WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKEND WRAP-UP
THIS WEEK’S BIG THING: West Coast Conference men’s basketball holds four teams in the top 100 of the Sunday’s latest NET rankings, led by No. 4 Gonzaga and No. 19 Saint Mary’s, along with No. 57 Santa Clara and No. 88 Pacific. Ranked No. 8 among conferences in KenPom, the West Coast Conference also features four teams in the top 100 in the latest KenPom rankings. Gonzaga stands at No. 3 with Saint Mary’s at No. 31, Santa Clara at No. 70 and San Francisco at No. 95.
BULLDOGS TAME WILDCATS: No. 11 Gonzaga easily handled No. 18 Kentucky in Nashville Friday night, 94-59. Graham Ike and Braden Huff both scored 20 points with Ike finishing with 28 along with 10 rebounds, good for his conference-best fifth double-double of the season. The Bulldogs rank No. 7 in the nation in scoring margin (25.0) and rank No. 8 in WAB (Wins Above Bubble). The Bulldogs have been crashing the boards all season, as well, ranking sixth nationally in that category at 44.4 rpg. Huff led all West Coast Conference players for the week in scoring at 22.0 ppg.
DONS AND GAELS EARN ROAD WINS: Sunday hoops saw two West Coast Conference teams – San Francisco and Saint Mary’s – garner big road wins. The Gaels topped Davidson, 70-61, while San Francisco went to Tupelo, Miss., and beat Mississippi State, 65-62. Joshua Dent led the way for SMC with 21 points, while Andrew McKeever notched a double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds). The Gaels currently stand at No. 22 in WAB. The Dons earned their road win over an SEC school with Tyrone Riley IV leading the way with 16 points. Mookie Cook just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
RALPH ROARS FOR TIGERS: Pacific’s Elias Ralph was one of two West Coast Conference players to score 30 points in a game this week as he secured 31 in the Tigers’ 80-65 road win at Air Force on Wednesday. On Saturday, Ralph and the Tigers went to Berkeley and gave California (NET No. 58) a good fight, falling by the score of 67-61. Against the Golden Bears, Isaac Jack collected a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
UPCOMING NATIONAL BROADCASTS: West Coast Conference men’s basketball can be seen on national television four times this week. On Tuesday, San Diego hosts USC (NET No. 35) at 6 p.m. on ESPN. West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be on national television twice on Saturday, starting with Santa Clara vs. Arizona State (NET No. 74) in Henderson Nev., at 4 p.m. on TNT. Later that night at 8:30 p.m. Gonzaga plays UCLA (NET No. 48) in Seattle on ESPN. On Sunday, USC hosts Washington State at 4:30 p.m. on FS1.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKEND WRAP-UP
THIS WEEK’S BIG THING: Pepperdine is off to its best start in 19 years after a pair of double-digit wins this week. The Waves are 6-2 overall following a 69-58 win over California Baptist at home on Wednesday and a 20-point win (65-45) at Fresno State on Saturday. Pepperdine’s six wins in its first eight games matches its best start since the 2006-07 season. The Waves, who are averaging 42.4 rebounds per game as a team, have either tied or out-rebounded their opponent in seven of eight games this season.
HISTORIC WIN FOR BRONCOS: Santa Clara, winners of five of its last six, defeated Simpson, 125-43, on Saturday. The Broncos set a program record for points in a game and margin of victory in the contest. It is the second-most points ever scored by a West Coast Conference team, five shy of the conference record of 130 set by LMU against Master’s College on Nov. 23, 1990. Maia Jones (22 points/13 rebounds), Delaney Miller (15 points/13 rebounds), and Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles (15 points/10 rebounds) all had double-doubles for the Broncos in the victory.
PRESTON PRODUCING ON BOTH ENDS: The Waves, who did not return anyone from last season, are seeing immediate impacts throughout their roster. There is nobody bigger than junior forward Shorna Preston though. She played a prominent role on both ends of the floor for the Waves this week, posting a pair of double-doubles. In the win over CBU, Preston finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. On Saturday, Preston helped lead Pepperdine to its first ever road win against Fresno State with 16 points, 12 rebounds, a pair of steals and a pair of blocks. Following this week’s action, Preston leads the West Coast Conference in rebounding at 9.1 rpg.
WILLIAMS CONTROLLING THE BOARDS: San Diego’s Ayla Williams totaled 34 rebounds in two games for the Toreros this week. She posted a double-double in both contests, finishing with 12 points and 16 rebounds against Binghamton on Wednesday. Williams set a career high with 18 rebounds to go along with 14 points in USD’s win over Utah State on Sunday. Her 18 rebounds on Sunday is the most in a game by any player in the conference this season.
WHITTAKER’S WEEK: Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker leads the West Coast Conference in scoring at 19.5 points per game and ranks second in the conference in rebounding at 8.3 rebounds per contest. The freshman forward has increased her production during the Zags’ current three-game winning streak, averaging 22.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in victories over Marquette, Grand Canyon and UC Davis.
LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK: As we head into the second week of December, we have plenty of exciting matchups to look forward to. Following a break in games on Monday and Tuesday, San Diego highlights a three-game slate on Wednesday as it travels to Madison for a matchup with Wisconsin (No. 90 in the NET). On Friday, Washington State hosts Texas Tech (No. 23 in the NET). San Francico highlights a five-game Saturday slate for the conference as the Dons host Colorado State (No. 71 in the NET), and Sunday’s three-game slate features Oregon State against Arizona State (No. 54 in the NET) in Corvallis.