No. 7 Gonzaga looks to defeat San Diego for the 20th consecutive time when the teams square off Tuesday night in West Coast Conference play.
The Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0 WCC) enter with six straight victories as they play on the Toreros’ home floor for the last time before leaving the WCC for the Pac-12.
The Toreros last defeated the Bulldogs 69-66 on Feb. 22, 2014, at USD when former Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier was head coach. The Zags have won 49 of the past 51 meetings en route to an 82-22 all-time lead in the series.
The Bulldogs opened WCC play with a victory for the 30th straight season — the last 27 under coach Mark Few — when they walloped host Pepperdine 96-56 on Sunday night.
That marked Gonzaga’s 50th consecutive victory over the Waves.
“That’s just a crazy stat,” Mark Few said afterward. “I had no idea. My first couple years as head coach, they were our fiercest rival.”
Tyon Grant-Foster registered 18 points and matched his career best of four blocked shots to lead the Gonzaga charge.
“I’m just trying to find different ways to get myself going,” Grant-Foster said. “Trying to find ways to help the team every game.”
Braeden Smith delivered a solid all-around game with 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds. He has made 13 of 18 shots while averaging 18 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds over the past two games.
“I’m just trying to play free and play confident and find my teammates and score when needed,” Smith said. “Whatever my role is, I’m willing to do that.”
Braden Huff leads the Zags with an 18.4 scoring average while Graham Ike averages 16.7 points and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds.
Ike collected 10 rebounds against Pepperdine to raise his career count to 1,005. He grabbed 382 boards in two seasons at Wyoming and has 623 through 2 1/2 seasons with Gonzaga.
Despite the consistent success against San Diego, Few said he expects a tough game at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
“I’m sure they will be riding high into our game so we’ll have to get this thing turned around quickly and get ready for them,” Few said.
The Toreros (6-7, 1-0) opened WCC play with a 66-54 home victory over Pacific on Sunday.
San Diego coach Steve Lavin knows odds are against his club starting 2-0.
“We’ve known for decades they’ve had it rolling,” Lavin said of Gonzaga. “It will be our last opportunity in West Coast Conference play so from a nostalgia standpoint, it’s significant.”
On Sunday, Ty-Laur Johnson made a career-high five 3-pointers while scoring 22 points and racking up six steals, one shy of matching the USD single-game record.
“I played at my pace,” Johnson said afterward. “I didn’t let anybody speed me up, I took my time with my shots, and they went in.”
The Toreros allowed their fewest points of the season against Pacific. San Diego held the Tigers to 4 of 22 from 3-point range while winning for the third time in the past four games.
“We’re making progress,” Lavin said. “We’re playing better as a team. We’re understanding better what each of us brings to the equation.”
Juanse Gorosito added 17 points for the Toreros, who overcame 36.0% shooting from the field.
Johnson leads San Diego in scoring (13.7), assists (3.5) and total steals (27). Gorosito and Toneari Lane each average 10.8 points. Lane has made a team-best 31 treys.
–Field Level Media
