SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Oregon State is the lone undefeated team in conference play as we head into week four of the league schedule. The Beavers are 5-0 in conference action and 13-5 overall, winners of seven straight.
Right behind OSU is Santa Clara and Gonzaga, both with one loss. The Broncos are 5-1, while Gonzaga is 4-1 in league play. Santa Clara defeated Gonzaga at home earlier this season.
Oregon State heads on the road to face the LA schools this week, playing LMU Thursday and Pepperdine Saturday. Santa Clara hosts Portland (3-2 in the conference) and Gonzaga hosts San Francisco (3-2 in the conference) Thursday.
All 12 teams will be in action Saturday, highlighted by a Bay Area battle between Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s in Moraga. The Broncos enter the week winners of three straight, while the Gaels enter the week on a two-game winning streak.
THREE IN THE TOP 75 OF THE NET
Entering Wednesday, the West Coast Conference boasted three teams in the top 75 of the NET rankings, as Santa Clara is 63rd, Gonzaga is 69th and Oregon State is 74th. The West Coast Conference, along with the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, Big East and Atlantic 10 are the lone conferences with at least three teams in the top 75 of the NET.
BRONCOS OFF TO BEST START IN 25 YEARS
Santa Clara picked up road wins over San Francisco and Washington State last week to improve to 15-4 overall, its best start in 25 years. The 5-1 start in conference play is their best since also beginning 5-1 during the 2007-08 season. In the win over WSU, the Broncos scored 98 points and finished with three 20-point scorers in Ashley Hawkins (26), Maia Jones (23) and Ava Schmidt (22). Santa Clara had a season-high 16 three-pointers in the win.
CONFERENCE CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Four West Coast Conference teams are in the top 45 nationally in total rebounds through Tuesday’s action. Santa Clara is sixth (823), San Diego is 18th (764), Gonzaga ranks 43rd (713) and Oregon State is 45th (711).
Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker (179) ranks 15th in the nation and Pepperdine’s Shorna Preston (170) is 20th in the country in total rebounds.
FOUR IN THE TOP 40 IN BLOCKS
Four West Coast Conference players rank in the top 40 in total blocks. Portland’s Julia Dalan leads the nation with 57 blocks, while Santa Clara’s Ava Schmidt is tied for 12th with 40 rejections. Her Bronco teammate, Sophie Glancey is 17th with 36 blocks and Pepperdine’s Shorna Preston is tied for 39th with 29.
ZAGS CONNECTING FROM DEEP
Gonzaga is fourth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at .396. The Bulldogs have connected on 125 of 316 three-point attempts. Allie Turner leads the conference and is tied for 19th nationally with 48 three-pointers. She also leads the conference and ranks 16th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.449). Turner was among the national leaders in three-point field goals (105) during her All-America freshman season last year. Since conference play began, Turner is eighth nationally in three-point field goals (16).
JENNA VILLA IN LEAGUE ACTION
Oregon State’s Jenna Villa leads the conference in scoring in league action at 21.6 points per game. She ranks fifth in overall games at 15.6 ppg. In Oregon State’s current seven-game winning streak, she is averaging 20.0 ppg and is connecting on 51.3% of her three-point attempts with 20 three-pointers. Villa scored a career-best 32 points Jan. 2 against Pacific.
CONFERENCE AMONG TOP 7 IN 8 CATEGORIES
The West Coast Conference is among the top conferences in Division I in eight statistical categories. The conference ranks fifth in free throw percentage (.721), and sixth in assists (3,061) and assists per game (14.6).
| Rank |
Category |
Number |
| 5th |
Free Throw Percentage |
.721 |
| 6th |
Assists |
3,061 |
| 6th |
Assists Per Game |
14.6 |
| 7th |
Blocks |
733 |
| 7th |
Blocks Per Game |
3.49 |
| 7th |
Field Goal Percentage |
.417 |
| 7th |
Assist/Turnover Ratio |
0.86 |
| 7th |
Effective FG Percentage |
.471 |
CONFERENCE CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Four West Coast Conference teams are in the top 45 nationally in total rebounds through Tuesday’s action. Santa Clara is sixth (823), San Diego is 18th (764), Gonzaga ranks 43rd (713) and Oregon State is 45th (711). Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker (179) ranks 15th in the nation and Pepperdine’s Shorna Preston (170) is 20th in the country in total rebounds.
PRESTON TOPS REBOUNDING CHART
Pepperdine’s Shorna Preston leads the conference in rebounding at 10.0 rebounds per game. Preston is averaging 12.0 boards per contest in her last six games. The forward had a career-best 16 rebounds, while playing at the Division I level, against CSUN Dec. 20. She has a pair of 15-rebound performances in conference play.
ZAGS CONNECTING FROM DEEP
Gonzaga is fourth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at .396. The Bulldogs have connected on 125 of 316 three-point attempts. Allie Turner leads the conference and is tied for 19th nationally with 48 three pointers. She also leads the conference and ranks 16th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.449). Turner was among the national leaders in three-pointers (105) during her All-America freshman season last year. Since conference play began, Turner is eighth nationally in three-point field goals (16).
THREE IN THE TOP 30 IN BLOCKS
Three West Coast Conference teams rank in the top 21 nationally in blocks. Santa Clara is fifth with 119, while Portland ranks seventh with 106 and Oregon State is 27th with 86. Santa Clara (6.26 bpg) ranks sixth and Portland (6.24 bpg) ranks seventh nationally in blocks per game.
JENNA VILLA IN LEAGUE ACTION
Oregon State’s Jenna Villa leads the conference in scoring in league action at 21.6 points per game. She ranks fifth in scoring in overall games at 15.6 ppg. During Oregon State’s current seven-game winning streak, she is averaging 20.0 ppg and is connecting on 51.3% of her three-point attempts with 20 three-pointers. Villa scored a career-best 32 points Jan. 2 against Pacific.
WHITTAKER AMONG FRESHMAN LEADERS
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 Dec. 23. Whittaker has captured West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week honors seven times, including each of the last four weeks.
Whittaker leads the league in scoring (19.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (.566), and ranks second in rebounding (9.9 rpg). The forward ranks in the top two nationally among freshmen in nine statistical categories. She leads all freshmen with nine double-doubles.
WHITTAKER AMONG FRESHMEN NATIONALLY
| Rank |
Category |
Number |
| 1st |
Double-Doubles |
9 |
| 2nd |
Def. Rebounds Per Game |
7.9 |
| 2nd |
Points |
353 |
| 2nd |
Points Per Game |
19.6 |
| 2nd |
Free Throws Made |
74 |
| 2nd |
Field Goals Made |
129 |
| 2nd |
Field Goals Made Per Game |
7.2 |
| 2nd |
Free Throws Attempted |
89 |
| 2nd |
Field Goal Percentage |
56.6% |
FORTIER FASTEST TO 300 DIVISION I WINS
Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier earned her 300th career win Jan. 2 in an 85-59 victory at Seattle U. She became the fastest active Division I head coach to reach 300 Division I wins, reaching the milestone in her 379th career game, matching LSU head coach Kim Mulkey.
RAY SCORING IN BUNCHES
San Diego’s Kylie Ray, who is fourth in the conference in scoring at 16.2 ppg, has increased her offensive production during conference play. She is averaging 19.5 ppg in league action.
NATION’S BLOCKS LEADER
Portland freshman Julia Dalan leads the nation in blocks (57) and blocks per game (3.35). She posted a career-best eight against No. 11 USC Nov. 18 and has recorded multiple blocks in 14 of 17 games. Dalan is the fastest Pilot freshman to 50 blocks in a season.
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% of rostered student-athletes across the 12 programs are from outside of the U.S. There is a total of 71 international student-athletes on rosters in the conference this season. San Francisco boasts the most with 11 international student-athletes from eight different countries. Oregon State has10 international student-athletes from six countries. Washington State has nine international student-athletes from eight countries. The Dec. 28 game between Oregon State and San Francisco featured 21 international student-athletes between the two rosters. It was the second-most in a Division I game this season.