SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga Bulldogs (8-3) host the Bucknell Bison (4-7) at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday, December 21st beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT.

Here’s how to watch

Gonzaga vs. Bucknell will be televised on NonStopLocal KHQ, the NBC affiliate based in Spokane, Washington. In Seattle, the game will be broadcast on FOX 13.

The game will be streamed for free on SWXLocalSports.com. You can find the direct link here. The game is not available in all viewing areas. If you’re trying to stream outside the KHQ/SWX viewing area, you’ll need to stream it on ESPN Plus.

GONZAGA MATCH NOTES:

– Gonzaga plays its final home game of the 2024 calendar year in its first-ever meeting with Bucknell on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center

– Gonzaga earned a 102-72 home win over Nicholls in the first meeting between the two programs on Wednesday. Six Zags finished the race with a double-digit score, led by Braden Huffs 25 points. Graham Ike 20 points added while Ryan Nembhard had 18 points and 10 assists. GU shot 64.8 percent from the field.

– Ryan Nembhards 113 assists lead the nation in 11 games. Nembhard also leads the country with 10.3 assists per game. The senior has 22 turnovers. He ranks fourth nationally with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.14.

– As a team, GU ranks third nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.00). The Zags rank eighth with an average of 19.3 assists per game.

– Five Zags are currently averaging double figures, with a sixth at 9.5. Five Bulldogs are career scorers with 1,000 points.

– Gonzaga is third nationally averaging 89.5 points per game, which would rank second in GU history. (2020-21: 91.0)

– The Bulldogs rank sixth in the country with an 81.7 percent shooting percentage from the free throw line. GU averages 18.3 free throws per game, leading the West Coast Conference.

– Khalif battle is sixth in the nation with 36 of 38 to start the season. He made 50 consecutive free throws before missing, which ranks second in program history (Derek Raivio, 56)

– Gonzaga is fifth nationally in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to 25.2 percent from behind the arc. Zag opponents average 6.2 three-pointers per game, which ranks 42nd nationally. Only one GU opponent has managed 10 or more this season.

Explore the bison

– It’s Bucknell’s first trip to Washington state.

– Bucknell (Lewisburg, Pa.) is 4-7 in the season opener and is coming off a 74-70 overtime loss at Radford on Dec. 8. In the Bison’s fifth straight setback, Achile Spadone led Bucknell with 22 points on three three-pointers. Josh Bascoe added 19 points and four assists. Pip Ajayi had a team-high eight rebounds for the Bison.

– Bascoe is averaging a team-best 14.1 points and 3.8 assists per game. He plays the team’s best playing time of 36.2 minutes per appearance. Noah Williamson has 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds.

– Bucknell is expected to be one of the favorites in the Patriot League this season after the Bison finished in a tie for second place in the regular season a year ago.

– The Bison return six of their top seven starters, including Noah Williamson, who was selected to the All-Patriot League third team.

SERIES INFO

– This is the very first meeting between the programs.

– The Bulldogs are 2-0 all-time against current members of the Patriot League.

– After defeating Boston University in 1990, Gonzaga defeated Lafayette 83-55 in Spokane on December 29, 2010.

NEXT

– The 10th game ever between Gonzaga and UCLA in the West Coast Showdown at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The Bulldogs have won seven of the previous nine meetings.

– The programs have met in each of the last four seasons, with the Zags winning all four.

– In the latest matchup, Anthony Watson scored a career-high 32 points and No. 11 Gonzaga defeated UCLA 69-65 in the fifth-place game at the 2023 Maui Invitational. Ryan Nembhard scored 12 points and Nolan Hickman added 11.

– Gonzaga won first ever between programs,

59-43, at UCLA on December 11, 1999.