Gonzaga women look ahead to Paradise Jam
A week in paradise is even better when you’re undefeated.
The Gonzaga women’s basketball team is 3-0 and ranked 25th in the Associated Press poll going into this week’s Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
That’s nice, but there’s hard work ahead under the palm trees of St. Thomas. The Bulldogs face three games in three days, beginning Thursday against unbeaten Michigan.
The Bulldogs have long ago moved past last week’s big win at Stanford, and coach Lisa Fortier hopes her players will maintain the intensity they showed against the Cardinal.
“I really like the way we’re shooting the ball and the way we’re relying on each other – that’s something that has to happen for us to have success,” said Fortier, who also started 3-0 in her first season.
The Bulldogs are doing a lot of things right so far. They’ve gotten fast starts in all three games, outscoring opponents 75-24 in the first quarter while outrebounding opponents 39-22 in the first quarter.
And while statistics are skewed by runaway wins over Nicholls State (78-46) and UC Irvine (102-38), the Bulldogs are averaging 82.7 points and winning by an average of 33.7 points.
GU is shooting 48.6 percent from the field, 13th in the NCAA, and has blocked 22 shots for a 7.33 average that ranks ninth in the nation.
The tournament takes place at the 4,000-seat UVI Sports and Fitness Center. The pair of four-team divisions will play a round-robin format. GU will play in the Reef Division Tournament, while the separate Island Division Tournament includes NC State, LSU, UTEP, and Kansas State.
Here’s a look at Gonzaga’s opponents in the Paradise Jam:
MICHIGAN: First up, on Thursday night (5 p.m. PST) is a Michigan team that is unranked but unbeaten. The Wolverines are 4-0, with all their wins by at least 26 points. In one show of dominance last week, Michigan went on a 52-0 run midway through the game to beat Howard 109-41.
The most stunning stat so far: Michigan opponents are shooting 29.8 percent from the field and 22.8 percent from three-point range.
Michigan (21-14 overall and 9-9 in the Big Ten last year) is led by fifth-year coach Kim Barnes Arico. The Wolverines have won at least 20 games in each of her four years.
Michigan returns three of its top four scorers from last year. The go-to player is 5-foot-7 junior guard Katelynn Flaherty, a first-team all-Big Ten pick last year after averaging 22.1 points. Forward Hallie Thome (14.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg last season) is a force inside, and point guard Siera Thompson averaged 5.1 assists along with 7.4 points.
FLORIDA STATE: The 11th-ranked Seminoles are 3-1, with their lone loss a two-point defeat against defending NCAA champ Connecticut, 78-76.
Coach Sue Semrau is coming into her 20th season on the heels of a 25-8 season (13-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) that ended with a Sweet 16 loss to Baylor. Semrau is a four-time ACC coach of the year.
The Seminoles return four starters, including leading scorer Shakayla Thomas (16.4 ppg). The 5-11 junior forward also shot 54 percent from the field last year. FSU lacks height (no starter is taller than 6-1), but could be the quickest team GU will face this year.
Point guard Brittany Brown is only 5-8, but managed average almost six rebounds per game along with 8.9 points and 4.2 assists.
WINTHROP: On paper, the Eagles appear to be the easiest opponent for GU. Winthrop is coming off a 4-26 season that included a last-place finish in the Big South Conference.
Guard Erica Williams, a 5-11 senior, is averaging 19.3 points for fifth-year coach Kevin Cook.
Winthrop is 1-3 and has lost three in a row. The Eagles are coming off a 62-45 loss to East Tennessee.
However, the Eagles have the most distinguished assistant coach in the field. Lynette Woodard, a two-time U.S. Olympian, four-time All-American and 10-time Hall of Fame inductee, joined Cook’s staff this year.