WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
GONZAGA, SAINT MARY’S AND SANTA CLARA IN NET AND WAB TOP 41
Three West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams rank in the top 41 in the latest NET rankings - No. 8 Gonzaga, No. 29 Saint Mary’s and No. 41 Santa Clara. In addition, these same teams stand inside the top 41 in the latest WAB rankings - No. 13 Gonzaga, No. 37 Saint Mary’s and No. 41 Santa Clara.
BRONCOS MAKE IT EIGHT IN A ROW
Freshman Allen Graves put on a show in Pullman, posting a double-double on 30 points and 13 rebounds in Santa Clara’s 96-92 win at Washington State on Saturday. The victory extended the Broncos’ winning streak to eight games and SCU maintains its half-game lead in first place in the West Coast Conference standings. Santa Clara improved to 21-5 overall and 12-1 in conference play, the program’s best start in 31 years.
In conference games, Santa Clara ranks third in the country in margin of victory (16.3) and fourth in scoring (88.1 ppg). The Broncos are 16-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points.
ZAGS REBOUND WITH 20-POINT WIN
Putting his team on his back, Graham Ike scored 35 of Gonzaga’s 81 points in an 81-61 Bulldog victory at Oregon State on Saturday. The 35 points tied a career best for Ike. The Bulldogs matched a program low with two turnovers in the win.
In conference games, Gonzaga ranks right behind Santa Clara in margin of victory in fourth (15.8).
Gonzaga has a quick turnaround with a home game against Washington State on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2 before a rematch with Santa Clara on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN with first place at stake.
GAELS CONTINUE TO STIFLE OPPOSING OFFENSES
Saint Mary’s won its 23rd consecutive home game with its 79-54 win over San Francisco on Saturday. That streak ties a program best and the Gaels own the fifth-longest active home winning streak in all of Division I. SMC can set a program record for consecutive home victories if the Gaels beat Pepperdine on Wednesday.
Saint Mary’s ranks 12th in the nation in scoring defense (64.2 ppg). The Gaels also rank 11th in margin of victory in conference games (13.5) as both of their wins last week were by 25 points or more. Since Jan. 13, only Gonzaga has scored 70 points against Saint Mary’s in seven games during that span.
PILOTS GET ANOTHER CRAZY WIN
Carrying the momentum from defeating No. 6 Gonzaga earlier in the week, Portland won in the final seconds over Seattle U to earn two wins on the week. Dante Censori-Hercules scored with 1.9 seconds left in regulation to lift the Pilots to a 54-53 win over the Redhawks. Drawing all the attention from the Seattle U defense, while Joel Foxwell only scored five points, he collected a season-best eight rebounds, nine assists and made a clutch shot late in the game to give Portland a chance for the late victory.
Foxwell continues to lead all freshmen nationally with his 6.9 assists per game average, which also leads all players in the West Coast Conference.
PACIFIC QUIETS WAVES
Pacific defeated Pepperdine, 92-59, on Saturday, the Tigers’ largest margin of victory in a West Coast Conference game since rejoining the West Coast Conference in 2013-14 and its largest margin of victory since 2011. The Tigers also own an 84-53 win over Oregon State earlier this season. TJ Wainwright scored 27 points, and he contributed to Pacific shooting 14-for-23 from three-point distance against the Waves.
Pacific ranks fifth in the nation in rebounding margin in conference games (10.0) as the Tigers have outrebounded their opponent in every conference game this season, including an advantage of 44-26 against Pepperdine.
LMU WINS BY 20 OVER SAN DIEGO
LMU enjoyed a 2-0 week that started with a road win at San Francisco on Wednesday before returning home to beat San Diego, 83-63. After opening the win against the Dons on a 20-3 run, the Lions scored 17 unanswered to start the contest against the Toreros. Jalen Shelley scored 24 points in the win after notching 27 in the win at San Francisco.
THIS WEEK’S NATIONAL BROADCASTS
West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be featured on national television on numerous days throughout the upcoming week starting on Tuesday with Gonzaga hosting Washington State at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. On Thursday, San Francisco hosts Oregon State at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. Two games will be featured on the ESPN platform on Saturday with Santa Clara hosting Gonzaga on ESPN and Pacific hosting Saint Mary’s on ESPN2. Both games will start at 7:30.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
GONZAGA TAKES CONTROL IN CONFERENCE RACE
Gonzaga earned a pair of convincing wins this week to take over sole possession of first place in the West Coast Conference with three weeks remaining in the regular season. The Zags (10-2) have won four straight and 12 of their last 14 overall. They hold a one-game lead over Oregon State (9-3) and LMU (9-3) in the conference standings. Gonzaga split its two matchups with the Beavers and earned an overtime win over the Lions. Four of Gonzaga’s final six games of the regular season are on the road, including a trip to second-place LMU this coming Saturday and a visit to fourth-place Portland in the regular season finale Feb. 28.
LOCK DOWN DEFENSE
Gonzaga won its two games this week by a combined 58 points, while holding both opponents to under 45 points. In a matchup of conference leaders Thursday, Gonzaga held Oregon State to just 37 points (its lowest point total since Dec. 19, 2012) in a 30-point victory over the Beavers. The Bulldogs followed that impressive performance with a 28-point win over Pacific, while holding the Tigers to a season-low 44 points. 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. Offensively, Lauren Whittaker averaged 15 points and 9.5 rebounds, posting a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) in the win over OSU. Gonzaga also had two of their top three rebounding efforts of the season, out-rebounding Oregon State, 54-43, and Pacific, 52-35.
NET RESULT
With its results, Gonzaga has moved up eight spots in the NET in a week, moving from 71 to its current rank of 63.
PEPPERDINE CONTINUES TO RIDE A WAVE OF MOMENTUM
Pepperdine continues to roll, posting its fourth straight victory with a 14-point win over Washington State Saturday. It’s Pepperdine’s longest winning streak in conference play since the Waves won five in a row in the 2019-20 league slate. Shorna Preston posted her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while adding a career-best six steals in the win over the Cougars. Preston was one of five Waves in double figures in Saturday’s win. Lina Falk had a game-high 19 points, Elli Guiney and Taija Sta. Maria each had 14, and Meghan Fiso added 12 points in Pepperdine’s balanced scoring attack.
LIONS CONTINUE TO ROAR IN CONFERENCE PLAY
LMU earned its third straight victory with a 75-69 win over Saint Mary’s on the road Thursday 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 Lions will host the Zags this coming Saturday (Feb. 14) and will close the season at Oregon State.
PILOTS IN THE MIX
Portland won its third straight game with a 53-50 win over Oregon State Saturday in a rematch of the title game of the 2025 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship. The Pilots, who got Lainey Spear back in the lineup Saturday, were led offensively by Florence Dallow with a career-high 18 points and career-best eight rebounds. Portland, who is tied with Santa Clara at 8-4 in conference play will host the Broncos this coming Saturday. The Pilots will also face Oregon State again (Feb. 19) and close the regular season at home against Gonzaga (Feb. 28).
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 this week. She recorded the fifth 30-point performance by a West Coast Conference player in a game this season with 31 points and 12 rebounds Thursday 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 Saturday’s win over Seattle U.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The coming week features a five-game slate of games on Thursday and Saturday. The next chapter of the PCH Cup rivalry between LMU and Pepperdine will take place Thursday at 6:00 p.m., as LMU, riding a three-game winning streak, will host Pepperdine, winners of four straight. Fourth-place Santa Clara will travel to second-place Oregon State Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Saturday’s five-game slate is highlighted by Gonzaga’s visit to LMU at 2:00 p.m. and Santa Clara’s trip to Portland at 5:00 p.m.