Gonzaga WBB Smashes Washington State 75-50 to Remain Atop WCC Standings
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Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Inés Bettencourt claps her hands in the second half against Washington State at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics [/caption]
SPOKANE, Wash. – Needing to keep pace with the other handful of teams bunched at the peak of the WCC, Gonzaga women’s basketball (20-8, 12-3) took care of business at home Thursday night, dismantling Washington State (5-22, 4-10) by a score of 75-50 to holds its first-place spot with three games remaining in the regular season.
Considering the Bulldogs beat the Cougs by six points the last time these teams squared off three weeks ago, GU certainly brought the correct adjustments and mindset for such a lopsided victory this time around, especially coming off the team’s tough loss on Saturday to LMU that had significant implications on conference seeding. The Zags played a brand of basketball that they intend to continue to build on with the postseason on the horizon — physicality on defense and limiting turnovers.
After Wazzu erupted for 11 three-pointers in the prior matchup, Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier said she and her staff made an effort to disrupt those advantageous looks they allowed previously. But overall, since that contest, the Bulldogs have done a brilliant job of defending the perimeter, limiting all but one of their five opponents to shooting no more than 17% from outside in that stretch, culminating in the Cougs’ 2-for-16 (12.%) clip in this game.
“We’ve been pretty good at pressuring shooters. I think we can still keep getting better at keeping people to their weak hand and some of that – they made 11 of them when we were down in Pullman, and so definitely was a point of emphasis for us that we weren’t gonna let them stand around and shoot threes,” Fortier explained.
As an example of how the Zags hounded their opponent defensively, WSU had two quarters scoring in the single digits, with Inés Bettencourt outscoring them in the opening period on her own, 9-8.
“Our defensive intensity was good. Two single-digit quarters is always a good sign. It doesn’t ensure that you win the game, but that’s the type of defensive effort we’re hoping for,” Fortier said. “And to start the game with that kind of quarter, really, I think, sets a better tone than we did last time we played against these guys.”
Building off her strong first quarter, Bettencourt was also the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, scoring 16 points on 16 shots while logging two assists and rebounds apiece. She entered the contest shooting only 31.5% from the field, which is by far the lowest out of the regular rotation players, but her confidence and aggressiveness on both ends can be a huge factor even when she is semi-efficient.
With just one more home game left in her collegiate career, Bettencourt is cherishing every moment and leaving all she has on the court.
“In my head, it’s like every day’s my last day for me. You can see that next week is Senior Night, and I’m just trying to make the most of it,” she said. “It’s the last couple of times I get to come out to this crowd with my team, and I’m just enjoying the last bits of it.”
Joining Bettencourt in double figures were Lauren Whittaker (14 points), Jaiden Haile (13 points), and Allie Turner (10 points). Teryn Gardner and Zeryhia Aokuso were each one point shy of joining that group, with the former draining three shots from distance from varying spots on the floor. Whittaker and Haile each posted double-doubles as well, making the team’s offensive performance one of the more balanced for them all season.
But the attribute about the victory that stands out the most for GU is the eight turnovers committed, which marked just the third time the team has finished in single digits in that category. It has clearly been an Achilles heel in Gonzaga’s losses (look no further than their 26 turnovers last Saturday versus the Lions), but they are a formidable force when those issues are cleaned up.
The Zags will travel to Stockton this Saturday to face Pacific (11-15, 6-9), looking to ride some momentum down the stretch in their quest for the No. 1 seed in the West Coast.
