Stout Defensive Effort Leads Gonzaga WBB to 68-49 Victory Over Missouri State
After a heartbreaking one-possession home loss in its previous game to an undefeated Arizona State team, Gonzaga women’s basketball (7-5) bounced back with a comfortable win on the road over Missouri State (7-5), where the Bulldogs posted their most formidable performance of the season.
Whether it was the Zags limiting the Lady Bears to taking tightly contested shots or bullying them on the boards, Missouri State’s most efficient mode of scoring in this contest came when they got to the free throw line.
GU’s stout showing on the defensive end could be considered more impressive when factoring in how the game was officiated. Referees had loose whistles for much of the night on both ends, stopping play whenever there was seemingly slight contact between players. The most common infraction, especially in the early end, came on illegal screens, where bigs like Lauren Whittaker and Taylor Smith who set picks, were whistled if they kept in contact with a player while rolling. There were also some ticky-tacky dribbling violation calls not often acknowledged, like questionable travels and even carrying.
Overall, there were 36 fouls in the contest, with Gonzaga being called for 21 of them. Smith led the way with four fouls being called on her, while Whittaker, Zeryhia Aokuso, and Inés Bettencourt each were whistled for three. These frequent offensive fouls contributed to the continuing trend of the Bulldogs’ turnover issues, as the Zags’ 22 turnovers in the win were much different than the accustomed errant passes they’ve had for much of the season.
But outside of giving extra possessions to Missouri State, there wasn’t much GU did wrong in the victory. Even with the additional chances offensively, the Lady Bears struggled immensely when they had to create their own shots. They shot 16-for-51 from the field (31.4%) and 2-for-10 from three-point range, while being outrebounded 41-24. It was more extreme in the first half, as Missouri State connected on just five of its 22 attempts from the floor in the game’s initial two quarters. The Bulldogs also blocked six shots, with Whittaker and freshman Jaiden Haile each denying a couple of attempts down low. As aforementioned, the Lady Bears capitalized on the recurring trips to the charity stripe, shooting 15-of-17 on free throws.
Gonzaga had control wire-to-wire in this one, as they gained momentum immediately, going on a 8-0 run in the opening minutes on the back of a couple of Allie Turner made threes. Not having been the case for much of the team’s first 12 teams, Turner was involved early, and she had a bigger support system in person than usual for her hot start. The 5-8 sophomore guard hails from St. Louis, MO, and had family and friends make the three-hour drive to Springfield, MO, to watch her in a Zags uniform. She finished with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting and three assists, as her fan club in the stands erupted each time she drained a shot.
Continuing her monstrous start to the season, Lauren Whittaker was a beast once again for the Bulldogs. It was another double-double for the 6-3 redshirt freshman, who finished with 19 points and a season-high 16 rebounds. She shot 8-for-12 from the floor, while flushing two attempts from beyond the arc. Whittaker’s well-roundedness within her first 15 games at the collegiate level is a welcome sign, and time will tell what the New Zealand native’s ceiling will look like.
Aokuso and Smith also built off their previous improvements in play, posting 11 and seven points, respectively, with the former dishing out six assists and the latter having two steals. The two transfers in the frontcourt are acclimating their playstyles to GU’s offense and look to be getting more comfortable with each passing game.
Gonzaga has one final game before conference play begins, as they’ll face off with UC Riverside on the road on Sunday, December 21, at 2 PM PT, looking to stay undefeated away from Spokane.
