Gonzaga women hold off Loyola Marymount for WCC road win

LOS ANGELES – Georgia Stirton scored 14 points and Zhane Templeton hit a key 3-pointer Wednesday to help Gonzaga to a 66-59 West Coast Conference women’s basketball victory over Loyola Marymount.

Stirton finished 6 for 8 from the field in an otherwise shaky shooting afternoon for the Bulldogs (10-4, 2-0). Gonzaga shot 36.2 percent from the floor, but the Lions (5-8, 1-1) were slightly worse at 32.8 percent.

Senior Shelby Cheslek became GU’s career blocks leader with 38 seconds left. The blocked shot was the 29th of her season and 177th in her career, topping the record of Kayla Standish.

Templeton shot 2 of 10 from the floor, but her 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 58 seconds left, assisted by Stirton, boosted GU’s precarious lead to 61-57.

Cheslek, after an offensive rebound of her missed layup, hit a layup with 1:57 left for a 63-59 lead. Kiara Kudron sealed the win by hitting two free throws with 16 seconds left.

The Bulldogs led 52-42 with 4:28 left in the third quarter, but the Lions chipped away and pulled within one point with 4:08 left after back-to-back layups by Deanna Johnson and Cheyanne Wallace.

Kudron and Cheslek scored 10 points apiece and combined for 25 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive end. Chelsea Waters led GU with three assists and three steals.

LMU’s Leslie Lopez-Wood scored a game-high 16 points.