Stunned by Ole Miss in a similar 5-12 seed game three years ago, Gonzaga started like it was stuck in mud Friday in the NCAA Tournament opener at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena.
Lisa Fortier had an inkling of the kind of basketball team she had when players gathered for preseason practices in late September. What developed the last five months has her as proud of any team she’s had in her 12 years as head coach.
For the Gonzaga women’s basketball team to win in an NCAA Tournament first-round game, it will take its best. It likely will require more than its best.
When a college basketball team is a double-digit seed to the NCAA Tournament, projecting where said team lands is like trying to throw darts blindfolded.
The reason this feels largely new to the Zags is, well, it is for 11 of 12 players. UConn transfer guard Ines Bettencourt was on two teams in Bristol, Connecticut, that played in the NCAA Tournament including the Final Four in 2022-23.
LAS VEGAS – Minutes after Gonzaga had secured a trip to the NCAA Tournament, Ines Bettencourt sprinted to Gonzaga’s locker room at the Orleans Arena to retrieve her cell phone.