The Gonzaga men's basketball team welcomes NAIA opponent Warner Pacific to the McCarthey Athletic Center for the second and final exhibition game on the Bulldogs' 2024-25 schedule.

The Zags fell to USC 96-93 in their season-opening charity exhibition game last Saturday in Palm Desert, California. Khalif Battle's 20 points led the way on offense as five Gonzaga players scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Trojans' hot squad. USC shot more than 65% from the field in the second half, fending off a feisty Bulldogs squad that nearly erased an 11-point deficit in the final minutes.

“I think as a group, especially myself, we have to get it done defensively,” Battle said after the game. “But this is a learning experience that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. It's a difficult question, but it's an exhibition. So we'll come back and get better. The coach's boys are getting better and better. We will trust the coaching staff because they will point us in the right direction.”

Gonzaga will need to improve one last time before facing Baylor in its regular season opener next week. The Knights (5-23, 3-19 Cascade Collegiate Conference) returned just five players from last season's squad, which finished next to last in their league, although four of them were in the team's top six in scoring.

Junior guard Matt Solomon leads the returning group after earning honorable mention all-conference honors with 18.6 points per game during the 2023-24 season. The 6-foot-2 graduate student also grabbed 4.7 rebounds, second-most on the team, and had the third-most assists overall with 57.

Warner Pacific lost two exhibition games to Alaska-Anchorage last weekend (80-55, 88-50). Bakersfield College transfer Terran Dickey led the Knights with a total of 18 points in the two games against the Seawolves. Collin Oestereich, a 6-foot-3 center and one of the few holdovers from last season, scored a total of 14 points between the two games.

Wednesday's show in Spokane has a little more pizzazz because Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg's father, Matt Gregg, is an athletic director at Warner Pacific.

HOW TO WATCH GONZAGA VS. WARNER PACIFIC

Who: Gonzaga and Warner Pacific meet for a friendly game

When: 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. EST | Wednesday, October 30th

Where: McCarthey Athletic Center

TV: KHQ

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