Timely runs contribute to Gonzaga women’s basketball win over Saint Mary’s

Two timely comebacks, one in the second quarter and one in the fourth, made the difference in Gonzaga’s 59-58 win over the Saint Mary’s Gaels on Saturday.

The key to the second comeback was coach Lisa Fortier’s timeout midway through the fourth quarter.

A four-point GU lead had turned into a five-point deficit with 6 minutes, 35 seconds to play. But at least Fortier’s starters were well-rested, since all had been on the bench since the fourth quarter began.

“Second game of the week (the starters) are a little bit worn. I wanted to give them a chance to get some rest and see what our subs could do,” Fortier said.

Gonzaga’s offense opened the game ice-cold. The Bulldogs finished the first quarter having only connected on 16 percent (3 of 19) of their field goals. About 30 seconds into the second quarter, the Zags were down by 11 points.

Chandler Smith hit a 3-pointer and three other Bulldogs contributed to score six points, but the Zags couldn’t slow down the Saint Mary’s offense to establish a comeback.

Midway through the second quarter, Elle Tinkle drained a 3-pointer to make her the first Gonzaga player with five points. Tinkle’s 3-point shot trimmed the Gaels’ lead to four, and on the next possession Emma Stach also hit a 3-pointer that caused the Kennel to erupt. Kiara Kudron then made a layup to give Gonzaga a one-point lead.

“Everyone’s contribution was critical tonight, and that’s what it’s like in a one-point game,” said Fortier said.

Following the Zags’ second-quarter comeback, neither team could take control. It was back-and-forth until Gonzaga managed to gain a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Saint Mary’s had used an 11-2 run to take a five-point lead.

“We have time. We have to get stops. Stay calm and there’s a lot of time left in the ball game,” Fortier told the Bulldogs during a 30-second timeout she called after SMC jumped ahead by five points. “We have to do it one possession at a time.

“I didn’t like how (the matchup) was looking defensively, so we had to go back to the core group,” Fortier added about returning the starters back to the game.

With the starters back in, Gonzaga went on an eight-point run over the next 2 minutes to regain the lead and the momentum.

Fortier said the team’s momentum came out of the Bulldogs’ defensive effort. The Zags forced five turnovers in the final 6 minutes and 22 overall.

“We wanted to stay focused there and worry about offense after we got the ball,” Fortier said.