SPOKANE, Wash. — The No. 6-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs are less than a week away from opening the 2024-25 regular season against No. 8 Baylor at the Spokane Arena. But first, the Zags have one final tune-up game against Warner Pacific in The Kennel on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and fans can watch on NonStop Local KHQ or stream it for free at SWXLocalSports.com/Spokane or the SWX Local Sports App.
This will be Gonzaga’s second and final exhibition game of the year. In the first, Gonzaga narrowly lost to USC 96-93 last Thursday in Palm Desert, Calif. Ryan Nembhard attempted a game-tying shot as time expired but missed, allowing the Trojans to secure a three-point win.
Wednesday’s game against Warner Pacific is expected to be much less competitive and could give the Zags a confidence boost ahead of regular season play next Monday.
The Warner Pacific University Knights, based in Portland, Ore., compete in the Cascade Collegiate Conference at the NAIA level. The Knights were picked to finish eighth out of 12 teams in the conference’s preseason poll after going 5-23 overall last season and 3-19 in conference play.
While there are few similarities between Gonzaga and Warner Pacific, there is one significant connection: Gonzaga senior Ben Gregg’s father, Matt Gregg, is the athletic director at Warner Pacific. Matt has seen his son’s journey to becoming a Zag and watched him make his first shot in a Gonzaga uniform. Wednesday’s matchup in the Kennel will be a full-circle moment for the father-son duo. Last December, Matt joined Greg Heister on The Mark Few show for an interview. To watch the full interview, click here.
In last week’s game against USC, the Zags started slowly in both halves, playing from behind for all but five minutes. Gonzaga ended the game shooting 46% from the field and 41% from 3-point range, with six players finishing in double figures. GU newcomer and Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle led with 20 points, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range and 6-for-13 from the field.
Against a less skilled team on Wednesday, the Zags are expected to start strong, with most, if not all, players seeing action in what should be a comfortable win.
Tipoff between Gonzaga and Warner Pacific is set for 6 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Fans can watch on NonStop Local KHQ (Channel 6) or stream it for free at SWXLocalSports.com/Spokane.
