#1/1 Gonzaga (12-0, 3-0 WCC) vs. Pepperdine (4-5, 0-0)
THURSDAY, JAN. 14 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE, WASH.
TELEVISION: ESPN
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga welcomes Pepperdine in a West Coast Conference game Thursday at 6 p.m.
- This is the 91st all-time meeting between GU and Pepperdine. The Zags have a 59-31 advantage in the series.
- The Bulldogs have won 39 straight versus the Waves, with the last Pepperdine victory in the series coming on Jan. 18, 2002, 88-79, in Malibu.
- GU has 30-12 advantage in the meetings in Spokane.
- The Bulldogs have won 22 in-a-row against Pepperdine in Spokane. The last time the Waves won at Gonzaga was on Feb. 19, 1998, 65-64.
- The Zags are coming off of a 116-88 win at Portland in the first true road game of the season Saturday. Joel Ayayi recorded the program's first-ever triple-double.
- Gonzaga is the first team to open its season with 12 straight games scoring 85 points or more since Loyola Marymount in 1990-91.
- The Bulldogs are one the last nine unbeaten teams in the nation, and one of three teams that have at least 12 wins.
- GU is first in the nation in scoring offense (96.1), field goal percentage (55.6), and second in assists (21.2).
- According to KenPom, GU boasts the nation's second most efficient offense and 20th best defense.
- Corey Kispert (60.8) and Drew Timme (60.7) lead the WCC in field goal percentage. Kispert also tops the conference scoring 21.1 points per game and three-pointers made per game (2.9). He is second in the league in three-point field goal (47.9) and free-throw percentage (86.5).
- Jalen Suggs is first in the conference in steals (2.60).
- Joel Ayayi and Jalen Suggs were named the WCC Player and Freshman of the Week. Five different Zags have received the honor out of the possible seven weeks. Suggs has earned the freshman recognition four times.
- The Bulldogs 16 consecutive wins dating back to last season is tied for the longest active streak in nation.
- The Bulldogs have won 33 of their last 34 games, and 43 out of their last 45 games.


SERIES NOTES
- This is the 91st all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pepperdine.
- The Zags have a 59-31 advantage in the series.
- GU has 30-12 advantage in the meetings in Spokane.
- The Bulldogs have won 22 in-a-row against Pepperdine in Spokane. The last time the Waves won at Gonzaga was on Feb. 19, 1998, 65-64.
- GU has won 39 straight versus the Waves, with the last Pepperdine victory in the series coming on Jan. 18, 2002, 88-79, in Malibu.
- The Bulldogs are 43-2 against the Waves under Mark Few.
- In the latest matchup, second-ranked Gonzaga won at Pepperdine, 89-77, on Feb. 15. Filip Petrusev led the Zags with had 27 points and 12 rebounds.
- In the last meeting in Spokane, GU was tested at home against the Waves, but pulled away with the 75-70 win on Jan. 4.
- Gonzaga has won 17 in-a-row inside the Firestone Fieldhouse and is 23-17 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.
 
SCOUTING THE WAVES:
- Pepperdine has not played since a 79-51 home loss to CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 23. Sedrick Altman and Colbey Ross led the Waves with 11 and 10 points.
- Ross is second in the West Coast Conference averaging 19 points per game. He leads the league in assists per game at 7.2, which ranks eighth in the nation, and minutes per game at 38:21, which is ninth in the country.
- Pepperdine is third in the nation shooting 81.4 percent from the free-throw line.
- Kessler Edwards is sixth in the WCC scoring 17.2 points per outing. He's grabbing a team-high 5.9 rebounds a game.
- Kendall Munson adds 12.5 points per game.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Would be the 22nd straight GU win in January.
- Make Gonzaga 155-17 in January games under Mark Few.
- Extend the nation's second-longest active win streak to 17.
- Would be the 40th straight over Pepperdine.
- Be the 24th straight win at home over a WCC opponent.
- Be the 41st straight victory at home over an unranked foe.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Corey Kispert recently passed Steven Gray for ninth in GU history for most career three-pointers. Kispert is currently at 214. Gary Bell Jr. is eighth with 219.
- Kispert is one win shy of moving to ninth in program history for most victories in a career (107-10 current career record).
- Aaron Cook is 18 points away from 900 in his career.
 
NOT BAD COMPANY
- The Zags have scored 85 or more points in each of their first 12 games of the season, with a season-high being 116 against Portland and a low of 85 versus San Francisco.
- According to Elias, Gonzaga is the first team to open its season with 11 straight games scoring 85 points or more since Loyola Marymount in 1990-91.
- Gonzaga is the first team since Arkansas in 1993-94 to score 85 points in each of its first 10 games of a season. That Arkansas team won the National Championship.
 
IMPRESSIVE IN PORTLAND
- The Zags' 116 points in the 116-88 win at Portland, were the third-most by a Gonzaga team under Mark Few, and the most in a West Coast Conference game under Few.
- The Bulldogs' 29 assists tied the third-most in program history, and were the most in a WCC game by Gonzaga since the record was set against Loyola Marymount in 1980, the Zags' first season in the conference.
- Seven Zags scored in double-figures.
- Gonzaga's 80 points in the paint were the most in the program over the last five seasons.
- The Bulldogs' 147.1 offensive efficiency rating versus the Pilots ranks eighth in GU history by KenPom.
 
BEHIND GONZAGA'S FIRST-EVER TRIPLE-DOUBLE, AYAYI NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK ... AGAIN
- For the second straight week, Joel Ayayi was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week.
- Ayayi recorded the first triple-double in program history in the win at Portland.
- He scored all 12 of his points in the first half, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out a career-high 14 assists.
- The redshirt junior nearly achieved the feat in the first half versus the Pilots with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He reached the triple-double with an assist at the 17-minute mark of the second half.
- Ayayi's 14 assists were the second-most in program history, and the most since Blake Stepp's record of 16 in 2002. Most impressively, Ayayi' 14 assists came with no turnovers in 28 minutes of action.
- Ayayi's triple-double was the first in the West Coast Conference this season, and first since Loyola Marymount's Eli Scott had one versus Grambling last season on Dec. 7.
- It's the first triple-double in a WCC game since BYU's Kyle Collinsworth achieved the feat versus Portland in 2016.
- Against BYU Thursday, Ayayi scored eight points and made six assists with one turnover. The Frenchman shot 57 percent from the field during the week and made all four free-throws.