Gonzaga women unable to keep halftime lead, lose to No. 16 BYU 62-50

There was no sugar-coating this one, and Lisa Fortier didn’t even try.

“A total meltdown,” the Gonzaga women’s basketball coach called it after the Zags lost a big halftime lead and eventually the game, 62-50, to visiting BYU at the Kennel on Saturday afternoon.

Who could argue after one of the most disappointing and potentially costly losses in recent program history?

The Zags came into the game with a one-game lead in the West Coast Conference race and seized the momentum in the first half.

They shot uncannily from long range, dominated the boards and saw one of BYU’s key players, guard Paisley Harding, leave the court with a nasty-looking cut below the eye .

A few minutes later, the Zags went to the locker room with a 35-20 lead. The BYU players did the same, followed by coach Jeff Judkins.

“I came in and told them that I expect better, and that I expect them to compete and come out and play their game,” Judkins said after only his second win in Spokane in 21 years.

For a few moments after halftime, it appeared the Cougars would have to compete without Harding, who had half their points in the first half.

But less than a minute before the opening tip, the Everett native emerged from the locker room, pumped her fist and urged her teammates on.

Harding then took a seat, but only for 2 minutes. Then she took over, finishing with a game-high 22 points that came from drives as well as midrange jumpers.

“Those are the hardest players to guard, the ones who can do both,” Fortier said.

The Cougars (19-2 overall, 9-1 in the WCC) also changed the game, going big and getting five blocks from 6-foot-6 post Sara Hamson and 10 rebounds from forward Lauren Gustin.

While Harding had stopped the bleeding, Gonzaga couldn’t in a brutal third quarter that saw the Zags manage just one field goal – on 12 shots – and only three points.

By the end of the period, BYU had its first lead of the game (39-38) and all the momentum.

“We wanted to maintain our emotional control, but we lost that,” Fortier said. “We didn’t force them into their weak hand and we kind of had a total meltdown in the third quarter.

“I didn’t have the answers for the players,” Fortier added after the Zags blew a double-digit lead – and the game – for the fourth time this season.

“It was a little disappointing,” said forward Yvonne Ejim, who finished with nine points and six rebounds. “We came out with the momentum and lost it.”

The Bulldogs came out quickly in the first quarter, taking a 20-10 lead. The lead reached 15 at halftime thanks to a 25-14 advantage on the boards and a 7-for-11 shooting effort from long range.

BYU, however, owned the boards in the second half 27-13.

Gonzaga was led by senior Melody Kempton, who had 10 points and seven rebounds. Guards Cierra Walker and Kayleigh Truong scored nine each.

A win would have given the Zags a two-game lead in the WCC standings; instead they’re tied with BYU in the loss column and face a daunting rematch on Feb. 19 in Provo, Utah.

“They’re a very talented team,” Fortier said of the Cougars.

The loss to the 16th-ranked Cougars also cost the Zags a chance at a win over a top-tier team, something that’s eluded them . Considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament by most bracketologists, GU didn’t help its at-large prospects should it fail to get an automatic berth.

Gonzaga is at home again Monday against San Francisco in a game originally scheduled on Dec. 30 but postponed by COVID-19 protocols.