Gonzaga Set to Host Surging Seattle in Nonconference Clash

SPOKANE, Wash. (Interstat) — A surging Seattle team aims to hand Gonzaga its second loss of the season when the intrastate foes meet in a nonconference men’s basketball game Friday night at McCarthey Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs (14-1), whose only blemish was a 101-61 rout at Michigan on Nov. 26, have since reeled off nine consecutive wins. They are coming off a 99-93 road victory at San Diego on Tuesday, where graduate guard Jalen Warley scored a season-high 22 points with five assists. Warley is averaging 10.1 points and 2.7 assists per game, providing steady backcourt play for a Gonzaga offense averaging 90.5 points.

The Redhawks (12-3) have won 10 of their last 11, including a 69-55 win over Washington State on Tuesday. Seattle’s defense has been a hallmark, holding opponents to 65.1 points per game. Guard Jojo Murphy, coming off an eight-point, two-assist effort against the Cougars, is a key reserve averaging 5.5 points.

Seattle’s resume includes a road win at Stanford and narrow losses to San Francisco and UC Santa Barbara. Gonzaga boasts high-major neutral-site wins over Alabama and Kentucky, plus a home victory over UCLA.

This game serves as a preview of a Jan. 17 West Coast Conference rematch in Seattle, as the Redhawks are in their first season as a WCC member. Gonzaga holds a 12-2 all-time series advantage and has won the last 11 meetings, with Seattle’s last win coming in 1986.

The Bulldogs’ high-powered offense, ranked fifth nationally, will test a Seattle defense ranked 45th in efficiency. Gonzaga forward Tyon Grant-Foster (15.9 points per game) and Seattle’s leading scorer, guard Brayden Maldonado (14.7 points per game), will be focal points.

Following this game, Gonzaga opens WCC play at home Sunday against Loyola Marymount. Seattle continues its conference transition Sunday at Saint Mary’s.