Mounting Fourth-Quarter Comeback, Gonzaga WBB Guts Out Win Over North Dakota State
Knocking down timely shots late, Gonzaga WBB stormed back in the fourth quarter to knock off NDSU at home. How did the Zags put a forgettable first three quarters behind them in their season opener?
A few weeks ago, Gonzaga women’s basketball (1-0) put bubbles on the rims during practice to simulate when shots aren’t falling. Well, the Zags were thrust into that situation immediately against North Dakota State (0-1), pinned to the wall in their regular-season opener at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
“It couldn’t have been more apropos for the way the game was going tonight,” head coach Lisa Fortier said. “We are such a good offensive team, and the ball was not going in the basket.”
But after three porous offensive periods, the Zags erupted, outscoring NDSU 28-15 in the fourth quarter to grind out a 62-56 win. It was a rough start for arguably the best shooting backcourt in the country, Allie Turner and Teryn Gardner, but they each drilled big shots late to push GU over the finish line.
“I think I just practice so many times a day and get so many shots up…it’s like, ‘you have to keep shooting’,” Gardner said postgame. “Like it’d be a letdown if you stop shooting, and so that’s where my teammates and coaches came in. They were very supportive and encouraging to just keep shooting the ball, letting it fly and it’ll eventually fall, which it did.”
