Laura Stockton’s status for Santa Clara game unclear after aggravating shoulder injury

All year, the Gonzaga women haven’t just played their way through injury.

Usually, they’ve shot their way out of it.

It happened again Thursday night. With point guard Laura Stockton out with a recurring shoulder injury, the Zags got hot from all over the court in a 78-51 win over USF.

GU shot 59 percent from the field and almost as well – 6 for 11, or 54.5 percent – from beyond the arc, to improve to 18-2 overall and 7-1 in the West Coast Conference.

“You never know who’s going to get hot, but it was the best we’ve shot all year,” coach Lisa Fortier said Friday as GU practiced for Saturday’s home game against Santa Clara.

“It’s nothing to do with the people who played or didn’t play,” Fortier said.

On Thursday that was Stockton, who during practice on Monday aggravated a shoulder injury first suffered in December 2017 in a tournament in Las Vegas.

Her status for Saturday is uncertain.

“But I’m always hopeful,” Fortier said.

GU has done this before. When starting point guard Jessie Loera went down with a concussion in December, hot-shooting Katie Campbell took over and has stayed there since.

Both were in the starting lineup Thursday, with Loera dishing out six assists and Campbell going off for 12 points. Through 20 games, Campbell is 44 for 88 from long range to lead the WCC and rank fourth in Division I.

In the last two games, the Zags have shot 57.3 percent from the floor, hitting 67 of 117 shots.

Fortier said she expects to see a “zone all game long” against Santa Clara (10-9, 3-5).

The Broncos own home wins over Nevada and San Diego State but are last in the WCC in scoring at 60.8 points a game.

Santa Clara is led by junior guard Tia Hay (15.6 points per game), sophomore forward Ashyln Herlihy (10.6 ppg) and forward Lauren Yearwood (7.1 rebounds and a conference-high 2.5 blocks per game).