SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga women's basketball team is set to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA March Madness tournament on their home court in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Zags earned a top 4 seed and will open in the Kennel against #13 UC Irvine (23-8). This is the best ranking in program history with the previous best being the #5 seed.
The Gonzaga women had a rough end to the season, losing the West Coast Conference title against Portland in the championship game. The Zags earned their spot in the NCAA tournament after a phenomenal season and a full sweep of the West Coast Conference in the regular season. This will be the seventh consecutive big dance appearance for the Gonzaga women.
UC Irvine finished the season with a 22-8 overall record and were 16-4 in conference. The Anteaters punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament after winning the Big West Conference championship against UC Davis, 53-39.
This will be the first big dance trip since 1995 for the Anteaters.
Game time, channel, and how to watch
For those of you wondering what channel the Gonzaga-UC Irvine game is on, here are the details.
The #4 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. the #13 UC Irvine Anteaters NCAA Tournament basketball game will tip off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23. The game will be played in Spokane at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
The game will air nationally on ESPN2. The game will also be able to be streamed online via ESPN+.
Bulldogs vs. Anteaters
Saturday's matchup between Gonzaga and UC Irvine will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two teams. Gonzaga has a 2-1 record in previous matchups with the last win being in the Kennel in 2017 (102-38).
The Gonzaga women’s leading scorer is Yvonne Ejim who averages 19.8 points per game. In addition to Ejim, Brynna Maxwell, Kaylynne Truong, Kayleigh Truong and Eliza Hollingsworth all average double digits per game.
UC Irvine’s leading scorer is Déja Lee who averages 13.9 points per game. In addition to Lee, Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba also averages double-digit points for the Anteaters.
The Anteaters averages 63.2 points per game while giving up 55 points per game. Gonzaga averages 81.2 points per game while giving up 60 points per game.
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