Gonzaga falls to No. 1 Notre Dame in opener at Vancouver Showcase

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Muffet McGraw got right to the point after No. 1 Notre Dame’s 81-65 victory over Gonzaga on Thursday in the first game of the Vancouver Showcase.

“We didn’t come out with any kind of emotion at all. We didn’t execute, turned the ball over, gave up a lot of offensive rebound,” the Fighting Irish coach said.

Arike Ogunbowale scored 21 points and Brianna Turner added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Notre Dame (4-0). The Fighting Irish dominated in the paint, outscoring the Bulldogs 56-32 and finishing with 29 defensive rebounds.

Gonzaga (4-1) scored the first seven points and forced nine first-half turnovers.

“It was pretty rough,” Ogunbowale said. “We just couldn’t make our passes and couldn’t shoot well. I think they just took advantage of what they were getting at the time but we picked it up second half.”

Zykera Rice had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs.

“It feels like if we’d done a little more work on the glass and if we would have done a little more team defense and kept our hands off of them … maybe we could have got them on their heels,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said.

Louise Forsyth, a sophomore guard from Langley, British Columbia, made a 3-pointer in 14 minutes of action for Gonzaga.

A large contingent of her friends, family and former coaches came out to watch, cheering animatedly when she hit the court.

“I could hear them in the stands. It was really nice,” she said. “I’m just really excited for the opportunity.”