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# Gonzaga WBB Defeats Oregon State 77-67, Wins First WCC Title Since 2021-22
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/gonzaga-bulldogs-wbb-defeats-oregon-state-wins-first-wcc-title/
- Published: 2026-03-11T03:18:29.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:53:31.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Game Day, Analysis, Gonzaga Women's Basketball, Lauren Whittaker, Inês Bettencourt, Allie Turner, Zeryhia Aokuso, Jaiden Haile

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="865"\]

![  Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Inês Bettencourt (8) claps her hands in the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at the Orleans Arena. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/screenshot-2026-03-10-at-7-03-38-e2-80-afpm-format-original.png)

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Inês Bettencourt (8) claps her hands in the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at the Orleans Arena. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics \[/caption\]

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – One year ago today, Gonzaga women’s basketball walked off the court at Orleans Arena with tears, disappointment, and heartbreak. Surrendering a lead in the final minutes, the one-seeded Bulldogs had lost 63-61 to four-seeded Oregon State in the conference tournament semifinals.

Three current Zags were on that team. WCC Player and Freshman of the Year, Lauren Whittaker, was glued to the bench, redshirting as she recovered from a torn ACL. Allie Turner, who had hit a program-record 105 threes in her freshman campaign, watched as Kennedie Shuler ran by her for the game-tying transition layup after a turnover. And Inês Bettencourt, who’s now a senior, was the defender guarding Shuler when the Beavers point guard drove inside for the game-winning layup with .7 seconds remaining.

This season, there wasn’t much continuity between the rosters, but those three staples remained for the Zags, and they each contributed to a different result this time around. There were more waterworks from GU, but of the happy variety, as the Bulldogs (24-9, 14-4) took down OSU (23-11, 13-5) 77-67 to win their 11th conference championship, punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

On Oregon State’s final true possession of the game, Bettencourt stripped Shuler. She then let out a yell, a common emotion when the Portuguese guard has played the Beavers this season, and specifically when matched up with Shuler, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Bettencourt held Shuler to just eight points and drew a charge against her at the end of the first half, giving the junior her third foul. Bettencourt, the Bulldogs’ own defensive anchor, as coined by head coach Lisa Fortier, had three steals and three rebounds in the victory. But she also finished third on the team in scoring, logging 12 points, with seven of them coming early.

The lone senior in the rotation brought energy on both ends, as well as in the huddle.

“Every time out, she (Bettencourt) was reminding us, ‘This is what we came here for. We got to stay focused. Take care of the ball… and that’s her best asset to us,” Turner said. “And the scoring came with it today, which is really nice.”

Turner’s scoring didn’t arrive to begin the game for GU, as the sophomore went scoreless in the first 20 minutes, taking just two shots from the field. But the Zags made it a mission to get her more involved after halftime, countering OSU’s defensive coverages, which led to more open and confident shots from Turner. She racked up 10 points before the first media timeout of the third quarter, connecting on two triples in the process. The St. Louis, MO. Native finished with 14 points, five assists, and four rebounds.

“We ran some different plays in the second half to get me and Lauren both open, and I think those were working,” Turner explained. But we made an adjustment, and it worked.”

Whittaker was a model of consistency for Gonzaga, much like she’s been all season. The New Zealand forward was awarded the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, and capped her stint in Vegas off by scoring 26 points and grabbing nine boards. Whittaker fueled a couple of the Zags’ strong runs during the contest with her aggressive shotmaking. Her highlights were post shots over the 6-5 Lizzy Williamson, including an and-one bucket where she pumpfaked, spun, absorbed the contact, and converted the shot.

But the Bulldogs struggled in the majority of the 12 minutes when Whittaker wasn’t on the floor. There was a seven-minute stretch where they missed all nine of their shots from the floor, and they ended the first half making only one of their previous 13 field goals.

The Beavers also managed to beat the Zags on the boards, something not many teams have been able to pull of. OSU posted a 41-33 rebounding advantage and capitalized several times on certain mismatches in the half-court. Senior Tiara Bolden was too big for Gonzaga’s guards and too fast for its forwards, scoring 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Jenna Villa did what she always does in getting to the free-throw line and dropped a team-high 20 points. Williamson had 12 points and nine rebounds, putting the ball up and in without jumping when getting the ball in the paint.

However, GU pulled off a feat it hasn’t done much at all this year – limit its turnovers. The Zags had just eight, tied for the second-fewest total for them on the season, and just the fourth time they’ve finished a game with single digits in the category. And in another tight battle with the Beavers, it gave them the advantage in the margins necessary to walk away victorious.

“I think that we just did a good job of taking care of the ball in the end,” Fortier said.

Whittaker added: “Fourth quarter, when it really came down to it…the fact that we had to control the pace and not turn it over in such crucial times, I think you really felt that because of the anticipation of the last few minutes of the game.”

There were timely baskets from others as well. Zeryhia Aokuso, playing in front of a contingent of 40 family members and friends, contributed eight points and four rebounds. The Sixth Woman of the Year, Jaiden Haile, had seven points and five boards, including a big-time and-one during Gonzaga’s final stretch during the fourth that put them up for good.

It won’t be the last matchup between the two teams anytime soon, as they will both head to the new Pac-12 starting next season. There is immense respect between the coaches and players, and the final chapter of this budding rivalry is nowhere close to being written. But as of right now, it’s the Zags who have the upper hand and will get to dance in March.