> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Gonzaga WBB Dominates Santa Clara 88-60 in WCC Semifinals
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/gonzaga-bulldogs-wbb-dominates-santa-clara-wcc-semifinals/
- Published: 2026-03-10T02:20:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:53:32.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Game Day, Analysis, Gonzaga Women's Basketball, Lisa Fortier, Lauren Whittaker, Allie Turner, Zeryhia Aokuso, Jaiden Haile, Teryn Gardner, Taylor Smith

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="4715"\]

![  Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Allie Turner (11) controls the ball against the Saint Mary’s Gaels in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_28389925-format-original.jpg)

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Allie Turner (11) controls the ball against the Saint Mary’s Gaels in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – When Gonzaga women’s basketball (23-9, 15-4) lost narrowly to Santa Clara (24-9, 14-5) back on January 4, the Bulldogs turned the ball over 20 times, a total that makes it quite difficult to win games.

In the second matchup between these teams on Monday in the WCC tournament semifinals, GU committed 20 turnovers again, which would have seemed to spell doom. But instead, the Bulldogs somehow walked away from the contest with an 88-60 win, advancing to a date with four-seeded Oregon State in the championship game on Tuesday. It was the Zags’ largest margin of victory since their February 7 game contest versus Pacific, which they also won by 28 points.

Aside from the persistent turnover problem, Gonzaga operated on all other cylinders against the Broncos, opening up a sizable lead midway through the second quarter and maintaining it throughout the remainder of the game. It was a well-balanced beatdown, as the Bulldogs received contributions on both ends from the majority of their rotation. Five Zags finished with double figures in scoring, and their preparedness and physicality were qualities SCU had no answer for.

Facing a Santa Clara squad that took 981 threes over the course of the season – over 200 more attempts than the next closest team – GU was well-equipped to handle the Broncos’ propensity to let it fly from deep. Not knowing its first opponent of the tournament until Sunday evening, the Zags knew that defending the perimeter was a common trend between potential opponents and practiced it appropriately leading up to Monday. In this one, SCU connected on just five of their 28 tries from beyond the arc (17.9%), putting itself in a hole early when it didn’t respond to the Bulldogs consistently putting points up on their end.

“We worked on a lot of different concepts \[during the week\],” head coach Lisa Fortier said. “And one of them was defending the three-point line.”

There wasn’t much of a pivot from Santa Clara after its early struggles, either. Although the Broncos didn’t attempt their first three-pointer of the second half until eight minutes in, their offensive woes continued, and they totaled a season-low 26.8 FG%. In the first half alone, SCU posted stretches where it missed double-digit shots in a row, highlighted by a 14-0 GU run that kicked off the second quarter.

In addition to applying pressure on the perimeter, Gonzaga played extremely well in the gaps when Santa Clara tried to take the ball aside. Minimal space was given to shooters or drivers coming downhill, with forward Taylor Smith standing out, blocking three shots for the Zags.

WCC Freshman and Player of the Year Lauren Whittaker has received deserved attention and shine for her phenomenal production all season, but her 16 and nine rebounds weren’t the highlight of the Bulldogs’ offensive output. Guard Allie Turner led her team in scoring with 17, draining four of her five three-point attempts. Zeryhia Aokuso wasn’t far behind, dropping 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting. Off the bench, Jaiden Haile and Teryn Gardner contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively, with Haile hauling in 11 boards for her fourth double-double of the year while Gardner splashed three triples.

Taking just 14 shots from distance, GU consistently moved well off-the-ball and countered well on its actions to capitalize on the interior. The playstyle was a main catalyst for the several lopsided runs it went on, including some when Whittaker wasn’t even on the floor.

The intention of GU’s system is to be multi-faceted and that was on full display against the Broncos.

“There were a lot of different areas where I thought our team was strong, and we just spotlighted every player who played the game,” Fortier said. “It’s always good as a coach when everybody who plays the game, you think made a positive contribution.”

Whittaker added: “We’re a really skilled team and we’re pretty deep, and so all of us can score in different levels. If it’s not our starters there scoring, I think we have a lot of players off the bench that give us sparks.”

There was a possibility the final team standing alongside the Zags would be Oregon State, and Tuesday’s championship game will be a rematch of last year’s semifinals matchup between the programs that saw the Bulldogs fall by two points. Fortier downplayed the potential meeting last week, remaining focused on the task at hand.

“We haven’t talked much about what happened last year…we don’t reference Oregon State or anything regarding that,” she said.

The two previous games GU and OSU played this season went in two different directions, with the Beavers edging out a slim overtime victory in Corvallis, while Gonzaga got a 30-point win at home two weeks afterward. With the winner earning a spot in the NCAA tournament, there couldn’t be a stage set with higher stakes for the Zags’ final game in the WCC.