Gonzaga WBB Adds Rider Transfer Emmy Roach as Taller Option in Backcourt

Wanting to add size to its backcourt, Gonzaga women’s basketball announced the addition of Emmy Roach, the team’s first landed transfer ahead of the 2026-27 season.

A priority on head coach Lisa Fortier’s offseason checklist, the 6-0 Roach brings a unique skillset from her years in New Jersey and overseas. She spent the last two seasons at Rider University, appearing in 28 games each year for the Broncs. But the Australian also has semi-professional experience, playing in the NBL1 before her collegiate career began, which will now continue in Spokane. Roach will likely fill a desired role in replacing senior Inês Bettencourt, as a guard with two-way abilities who can take pressure off of Allie Turner as a ball-handling option.

In a statement released by the team, Fortier said, “We are excited for Emmy to join our team! She brings versatility, a solid basketball IQ, and shoots the ball in a way that fits great for how we want to play.”

There are stark differences in Roach’s production between the two seasons she’s played in to this point. In her freshman campaign, Roach came off the bench in all but one game, averaging 11.3 minutes as her playing time fluctuated throughout the season. Scoring just 2.1 points a game on 46.8% shooting, Roach didn’t get many shots up when she stepped onto the floor, and when she did, they came from her using her size. She didn’t even attempt a three-point shot in 315 minutes during that first year.

But Roach developed her game into a much more well-rounded variety last year. She took serious strides as a shooter and cutter in her sophomore season and became more of a mainstay in the Broncs’ rotation. After starting in the team’s first 10 games and their final five, Roach averaged 6.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and just over a block a contest.

Now, if the Zags have their sights set on Roach being their starting point guard when fall rolls around, they’re likely predicting a jump in her facilitating totals. She only dished out one assist a game last year while turning it over 38 times overall. For a Bulldogs squad that averaged more than 17 turnovers a game a season ago, continued ball security from its point guard will be significant. Bettencourt had the second-fewest turnovers among the team’s starters in 2025-26, only ahead of returning forward Taylor Smith, who also had the lowest usage rate in the starting five.

Proving to be a threat at all three levels, Roach showed confidence at every spot on the floor offensively. She knocked down 34.3% of her shots from beyond the arc on 67 attempts. From catch-and-shoot opportunities on pindown screens to off-the-dribble mid-range pull-ups to using her size against smaller defenders down low, Roach was viable to attack opposing defenses in a litany of ways. But she still shot just 40.6% from the field on 180 total attempts. When factoring in her 24 tries from the 24 free-throw line, Roach’s 48.8% true shooting percentage is similar to Bettencourt’s efficiency in that it could be a concern for GU at times.

With the Eastern Wildcats in the Australian NBL1, Roach also struggled with her efficiency. She logged a 29.8% shooting percentage while averaging 4.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 steals over 14 games, notably not taking a shot from distance in this circuit either.

Roach was the team captain for the South Australian State team in 2024 and, hailing from her hometown of Littlehampton, helped lead her squad to a national silver medal.

Gonzaga could also roll out Turner and incoming junior Teryn Gardner, who was a key reserve for the Zags in all but one game last year, as its starting backcourt next season, making the most of Roach’s unique profile. Instead of pigeonholing her into a point guard role, the Zags could deploy Roach as more of a wing off the bench. She could wind up providing most of her value defensively while still bringing other skills to the table, such as shooting, connectiveness, and timely facilitating.

Height differential was evident when the Bulldogs lost their first-round matchup to Ole Miss in the NCAA tournament. With the implementation of Roach and 6-1 incoming freshman Abby Lusk, the 5-8 Turner is the only one of 12 players on the current roster to stand below 5-10, as the Zags are sizing up ahead of their move to the Pac-12.