.1 per game average.
- Robinson-Bacote is fresh off her second WCC Player of the Week honor as she averaged 27.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in her final home games in Malibu, helping Pepperdine to their best home record in program history at 9-1. Robinson-Bacote scored 35 points and hauled in 11 boards on 70.5 percent shooting against Pacific on Thursday before finishing with 20 points and seven rebounds in a win over Saint Mary's on Senior Day.
- Pepperdine currently ranks at 102 in the most recent RPI rankings; Gonzaga is sitting at 14.
TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
At this point in time, the Bulldogs control their own destiny when it comes to clinching the regular-season WCC title. If the Zags take care of business and win both of this weekend's games against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, they will clinch the title outright for their 15th WCC regular-season title and third-straight. Currently, BYU is one game behind Gonzaga at 13-3, and Pepperdine is two games behind at 12-4.
LEADING THE NATION IN ATTENDANCE PERCENT CAPACITY
- The Gonzaga women's basketball team currently leads the nation in attendance percent capacity at 93.71. This season, the Bulldogs have averaged 5,622 fans per game of the 6,000 seats in McCarthey. This season alone, Gonzaga has had three sellouts of 6,000: vs. No. 8/7 Stanford on Dec. 2; vs. Santa Clara on Jan. 24 and vs. BYU on Feb. 16. Since McCarthey opened in 2004, the women's basketball team has recorded 30 sellouts.
ALONE IN THIRD
Laura Stockton dished out seven assists in GU's 74-61 win at Santa Clara on Feb. 21. Stockton now has 451 career assists to sit alone in third place in career assists in GU history. Stockton trails Shannon Mathews (600) and Courtney Vandersloot (1,118).
FEB. 28 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
RADIO: KJRB 790 AM/94.1 FM
STREAM: theW.tv
WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga and Pepperdine meet for the 72nd time in program history and the 31st time in Spokane.
- The Bulldogs have won the last five-straight meetings against the Waves and 20 of the last 21 meetings. Pepperdine picked up a 79-69 win in Malibu on Dec. 29, 2016; prior to that, the Waves last win was on Feb. 21, 2009. On that date, Pepperdine claimed a 72-62 victory over GU in Malibu. The last time the Bulldogs fell to Pepperdine in Spokane was on Feb. 1, 2007 when the Waves claimed a 70-56 win in McCarthey.
- Gonzaga currently leads the WCC in 20+ point victories over conference opponents. So far this season, the Bulldogs have won by 20 or more points nine times during conference play. Saint Mary's is the next closest program with five victories over WCC programs by 20 or more points. Every program in the WCC except San Diego and San Francisco have at least one win over a conference opponent by 20 or more points.
- The Bulldogs currently lead the WCC in five categories: Scoring defense (57.1 ppg, 33rd nationally), scoring margin (+16.5, 14th nationally), field goal percentage defense (.374), rebounding defense (31.0 rpg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). The Zags also rank second in six categories: field goal percentage (45.7%), three-point field goal percentage (37.1%), rebounding margin (+7.9), steals per game (9.4), turnover margin (+3.8) and offensive rebounding percentage (.381).
- Gonzaga is ranked for the 13th-straight week after entering the polls at No. 24/22 on Dec. 3. Following wins at Pacific (Jan. 31, 63-51) and at Saint Mary's (Feb. 2, 66-52), Gonzaga moved up to No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Zags' No. 12 ranking is the highest in either poll in program history. This week, the Bulldogs fell to No. 16 following wins at Santa Clara (74-61) and at San Francisco (64-44).
- Gonzaga eclipsed the 20-win plateau with its 63-51 victory at Pacific on Jan. 31. It marks the 14th time in program history that the Bulldogs have won at least 20 games; the Zags have eclipsed the 30-win game only once. During the 2010-11 season when the Bulldogs advanced to the Elite Eight, Gonzaga finished with a program-record 31 wins with a 31-5 overall record.
- With its 24th win on Thursday against Santa Clara, this season's squad becomes the 13th in GU history to reach at least 24 wins on the season. It also marks the third straight season and 12th of the last 13 seasons that the Zags have had at least 24 wins on the year.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: 72nd meeting; Gonzaga leads 41-30
In Spokane: 20-10| In Malibu: 16-17| Neutral: 5-3
Current Streak: Gonzaga, Won 5
Last Meeting: Gonzaga defeated Pepperdine 79-54 in Malibu on Dec. 31.
Series Notes: Gonzaga and Pepperdine meet for the 72nd time in program history and the 31st time in Spokane.
- Since the 2007-08 season, Gonzaga has lost just twice to Pepperdine, and each of those losses have occurred in Malibu.
- In the last five wins against the Waves, Gonzaga has averaged 76.6 points per game while limiting Pepperdine to 56.8 points per contest for a +19.8 scoring margin.
- In the first matchup this season, Zykera Rice led the Bulldogs with a career-high tying 23 points on 11-of-12 from the floor (91.7 percent), a program record for field goal percentage in a single game. Gonzaga limited the Waves to 26.5 percent shooting through the first three quarters and controlled the Waves' leading scorer Yasmine Robinson-Bacote, limiting her to 14 points (well below her then-season average of 19.0 points per game). The Bulldogs led by as many as 26 in the fourth quarter and cruised to the 79-54 win.
SCOUTING PEPPERDINE:
- Pepperdine is currently on an eight-game win streak, the longest current streak in the WCC. On the season, the Waves are 19-8 with a 12-4 mark in conference play. The only conference losses are to Gonzaga, BYU, Saint Mary's and Pacific.
- As a squad, the Waves average 72.5 points per game shooting 40.8 percent from the floor while limiting teams to 67.0 points per game. Pepperdine averages 41.0 rebounds per game, 13.7 assists per game and 7.7 steals per contest.
- Three players average double-figures for the Waves, led by WCC scoring leader Yasmine Robinson-Bacote with 20.6 points per game. Robinson-Bacote has taken nearly double the attempts of the next closest player and is shooting 46.7 percent from the floor. Paige Fecske and Barbara Sitanggan also average double-figures for Pepperdine at 11.4 and 11.1 points per game, respectively.
- Robinson-Bacote also leads the team in rebounding as the senior averages 7.9 per game, good for fourth in the conference.
- Sitanggan leads the squad and the conference in assists with 139 on the season for a 5.1 per game average.
- Robinson-Bacote is fresh off her second WCC Player of the Week honor as she averaged 27.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in her final home games in Malibu, helping Pepperdine to their best home record in program history at 9-1. Robinson-Bacote scored 35 points and hauled in 11 boards on 70.5 percent shooting against Pacific on Thursday before finishing with 20 points and seven rebounds in a win over Saint Mary's on Senior Day.
- Pepperdine currently ranks at 102 in the most recent RPI rankings; Gonzaga is sitting at 14.
TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
At this point in time, the Bulldogs control their own destiny when it comes to clinching the regular-season WCC title. If the Zags take care of business and win both of this weekend's games against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, they will clinch the title outright for their 15th WCC regular-season title and third-straight. Currently, BYU is one game behind Gonzaga at 13-3, and Pepperdine is two games behind at 12-4.
LEADING THE NATION IN ATTENDANCE PERCENT CAPACITY
- The Gonzaga women's basketball team currently leads the nation in attendance percent capacity at 93.71. This season, the Bulldogs have averaged 5,622 fans per game of the 6,000 seats in McCarthey. This season alone, Gonzaga has had three sellouts of 6,000: vs. No. 8/7 Stanford on Dec. 2; vs. Santa Clara on Jan. 24 and vs. BYU on Feb. 16. Since McCarthey opened in 2004, the women's basketball team has recorded 30 sellouts.
ALONE IN THIRD
Laura Stockton dished out seven assists in GU's 74-61 win at Santa Clara on Feb. 21. Stockton now has 451 career assists to sit alone in third place in career assists in GU history. Stockton trails Shannon Mathews (600) and Courtney Vandersloot (1,118).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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