SAN BRUNO, Calif. – With non-conference play now complete, Sunday marks the first week of West Coast Conference action. Eight teams enter league play with a .500 or better record. All 12 teams are in action on Sunday and Tuesday, as the 18-game conference slate will be contested over the next 10 weeks.
Gonzaga and Portland will look to defend their regular season titles last year, as they shared the league crown with a 17-3 record. Gonzaga has earned at least a share of the regular season title each of the last three years.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
West Coast Conference teams finished with a combined 79-67 record for a 54.1% winning percentage. It’s the best winning percentage since the 2022-23 season (67-53, 55.8%)
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Six West Coast Conference programs – Saint Mary’s (5-0), Pepperdine (6-1), Santa Clara (4-1), Oregon State (6-2), San Francisco (5-2) and San Diego (5-2) – won more than 70 percent of their home games during non-conference play.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE RANKS AMONG THE TOP-7 IN SEVERAL CATEGORIES
The West Coast Conference is among the top conferences in Division I in several statistical categories following non-conference play. The conference ranks sixth in assists per game (14.6) and seventh in field goal percentage (41.9%), blocks per game (3.68) and free throw percentage (71.6%).
THREE TEAMS IN THE TOP 100 OF THE NET
The West Coast Conference has three teams in the top-100 of the NET, one of the evaluation tools for selection to the NCAA Tournament. Santa Clara leads the way at No. 53 with an overall record of 10-3. Gonzaga ranks second at No. 75 with an 8-5 mark and a pair of Quad 1/2 wins in Marquette and North Dakota State. Oregon State is at No. 90 also at 8-5 on the year and with a win over Illinois for a Quad 1/2 victory.
WHITTAKER MAKING HER CASE FOR NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR HONORS
Gonzaga freshman Lauren Whittaker is a candidate for national freshman of the year honors. She was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week on Tuesday following another stellar week where she averaged 19.7 points and 12.7 rebounds in three games. Whittaker has captured West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week honors four times already this season.
Whittaker enters league play as the conference leader in scoring (19.5 ppg) and field goal percentage (.581). She ranks second in rebounding (9.3 rpg).
The Gonzaga forward ranks in the top seven nationally among freshmen in 12 statistical categories, including second in the nation in points per game and seventh in the country in rebounds per game among freshmen. Her five double-doubles this season are tied for the national lead among freshmen and are a Gonzaga record for a freshman.
| Category |
Rank |
Number |
| Double-Doubles |
1st |
5 |
| Points |
2nd |
254 |
| Points Per Game |
2nd |
19.5 |
| Field Goals Made |
2nd |
93 |
| Field Goals Made Per Game |
2nd |
7.2 |
| Field Goal Percentage |
2nd |
58.1% |
| Defensive Rebounds Per Game |
2nd |
7.7 |
| Rebounds |
3rd |
121 |
| Free Throws Attempted |
4th |
62 |
| Free Throws Made |
5th |
50 |
| Free Throws Made Per Game |
7th |
3.8 |
| Rebounds Per Game |
7th |
9.3 |
PEPPERDINE’S BEST START IN 45 YEARS
Pepperdine finished its non-conference slate with a 9-3 record, its best 12-game start to a season in 45 years. The Waves, under second-year head coach Katie Faulkner, have an entirely new roster this season. They are led offensively by sophomore Elli Guiney (13.7 ppg), graduate student Meghan Fiso (10.7), junior Shorna Preston (10.1 ppg) and freshman Seleh Harmon (9.8 ppg). Preston leads the conference in rebounding at 9.3 boards per game and is fourth in the league in blocks per game at 1.75. Harmon is eighth nationally among freshmen in three-pointers made per game at 2.5. She has at least one three-pointer in 11 of 12 games, including each of the last six.
SAINT MARY’S HAS MOST NON-CONFERENCE WINS IN 12 YEARS
Saint Mary’s finished its non-conference schedule with a 9-4 record, posting its most non-conference victories since the Gaels went 10-1 in non-conference play during the 2013-14 season.
BRONCOS FINISH NON-CONFERENCE PLAY WITH 10 WINS – ALL BY DOUBLE DIGITS
Santa Clara enters conference play with a 10-3 record with all 10 of its non-conference victories coming by double digits. The win total is two shy of the program record for non-conference wins. It is the third time in program history the Broncos have won 10 or more non-conference games by double digits. The 10 non-conference wins are the most by a first-year Bronco head coach in program history. Loree Payne is in her first-year coaching Santa Clara following a successful tenure as the head coach at Northern Arizona. Santa Clara's 82.2 ppg through the non-conference schedule is its highest in program history.
SENSATIONAL SOPHIE
Santa Clara forward Sophie Glancey, who was recognized on the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, is in her first year with the Broncos after transferring in from Northern Arizona where she previously played under Loree Payne. Glancey has lived up to her preseason recognition, as she ranks third in the conference in scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg), second in blocks (2.6 bpg), fourth in free throw percentage (.830) and seventh in field goal percentage (.473). She owns three double-doubles on the year, including a 19-point, 13-rebound, four-block performance in Santa Clara’s victory over North Texas last week. Glancey ranks 10th in the nation in blocks per game,
BRONCOS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN SEVERAL CATEGORIES
As a team, Santa Clara ranks eighth in the nation in blocks per game (6.62) and 11th in rebounds per contest (45.5). The Broncos rank ninth in the country in three-pointers made (123). They also rank ninth nationally in the lowest number of turnovers per game (10.9).
NATION’S BLOCKS LEADER
Portland freshman Julia Dalan leads the nation in blocks at 3.33 per game. Her 40 blocks on the year ranks second nationally. She posted a career-best eight blocks against No. 11 USC Nov. 18 and has recorded multiple blocks in 11 of 12 games. As a team, Portland ranks 11th in the country in blocks per game at 6.33.
PRESEASON FAVORITE OREGON STATE ENTERS LEAGUE PLAY COMING OFF MAUI CLASSIC TITLE
Oregon State, the pick to win the regular season title in the coaches’ preseason poll, captured the Maui Classic title last week with wins over Liberty and Montana State. The Beavers are 8-5 overall
Kennedie Shuler was the tournament MVP after averaging 15 points and 4.5 assists in the two victories, including a career-best 21 points in the win over Liberty. Shuler ranks second in the West Coast Conference and 34th nationally in assists at 5.3 apg. She posted a career-best 14 assists in a win over Long Beach State on Nov. 23, tied for the third-most in a game in Division I this season.
PACIFIC’S HISTORIC PERFORMANCE
Pacific came close to several program records in its win 116-49 victory over Simpson Dec. 19. The Tigers finished with a program-record 18 three-pointers in the win, one shy of the West Coast Conference record of 19 set by Gonzaga against Pacific on Feb. 3, 2024. Pacific’s 35 assists in the game were the second-most in program history and the third-most in a game in West Coast Conference history, three shy of the conference record. Daria Nestorov (8) and Sydney Ward (7) combined for 15 assists in the contest.
INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE
The West Coast Conference has the greatest percentage of international student-athletes of any Division I conference in the nation. Overall, 44.1 percent of rostered student-athletes across the 12 women’s basketball programs in the West Coast Conference are from outside of the United States. There is a total of 71 international student-athletes on rosters in the West Coast Conference this season. San Francisco boasts the most with 11 international student-athletes from eighth different countries. Oregon State has10 international student-athletes of its 15 from six different countries. Washington State has nine international student-athletes from eight different countries.