SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Three of the top five teams in the West Coast Conference women’s basketball standings will battle one another this week, as fifth-place Santa Clara faces second-place Oregon State in Corvallis Thursday at 6:00 p.m. On Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Los Angeles, first-place Gonzaga faces second-place LMU in a rematch of the double-overtime showdown between the Lions and Zags on the first day of conference play. Santa Clara stays on the road in the Pacific Northwest to face fourth-place Portland Saturday at 5:00 p.m. All games are available on ESPN+.
 
With three weeks left in the regular season, the top five teams in the standings all sit within two games of each other. Gonzaga (18-7, 10-2), winners of four straight and 12 of its last 14 overall, leads the conference. LMU (15-8, 9-3) and Oregon State (17-8, 9-3) are a game behind in second place. Portland and Santa Clara are tied for fourth place with an 8-4 conference record. Gonzaga split its two matchups with the Beavers and earned a double overtime win over the Lions at home.
 
DISHING OUT DIMES
The West Coast Conference boasts the sixth-highest assist per game average in the nation, at 14.6 assists per contest. Leading the way individually in the conference is Santa Clara’s Ashley Hawkins, whose 6.0 assists per game ranks 14th in the country. In all, five conference individuals rank in the top 65 in the nation in assists per game. In addition to Hawkins, Oregon State’s Kennedie Shuler is 27th (5.3), Pacific’s Daria Nestorov is 34th (5.1) Portland’s Rhyan Mogel is 41st (4.9) and San Francisco’s Aina Cargol is 65th (4.5).
 
Eight West Coast Conference programs are in the top 100 in the nation in assists per game average – Portland (25th – 17.5), Gonzaga (28th – 17.3), Santa Clara (44th – 16.5), Pepperdine (54th – 16.0), San Francisco (68th – 15.3), Washington State (78th – 15.0), Saint Mary’s (95th – 14.6) and LMU (96th – 14.5). Portland is also 18th in the country in assists per field goals made (0.664).
 
GONZAGA LOCK DOWN DEFENSE
Gonzaga won its two games last week by a combined 58 points, holding Oregon State to 37 points and Pacific to 44 points. The 40.5 average points allowed in the two games was the lowest average point total allowed by a team in a conference week in two seasons. Gonzaga held the Beavers and Tigers to a combined field goal percentage of 27.3 percent and 11.4 percent (5-of-44) from three-point range.
 
PEPPERDINE’S BEST CONFERENCE WIN STREAK IN SIX SEASONS
Pepperdine has won four straight with a 14-point win over Washington State in its lone game last week. It’s Pepperdine’s longest winning streak in conference play since the Waves won five in a row in the 2019-20 league slate.
 
Over the course of the Waves’ winning streak, they lead the conference in field goals made per game (31.3), defensive rebounds per game (32.8), field goal percentage (.532) and three-point percentage (.400).
 
LIONS ROAR LOUDER
LMU earned its third straight victory with a 75-69 win over Saint Mary’s on the road last week to improve to 9-3 in conference play. This is the Lions’ best conference start since the 2005-06 season (also 9-3). The Lions are averaging 10 more points per game in their last 10 games, scoring 76.7 points per contest during that span. In their first 13 games, they averaged 66.3 ppg. LMU is tied with Oregon State for second place in the conference standings, just a game behind leader Gonzaga. The next chapter of the PCH Cup rivalry between LMU and Pepperdine will take place Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
 
WEST COAST CONFERENCE RANKS AMONG TOP CONFERENCERS IN SEVERAL CATEGORIES
The West Coast Conference ranks among the top nine conferences in Division I in 14 statistical categories.
 

CATEGORY	RANK	STATISTIC
Free Throw Percentage	5	.726
Assists Per Game	6	14.6
Three-Point FG Percentage	7	.315
Assists	7	4,285
Blocks	8	981
Blocks Per Game	8	3.34
Field Goals Made Per Game	8	24.8
Assist/Turnover Ratio	8	0.89
Three-point FG Made	8	1,875
Field Goals Made	9	7,300
Field Goals Percentage	9	.416
Defensive Rebounds	9	7,497
Rebounds	9	10,982
Points	9	19,761
Rebounds Per Game	10	37.4
Personal Fouls Per Game	10	16.4

 
SANTA CLARA IN THE TOP 10 NATIONALLY IN NINE NATIONAL STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
On the national stage, Santa Clara ranks in the top 10 in nine statistical categories, including turnovers given up per game (5th - 11.1), steals given up per game (6th - 5.28), three-point field goals made per game (7th - 9.6), three-point field goals (7th - 241), rebounds per game (8th - 43.4), assists/turnover ratio (8th - 1.49), rebounds (9th - 1084), blocks (10th - 138) and steals/turnover ratio (10th - 0.88).
 
 
 
 
AWARDS MIDSEASON WATCH LISTS
The West Coast Conference has been represented on several midseason watch lists for major awards. On Jan. 27, Portland’s Julia Dalan, the nation’s leader in blocks per game, was named to the midseason watch list for the Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year Award. On Jan. 28, Gonzaga’s Lisa Fortier was named to the midseason watch list for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award. On Jan. 21, Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker was named to the midseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award.
 
GONZAGA AND SEATTLE U AMONG BEST IN NATION IN SHOOTING
Gonzaga is third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 39.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Zags have connected on 184-of-469 attempts. Sophomore Allie Turner is 11th in the nation, shooting 45.5 percent (60-of-132) from deep. Seattle U is fourth in the country in free throw percentage, shooting 80.0 percent (260-of-325) from the line this season. 
 
OWENS DELIVERS FOR SAN DIEGO
San Diego freshman Olivia Owens averaged 25.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists for San Diego against Washington State and Seattle U last week to earn West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week honors. She recorded the fifth 30-point performance by a West Coast Conference player in a game this season with 31 points and 12 rebounds against WSU, becoming one of just two conference players to record a double-double with at least 30 points in a game this season (Lauren Whittaker of Gonzaga had 37 points and 14 rebounds in an overtime defeat to Oregon State Jan. 22). Owens followed that performance with a 20-point, 13-rebound, seven-assist effort in a win over Seattle U.
 
WHITTAKER MAKING CASE FOR NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR HONORS
Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker has garnered the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week 10 of the 14 weeks of the season thus far. Her 12 double-doubles on the year are first among freshmen nationally and tied for the 14th-most overall. Whittaker is the only freshman averaging at least 19 points and at least 10 rebounds per game. She continues to lead the West Coast Conference in scoring (19.5 ppg), rebounding (10.1 rpg) and field goal percentage (.544). Overall, Whittaker ranks 13th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (7.9), 22nd in points per game and 23rd in rebounds per game.
 
FORTIER FASTEST TO 300 DIVISION I WINS
Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier earned her 300th career win on Jan. 2 in the Zags’ 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’s Kim Mulkey.
 
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 are 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. OSU has 10 student-athletes from six countries. WSU has nine student-athletes from eight countries. The matchups between OSU and USF on Dec. 28th and Jan. 31st featured 21 international student-athletes between the two rosters. It is the second-most in a Division I game this season.