‘Pretty Embarrassing’: Idaho Punches Gonzaga WBB in the Mouth, Zags Lose 86-75 at Home
"That was pretty embarrassing. So I think it’s good motivation for the future, but I wish it didn’t happen.” Idaho walked into the Kennel and dominated Gonzaga WBB from wire-to-wire, pulling off a rare feat and giving the Zags an early-season reality check.
An 11-point margin of defeat isn’t indicative of what Gonzaga women’s basketball (1-1) endured at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Friday night.
The Idaho Vandals (2-0) punched the Zags in the mouth, and if not for a 20-4 GU run late in the fourth quarter, the final score would’ve better represented what transpired over the 40-minute contest.
When the Bulldogs fell by 15 in the first round of the NCAA tournament roughly eight months ago, Ole Miss simply had more talent. But in Gonzaga’s first loss of the season, an 86-75 defeat to Idaho, and just its third double-digit loss over the last year, it was outhustled at home. A late comeback attempt was far too late in a rare stretch when the Zags competed at the energy level required to beat the Vandals. Cal’s 86-65 win in the Kennel on Nov. 14, 2024, is the only other time since 2020 when a visiting team has won in Spokane while scoring 80.
When the final buzzer rang, and before both teams shook hands, Idaho jumped around head coach Arthur Moreira like it won its second straight Big Sky championship, deserving a celebration after their dominant performance.
“I think it was a lot about our energy and effort on the court, and they simply played harder than us and outcompeted us, “ said Allie Turner, who finished with 23 points and four assists in the defeat. “…That was pretty embarrassing. So I think it’s good motivation for the future, but I wish it didn’t happen.”
Turnovers plagued Gonzaga last season, and although that contributed to this loss (particularly early), they were abused on the boards. Idaho outrebounded the Bulldogs 52-33; 23 of the Vandals’ rebounds came on the offensive glass, and 12 of those boards occurred in the opening period. Deep into the third quarter, Idaho logged more offensive boards than Gonzaga had total rebounds. Both sides shot 41% from the field, but Idaho’s extra possessions helped them open up their largest lead of 24 and lead by at least 15 points for most of the night.
“We were getting our butts kicked on the glass from the start,” Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier said afterward.
