The Gonzaga women have moved up another notch in the Associated Press poll by taking care of business while other teams didn’t. The Zags are 16th this week, thanks to road wins over BYU and San Diego, but also because Maryland got thumped by unranked Northwestern by 23 points.

Gonzaga has brought some stability to the No. 1 ranking, but AP Top 25 voters took note of the Bulldogs’ two closer-than-expected wins last week.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • If you are unfamiliar with how the Seahawks play football, Sunday’s 17-9 NFC wild-card win over Philadelphia was an excellent crash course. With crash being the operative word.

Killian Tillie isn’t at full speed, but his on-court performance suggests otherwise. The senior forward delivered 22 points against Portland and 20 versus Pepperdine, influencing two hard-fought victories, particularly Saturday night’s 75-70 decision over the Waves.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • When the work week begins each Monday morning, many of us judge how it’s going to go based upon how our sports teams have fared in the past 48 hours or so. What with the Seahawks playing an NFL playoff game this afternoon, tomorrow should fit that pattern perfectly. God help the bosses out there if the Hawks lose in Philadelphia.

Not quite 7 minutes on the clock had elapsed Saturday night when a whistle sent Gonzaga to the foul line for the first time.

And just like every team in college basketball, the Bulldogs have several items to address on their to-do list. Some of those made repeat appearances Saturday as the Zags outlasted Pepperdine 75-70 in front another packed house of 6,000 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

There are still a few recruits to decide their 2020 college future, but with the sixth-overall prospect Jalen Suggs verbally committing to Gonzaga on Friday, the Zags have the seventh-best recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports.

Offensive MVP, defensive MVP and key moment from Gonzaga’s 75-70 win over Pepperdine at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane

When Gonzaga fans turn on ESPN2 to watch their Zags play, they expect to get a different perspective from the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader.

Jessie Loera scored 13 points and dished out seven assists to lead the No. 17 Gonzaga women past San Diego 57-42 on Saturday at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Killian Tillie scored 20 points, Filip Petrusev had 16 and the Bulldogs fended off the Waves at McCarthey Atheltic Center on Saturday night.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Believe it or not, this is the first weekend of 2020. By the time we reach weekend No. 52, the whole world will have changed. But that's for tomorrow to worry about. Today, we take a spin around the dial that is our local sports scene.

Killian Tillie scored 20 points, Filip Petrusev had 16 and 10 rebounds and the Gonzaga Bulldogs fended off the Pepperdine Waves 75-70 at McCarthey Atheltic Center on Saturday night.

No 1. Gonzaga escapes a close game against the Pepperdine Waves. After two close halves, the Zags pulled ahead for another victory. The Bulldogs will go into their game against San Diego (16-1)! FINAL: 75-70

That changed Friday night when Suggs announced his commitment to Gonzaga, removing his jacket to reveal a ‘Zag Up’ shirt on ESPN2.

The big game all but won, Gonzaga women’s basketball coach Lisa Fortier was still looking at the little things.

It took one half against the projected last-place team in the WCC to disprove the common perception that Gonzaga was entrenched at No. 1 and would go largely unchallenged early in the conference season.

Pepperdine’s Colbey Ross, a first-team, All-WCC selection last year, and grad transfer Ryan Woolridge, who continues to come up big when Gonzaga needs it most, is a must-watch matchup.