WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
FOUR TEAMS IN NET TOP 100
As of Sunday morning, four West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams stand in the top 100 in the latest NET rankings and six in the top 121 - No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 30 Saint Mary’s, No. 45 Santa Clara, No. 99 San Francisco, No. 110 Pacific and No. 121 Seattle U. In addition, four teams stand inside the top 112 in the latest WAB rankings - No. 11 Gonzaga, No. 34 Saint Mary’s, No. 51 Santa Clara and No. 112 Seattle U.
GAELS HOLD ON AT PORTLAND
On the road at Portland, Saint Mary’s prevailed with a 75-69 win, following a 30-point victory over Oregon State earlier in the week. Paulius Murauskas posted 24 points and nine rebounds against the Pilots, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. The Gaels drilled nine three’s including one by Dillan Shaw with 15 seconds left to put the Gaels up by four. Saint Mary’s defense currently ranks No. 12 in the country (64.5 ppg). Murauskas continues to pace the league in scoring in overall games (19.3) and is in second in conference games by a 10th of a point (20.2 ppg) behind San Diego’s Ty-Laur Johnson. For Portland, Joel Foxwell matched his season high with 27 points against the Gaels, good for his seventh 20-point outing this season.
SHORTHANDED ZAGS OUTLAST DONS
Playing once again without both Braden Huff and Graham Ike, Gonzaga won at home over San Francisco, 68-66. Davis Fogle just missed a double-double, securing 15 points and nine rebounds while Jalen Warley paced Gonzaga in scoring with 19 points. The Bulldogs remain undefeated in conference play (9-0) and they extended their winning streak to 14 games. The Gonzaga defense hasn’t missed a beat without Huff and Ike. Prior to their injuries, the Bulldogs’ defense was allowing 67.7 ppg, and in the three games played without both standouts, Gonzaga is allowing just 58.7 ppg, a conference best during that span. San Francisco hung tough the entire way with the Bulldogs. Legend Smiley scored 18 points and Ryan Beasley chipped in with 14 points.
BRONCOS STAY RED HOT
Christian Hammond and Bukky Oboye both scored 16 points during Santa Clara’s 85-73 road win at San Diego on Saturday. Oboye also added eight rebounds. The Broncos continue to win decisively in conference play as they rank fifth in the nation in margin of victory in conference games (16.3). Santa Clara currently boasts a NET of No. 45, a WAB rank of No. 51, and own a combined five Quad 1 and 2 wins this season. San Diego’s Ty-Laur Johnson took over as the conference leader in scoring in conference games after posting 19 points. He also added five rebounds, four steals and two assists.
TIGERS TAKE A CLOSE ONE OVER REDHAWKS
Pacific improved to 9-0 at home with its 56-54 win over Seattle U on Saturday. The Tigers held a 39-27 rebounding margin over the Redhawks and outscored them in the paint, 28-26. Pacific has outrebounded its opponent in every conference game this season. In conference games, Pacific ranks No. 4 in the country in rebounding margin (10.6). The Tigers have surpassed their overall win total by five games from last season. TJ Wainwright scored 15 rebounds with seven rebounds for the Tigers. Brayden Maldonado scored 20 points for Seattle U.
GLASS LEADS COUGARS OVER WAVES
Ace Glass continues to surge for Washington State, scoring 18 points in the Cougars’ 95-79 win over Pepperdine on Saturday. He has now reached double digits in scoring in 11 straight games. This after he posted 29 points earlier in the week against San Diego. Among all freshmen in the nation, Glass ranks No. 15 in scoring, averaging 16.8 ppg. Six Cougars reached double figures in scoring against the Waves. For Pepperdine, Styles Phipps notched 25 points against WSU.
THIS WEEK’S NATIONAL BROADCASTS
West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be on national television twice this week. On Wednesday, Santa Clara hosts San Francisco at 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. On Saturday, Gonzaga hosts Saint Mary’s at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
TIGHT RACE AT THE TOP AT CONFERENCE’S MIDPOINT
At the midpoint of the conference schedule, Oregon State (7-1) holds a half-game lead over Santa Clara (7-2) and a one-game lead over Gonzaga (6-2) for sole possession of first place in the conference standings. The Beavers and Broncos will only face each other once during the regular season, meeting in Corvallis Thursday, Feb. 12. Santa Clara won its lone meeting with Gonzaga, 77-73, at home Jan. 4. Oregon State outlasted Gonzaga in an overtime thriller this past week in Corvallis, and the two will meet again Feb. 5 in Spokane.
Right behind the top three are LMU and San Francisco at 6-3. The Lions handed the Beavers their only loss in conference play so far and the two will meet again on the final day of the regular season in Corvallis. San Francisco is 1-3 against the other top teams, with an overtime win against LMU.
SURGING SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco has won three straight and is right in the mix with the top teams in the conference. The Dons earned wins over San Diego and Pacific this past week as Candy Edokpaigbe averaged 23.5 points in the two games. USF will be tested this week with a Thursday battle against Gonzaga at home and a trip to conference leader Oregon State Saturday.
LOCK DOWN DEFENSE
Saint Mary’s, the Conference’s top defensive team surrendering just 57.5 points per game, held Pepperdine to 51 and Seattle U to 53 points in two victories this week. With the results from this past week, the Gaels have now held their opponent to 55 points or less 11 times this season. Offensively, Saint Mary’s scored 50 of its 67 points in the second half in the victory over Seattle U, with four players scoring in double figures – Addi Wedin (11), Malia Latu (10), Abigail Shoff (10) and Edie Clarke (10) – for the first time this season.
PEPPERDINE SETS SEASON HIGH POINT TOTAL, DOWNS PORTLAND FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2018
Pepperdine scored a season-high 86 points and shot 55.4 percent from the field (second-best this season) in an 86-68 win over Portland Saturday. The Waves snapped Portland’s 12-game winning streak in the series, earning their first win over the Pilots since Dec. 29, 2018. Pepperdine’s 18-point win was its largest margin of victory over Portland since a 27-point win over the Pilots on Feb. 3, 2007.
SHULER’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Oregon State’s Kennedie Shuler is one of four West Coast Conference players since at least the 1999-2000 season to record a double-double with points and steals. She had 17 points and 10 steals in Thursday’s win over Gonzaga. The OSU guard nearly had a triple double in the contest, finishing with nine assists. The other three players to record a double-double with steals are Amanda Rego of San Diego (10 points, 10 steals and 10 assists vs. San Francisco on Feb. 9, 2008), Courtney Vandersloot of Gonzaga (20 points, 11 steals vs. South Dakota State on Nov. 13, 2009) and Haiden Palmer of Gonzaga (14 points and 10 steals vs. Iowa State on March 23, 2013). Shuler was the first West Coast Conference player to record at least 10 steals in a game since Palmer’s 10-steal performance on March 23, 2013.
WHITTAKER CONTINUES TO MAKE CASE FOR NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR HONORS
Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker has recorded a double-double in five of her last six games after posting a career-high 37 points and 14 rebounds against Oregon State Thursday. Her 11 double-doubles on the year are first among freshmen nationally and tied for the 10th-most overall. Whittaker also leads all freshmen nationally in defensive rebounds (175). She continues to lead the West Coast Conference in scoring (20.1 ppg), rebounding (10.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (.564).
THE WEEK AHEAD
San Francisco will face Gonzaga and Oregon State this coming week in two key tests against the Conference’s top teams. The Dons will host the Zags Thursday and travel to Oregon State Saturday. Santa Clara will play its first home game in two weeks when the Broncos host Washington State Thursday. Coming off Saturday’s home win over LMU, San Diego will head to the Pacific Northwest to face Oregon State Thursday and Portland Saturday. Thursday’s six-game slate also features Saint Mary’s at Portland, Pacific at LMU and Seattle U at Pepperdine.