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Gonzaga Women's Basketball

Key matchup: Gonzaga women need to worry about beating UC Irvine press

The UC Irvine Anteaters employ a full-court defense, which will be the main problem Gonzaga needs to overcome on Saturday. (Courtesy of UC Irvine Athletics)
By Greg Lee The Spokesman-Review
The UC Irvine Anteaters employ a full-court defense, which will be the main problem Gonzaga needs to overcome on Saturday. (Courtesy of UC Irvine Athletics)

It’s not so much about specific players as it is about concepts.

What has been the center of UC Irvine’s success this season is defense – all-over-the-court effort.

Gonzaga must be patient against the Anteaters, who are ranked 11th in the nation in points allowed (55 per game).

Gonzaga has averaged 81.2 points per game.

Something will have to give Saturday.

“They’re a great defensive team,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said. “They’re trying to put pressure on you and turn you over, trying to make you shoot faster than you want and speed you up. They’re really good at it. It’s evident that they work a lot on it.”

UC Irvine coach Tamara Inoue said defense is the key for her team.

“With our athletes, we can get after it,” Inoue said. “We take a lot of pride in getting after it. We’re not the tallest out there, but we do have that blue-collar work ethic. We won’t step down to anybody.”