Gonzaga's WCC opener against Pepperdine to take place at Spokane Arena

Theo Lawson, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·1 min read

Oct. 7—It won't be one of the sport's blue-blood programs coming to the Arena this time, but Gonzaga will still be playing important basketball at the 12,200-seat downtown venue this season.

Gonzaga announced its West Coast Conference opener against Pepperdine on Jan. 4 will take place at the Arena as part of the CCF Classic to benefit the Community Cancer Fund.

A tipoff time and television broadcast details for the game will be announced at a later date.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Nov. 10 through the Arena at www.TicketsWest.com.

The Bulldogs went seven years without a game at the Arena before returning last November to play John Calipari and Kentucky, beating the Wildcats 88-72 in front of 12,333 fans — the largest crowd for any event in the venue's history.

Gonzaga has played 18 times at the Arena, but this will be the first game against a WCC opponent.

The Bulldogs held on for a 97-88 victory in their only meeting with Lorenzo Romar's Waves last year at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California, and haven't lost to Pepperdine since 2002.