San Mateo, California – No. 17 Gonzaga looks set to remain undefeated in this week’s West Coast Conference games as the Bulldogs head to Santa Clara and San Francisco. Saturday’s 2:00 pm match at Dons will be broadcast on regional sports networks nationwide.
quick facts
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BYU’s Lauren Gustin is tied for first place in college basketball double-doubles with 20 in 22 games.
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Ranked 11th in the NCAA, Portland leads the WCC in shooting percentage (47.2).
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No. 17 Gonzaga currently leads the nation in 3-point shooting at 40.6% per game.
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With his 1,954th career point, Alex Fowler became Portland’s all-time leading scorer.
The West Coast Conference has two teams in the top 80 in the latest NET rankings. Gonzaga leads with his 38th, followed by Portland with his 79th. Meanwhile, BYU is currently ranked 101st on NET.
As the WCC celebrates Bill Russell Recognition Week, the West Coast Conference will unveil the life and story of one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bill Russell, during the Conference’s men’s and women’s basketball games the first week of February. Celebrate your heritage.
Student-athletes from all 20 men’s and women’s basketball programs will wear shirts representing Russell’s famous number 6 during pregame activities for the conference contest on February 2nd and 4th. Tribute videos of him honoring Russell’s legacy on and off the court. Before each game, the conference will recognize Russell and Black History Month on digital platforms and broadcasts.
The Pacific defeated the Cougars 79-66. Junior guard Liz Smith scored his 21 points, while senior guard Sam Ashby added his 19 and recorded his four of his 13 steals for the team. Pacific will be on tour with LMU and Pepperdine this weekend.
Brynna Maxwell, one of the nation’s leading 3-point shooters, made six straight behind the arc and scored a season-high 26 points to lead No. 17 Gonzaga to a 67-49 win over Pepperdine on Saturday, giving the Bulldogs the lead. 14 consecutive wins. Gonzaga held nine of his opponents below his 60 points in that period (from December 6 to his January 28).
Portland remains second in the WCC standings thanks to junior forward Alex Fowler. Her 10 points in her 58-39 win in the Pilots against LMU on Saturday gave her 1,954 to her career, surpassing her Portland career her Division I record . The UP has won four in a row, and she’s 9-1 in her last 10 Pilots matches.
San Francisco pulled off a stunning 74-66 victory over Santa Clara on Saturday. This is my second victory. This is due to another strong team his game with four players scoring in his double digits. The Dons took his 10th victory on the home floor of the season and his fourth consecutive win over South Bay rivals. USF ranks him second in the WCC in assists per game (15.7).
BYU junior forward Lauren Gustin grabbed 17 rebounds for the Pacific on Saturday, just 1,000 in her career. It was his third 20-point/20-rebound game of the season. She leads the nation with 20 double-doubles. In BYU’s last 10 games, the Cougars are her 8-2, and the first period of the game (December 21 through her January 19) was her 7th straight win.
Among all NCAA freshmen, Tess Heal ranks third in points (368) and sixth in points scored (16.0 ppg). Heal is the top-scoring freshman in the Western Conference. She scored her 16 points in her 66-74 SCU setback last Saturday in San Francisco. The Broncos have held opponents below her 60 points this season and she’s 9-0. Santa Clara hosts her WCC-ranked top two teams in Gonzaga and Portland.
