The Zags (17-7, 8-3 conference record) travel to Stockton to play the Tigers (8-18, 3-9 conference record) at the Spanos Center on Saturday, February 8th at 5 PM PT on ESPN+/KHQ.
For some peculiar reason, Pacific has looked their best this season when playing Washington State. The Tigers have gone 2-0 against the Cougars, recently beating them 70-68 in Stockton on January 30th. How will they fare against the other West Coast Conference opponent from the state of Washington?
Pacific’s leading scorer is junior guard Elijah Fisher with 16.2 points per game (sixth most in the WCC) on a 49.1 field goal percentage (fourth highest in the WCC). He started his career at Texas Tech and transferred from DePaul this past offseason to play under first-year head coach Dave Smart.
His defense is anchored by senior forward Elias Ralph who hails from Smart’s home country of Canada. Ralph leads the the Tigers in rebounding with 7.4 per game (seventh most in the WCC)and blocks with 1.2 per game (sixth most in the WCC) while also chipping in 15.7 points (seventh most in the WCC).
Player to Watch For:
Lamar Washington (junior, guard) – 12.7 PPG, 6.0 APG (third most in the WCC), 4.9 RPG, 1.4 SPG (ninth most in the WCC)
Smart brought along his talented floor general from Lubbock where he was an assistant coach for one season. The Texas Tech transfer can also light up a scoreboard, as evident with his 40 points on 16-22 field goals/4-6 three-pointers/4-5 free throws and a game-winning three-pointer in the 95-94 overtime win against Washington State back on January 9th. He also put in six assists, five steals, and four rebounds to led the Tigers to victory.
6’4 Washington was born with the clutch gene. He hit the go-layup with 12 seconds left in the 71-69 win over San Diego on Thursday. Washington finished with a game-high 19 points on 6-12 field goals/2-5 three-pointers/5-5 free throws to go along with five rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
The Portland, Oregon native can be a streaky shooter at times. He doesn’t shot at a high clip with his 37.8 field goal percentage and 31.4 three-point percentage. Washington also turns the ball over exactly four times a game which is the sixth most in the country. In fact, Pacific turns over the ball 12.8 times per game which ranks No. 256 in college basketball.
After Khalif Battle received a technical foul in the 73-53 win against Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few announced that he has upped the punishment if a player gets one. “They’re actually paying fines, just like NBA guys,” Few said. According to senior point guard Ryan Nembhard, the number is $5,000. Let’s hope everyone can keep their attitude in check. Senior forward Graham Ike has had two this season and the Zags have had five in conference play.
The Tigers do a solid job crashing the offensive glass, grabbing 10.6 per game which is the fifth most in the WCC. Gonzaga must not hand over second-chance scoring opportunities to Pacific in this matchup. Currently, Few’s group grabs 39.5 rebounds per game which ranks No. 36 in the nation. Box out, be physical, and don’t lose your man.
Gonzaga seems more locked in on the defensive end over the last four games so let’s hope that can continue. The Zags have limited their opponents to 62 points or fewer during that stretch.
“I’m not quite ready to write songs about it, but crossing my fingers and hoping it continues on its upward trend.” – Gonzaga head coach Mark Few on defense
“Guards are doing a great job pressuring the ball, getting into guys and I think the bigs are doing a good job just protecting the rim and being steady down there. It’s a team effort.” – Gonzaga sophomore forward Braden Huff
What the Zags haven’t done well in the last two outings is shoot from deep, going 5-35 on three-pointers (14.2 percent). It would be nice for Gonzaga as a whole see their long shots go through the hoop to pick up their confidence before a tough matchup against the Dons lurking ahead.
With Saint Mary’s taking their first conference loss at San Francisco on Thursday by a tight score of 65-64, the gap between the Zags and the Gaels in the WCC standing tightens to two games.
No word on if sophomore guard Dusty Stromer will be available against the Tigers as he recovers from an unknown illness or if freshman center Ismaila Diagne can play after suffering a concussion.
One final note. Be on the lookout for Nembhard as he approaches breaking his own Gonzaga program record single season assists record against Pacific.
Ryan Nembhard is going to far surpass his own Gonzaga program single season assist record.
2023-24: 243 assists
2024-25: 238 assists + more https://t.co/Yp2pRPiFoX— The Slipper Still Fits (@slipperstillfit) February 7, 2025
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho