Tweet
#15/15 Women’s Basketball Hosts Santa Clara Saturday For Senior Day at 2pm
#15/15 Women’s Basketball Hosts Santa Clara Saturday For Senior Day
Zags will honor seniors Katie Campbell, Jessie Loera prior to tipoff
Gonzaga Game Notes Link
Santa Clara Game Notes Link
GONZAGA (24-2, 13-1 WCC) vs. SANTA CLARA (9-15, 3-10 WCC)
FEB. 15 | 2 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
SWX | LIVE VIDEO (OUT OF REGION) | LIVE STATS
THE TIP OFF
- Saturday marks the final regular-season home game for the Bulldogs. As such, Gonzaga will honor each of its seniors, Katie Campbell and Jessie Loera, in their final home games as Gonzaga Bulldogs. Each player will be honored prior to tipoff.
- Gonzaga boasts a 24-2 overall record with a 13-1 mark in WCC play, good for first place in the conference. Currently, Gonzaga has a three-game lead over both San Diego and BYU; both programs have a 9-4 mark in conference play. A win on Saturday would secure a share of the West Coast Conference title, the 16th regular-season title in program history. A win on Saturday and a win next Thursday will secure the outright title for the Zags.
- GU will look to improve to 25-2 overall on the season Saturday against Santa Clara. With a win, Gonzaga will match its program-record start. The Zags have posted a 24-2 mark only once before, during the 2004-05 season. That season, GU strung together a program-best 23-game win streak and finished the season 28-4 overall with an unblemished 14-0 mark in WCC play. The Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the WNIT, losing at Missouri State 85-66 to end the season.
- With the win over San Francisco on Feb. 13, the Bulldogs have extended their home win streak record under Lisa Fortier. GU has won 15-straight home games dating back to Feb. 28, 2019 with 12 home wins so far this season. Previously, GU's top mark under Fortier was 12 straight home wins, which occurred from 11/7/18-2/14/19.
- Gonzaga broke into the Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 23 following a 76-70 overtime loss at Stanford on Nov. 17. This week, GU fell four spots in the Associated Press poll as well as the Coaches Poll poll to No. 15.
- Saturday will be the 11th the Zags have played on Feb. 15. The date has not been kind to the Bulldogs who carry a 1-9 overall mark on the day; GU lost nine-straight on Feb. 15 before picking up its first and only win on the day with a 75-69 victory at Loyola Marymount during the 2017-18 season.
- Gonzaga leads the nation in attendance percent capacity at 94.47 percent. That's an average of 5,668 fans inside the McCarthey Athletic Center every game. This season alone, Gonzaga has had five sellouts, including three of the last four home games.
- The Bulldogs also rank inside the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense; Gonzaga limits its opponents to 52.1 points per contest to lead the WCC and rank fifth in the nation.
- Gonzaga is also among the top three-point shooting teams in the nation. At 39.8 percent shooting from long range, Gonzaga ranks third in the nation. Four players shoot over 40 percent from long range, led by Jill Townsend at 44.3 percent, while eight total Zags shoot at least 30.0 percent from beyond-the-arc.
- The Zags also rank inside the top 20 in the nation in field goal percentage. At 45.4 percent shooting from the floor, GU ranks 17th nationally and first in the WCC.
- Gonzaga returns two starters and seven letter-winners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' third consecutive and 15th overall West Coast Conference regular season title.
- In 2018-19, the Bulldogs advanced to their third-straight NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Second Round.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
- Santa Clara carries a 9-15 overall record and 3-10 mark in WCC play this season. The Broncos opened conference play with a win at Pacific on Jan. 4, but since that victory they have gone 2-10. SCU has lost nine of the last 10 games, picking up a 76-60 victory against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 6.
- As a squad, SCU averages 69.2 points per contest to rank third in the WCC. The Broncos shoot 41.4 percent from the floor--one of five teams in the conference shooting over 40 percent--to rank fourth in the WCC.
- Two player average double-figures for the Broncos, led by Tia Hay with 12.7 points per game; Ashlyn Herlihy adds 10.3 points per game. Both Merle Wiehl and Lindsey VanAllen add 8.7 and 8.0 points per game, respectively.
- As a squad, Santa Clara averages 38.6 rebounds per game, 14.9 assists per game, 5.5 steals and 3.2 blocks. Herlihy leads the rebounding effort with 7.5 per contest---good for seventh in the conference---while Lauren Yearwood adds 5.2 per contest to rank second on the team. Both VanAllen and Wiehl add 4.2 and 4.1 rebounds per game, respectively.
- In the last meeting, Gonzaga defeated Santa Clara 67-52 on the road, led by a double-double from Jill Townsend with 13 points and 12 rebounds. LeeAnne Wirth added 12 points and five boards while Melody Kempton finished with 11 points and four rebounds. GU out-rebounded the Broncos 43-26 and scored 25 second-chance points on 22 offensive rebounds.
DISHIN' ON UP
With her third assist of the night against Loyola Marymount on Jan. 25, Jessie Loera moved into fifth all-time in career assists, surpassing Jasmine Redmon (400, 2010-14). Loera now has 424 career assists and is 17 assists shy of surpassing Amy Simpson (439, 1982-86) for fourth place. Loera currently ranks 16th nationally in assists with 133 on the season and 30th nationally in assists per game with 5.1.
SHARING THE SCORE
- Through 26 games this season, two players average double-figures for Gonzaga with five players averaging over 7.0 points per contest. The Bulldogs have had seven different top scorers this season, spanning each academic year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).
Jill Townsend leads the Zags in scoring at 12.3 points per game, while Jenn Wirth adds 10.5 points per contest. LeeAnne Wirth adds 9.0 points per contest while Jessie Loera chips in 7.8 and Melody Kempton is at 7.2.
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
Currently, Gonzaga ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense at 52.1 points per game. This season alone, Gonzaga has limited 13 opponents to 50 points or fewer and 21 opponents to under 60 points. The seven of the last nine games, the Zags have held their opponents to under 60 points; only two (Pacific, 65 points; Saint Mary's, 70 points) have scored more than 52 points. On Jan. On Jan. 23 against Pepperdine, Gonzaga held the Waves to just 36 points, more than 30 points below their season average of 66.4. Pepperdine's 36 points also ties for the fewest points allowed to a WCC opponent under Lisa Fortier. Thursday against San Francisco, GU held the Dons to 38 points.
Zags will honor seniors Katie Campbell, Jessie Loera prior to tipoff
Gonzaga Game Notes Link
Santa Clara Game Notes Link
GONZAGA (24-2, 13-1 WCC) vs. SANTA CLARA (9-15, 3-10 WCC)
FEB. 15 | 2 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
SWX | LIVE VIDEO (OUT OF REGION) | LIVE STATS
THE TIP OFF
- Saturday marks the final regular-season home game for the Bulldogs. As such, Gonzaga will honor each of its seniors, Katie Campbell and Jessie Loera, in their final home games as Gonzaga Bulldogs. Each player will be honored prior to tipoff.
- Gonzaga boasts a 24-2 overall record with a 13-1 mark in WCC play, good for first place in the conference. Currently, Gonzaga has a three-game lead over both San Diego and BYU; both programs have a 9-4 mark in conference play. A win on Saturday would secure a share of the West Coast Conference title, the 16th regular-season title in program history. A win on Saturday and a win next Thursday will secure the outright title for the Zags.
- GU will look to improve to 25-2 overall on the season Saturday against Santa Clara. With a win, Gonzaga will match its program-record start. The Zags have posted a 24-2 mark only once before, during the 2004-05 season. That season, GU strung together a program-best 23-game win streak and finished the season 28-4 overall with an unblemished 14-0 mark in WCC play. The Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the WNIT, losing at Missouri State 85-66 to end the season.
- With the win over San Francisco on Feb. 13, the Bulldogs have extended their home win streak record under Lisa Fortier. GU has won 15-straight home games dating back to Feb. 28, 2019 with 12 home wins so far this season. Previously, GU's top mark under Fortier was 12 straight home wins, which occurred from 11/7/18-2/14/19.
- Gonzaga broke into the Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 23 following a 76-70 overtime loss at Stanford on Nov. 17. This week, GU fell four spots in the Associated Press poll as well as the Coaches Poll poll to No. 15.
- Saturday will be the 11th the Zags have played on Feb. 15. The date has not been kind to the Bulldogs who carry a 1-9 overall mark on the day; GU lost nine-straight on Feb. 15 before picking up its first and only win on the day with a 75-69 victory at Loyola Marymount during the 2017-18 season.
- Gonzaga leads the nation in attendance percent capacity at 94.47 percent. That's an average of 5,668 fans inside the McCarthey Athletic Center every game. This season alone, Gonzaga has had five sellouts, including three of the last four home games.
- The Bulldogs also rank inside the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense; Gonzaga limits its opponents to 52.1 points per contest to lead the WCC and rank fifth in the nation.
- Gonzaga is also among the top three-point shooting teams in the nation. At 39.8 percent shooting from long range, Gonzaga ranks third in the nation. Four players shoot over 40 percent from long range, led by Jill Townsend at 44.3 percent, while eight total Zags shoot at least 30.0 percent from beyond-the-arc.
- The Zags also rank inside the top 20 in the nation in field goal percentage. At 45.4 percent shooting from the floor, GU ranks 17th nationally and first in the WCC.
- Gonzaga returns two starters and seven letter-winners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' third consecutive and 15th overall West Coast Conference regular season title.
- In 2018-19, the Bulldogs advanced to their third-straight NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Second Round.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
- Santa Clara carries a 9-15 overall record and 3-10 mark in WCC play this season. The Broncos opened conference play with a win at Pacific on Jan. 4, but since that victory they have gone 2-10. SCU has lost nine of the last 10 games, picking up a 76-60 victory against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 6.
- As a squad, SCU averages 69.2 points per contest to rank third in the WCC. The Broncos shoot 41.4 percent from the floor--one of five teams in the conference shooting over 40 percent--to rank fourth in the WCC.
- Two player average double-figures for the Broncos, led by Tia Hay with 12.7 points per game; Ashlyn Herlihy adds 10.3 points per game. Both Merle Wiehl and Lindsey VanAllen add 8.7 and 8.0 points per game, respectively.
- As a squad, Santa Clara averages 38.6 rebounds per game, 14.9 assists per game, 5.5 steals and 3.2 blocks. Herlihy leads the rebounding effort with 7.5 per contest---good for seventh in the conference---while Lauren Yearwood adds 5.2 per contest to rank second on the team. Both VanAllen and Wiehl add 4.2 and 4.1 rebounds per game, respectively.
- In the last meeting, Gonzaga defeated Santa Clara 67-52 on the road, led by a double-double from Jill Townsend with 13 points and 12 rebounds. LeeAnne Wirth added 12 points and five boards while Melody Kempton finished with 11 points and four rebounds. GU out-rebounded the Broncos 43-26 and scored 25 second-chance points on 22 offensive rebounds.
DISHIN' ON UP
With her third assist of the night against Loyola Marymount on Jan. 25, Jessie Loera moved into fifth all-time in career assists, surpassing Jasmine Redmon (400, 2010-14). Loera now has 424 career assists and is 17 assists shy of surpassing Amy Simpson (439, 1982-86) for fourth place. Loera currently ranks 16th nationally in assists with 133 on the season and 30th nationally in assists per game with 5.1.
SHARING THE SCORE
- Through 26 games this season, two players average double-figures for Gonzaga with five players averaging over 7.0 points per contest. The Bulldogs have had seven different top scorers this season, spanning each academic year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).
Jill Townsend leads the Zags in scoring at 12.3 points per game, while Jenn Wirth adds 10.5 points per contest. LeeAnne Wirth adds 9.0 points per contest while Jessie Loera chips in 7.8 and Melody Kempton is at 7.2.
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
Currently, Gonzaga ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense at 52.1 points per game. This season alone, Gonzaga has limited 13 opponents to 50 points or fewer and 21 opponents to under 60 points. The seven of the last nine games, the Zags have held their opponents to under 60 points; only two (Pacific, 65 points; Saint Mary's, 70 points) have scored more than 52 points. On Jan. On Jan. 23 against Pepperdine, Gonzaga held the Waves to just 36 points, more than 30 points below their season average of 66.4. Pepperdine's 36 points also ties for the fewest points allowed to a WCC opponent under Lisa Fortier. Thursday against San Francisco, GU held the Dons to 38 points.
Gonzaga Article Link
Comment