Gonzaga women face pesky Saint Mary’s as another shot with No. 10 BYU looms
The biggest game of the year is only three days away, but the Gonzaga women are focused on Saint Mary’s.
And they should be.
The Gaels just took No. 10 BYU to the wire, just as they did a few weeks earlier against GU. That makes it easier for coach Lisa Fortier and her staff to keep the players’ attention fixed on Thursday night’s home game against the Gaels.
That doesn’t mean the Zags can avoid thinking ahead to Saturday, when they visit BYU for a game that will probably decide the West Coast Conference title.
“We’re trying not to think about it, because we don’t want to ignore Saint Mary’s,” senior forward Melody Kempton said before practice on Wednesday.
With five games left in the regular season, the Zags are 20-5 overall and 11-1 in the WCC. Despite that gaudy record, the Zags are sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
On Monday, ESPN bracketologist Charlie Crème had the Zags as one of the last four teams in, facing a First Four game as a No. 13 seed. CollegeSportsMadness.com offered a slightly better projection: a No. 10 seed and a first-round matchup with Arkansas in a foursome hosted by UConn.
In another encouraging sign, GU is ranked 26th in the NCAA’s Net rankings.
“Sure, we look at that,” Kempton said. “We try not to, but you can’t not look at it – it’s the NCAA Tournament.”
As much as the Zags want some payback on Saturday, the last thing they can afford is a slipup against a lower-ranked team.
That almost happed last weekend at San Francisco. Trailing by six points with 49 seconds left, the Zags never quit and managed to win on a buzzer-beating layin by Kempton.
“You just can’t give up in those games, no matter how hard it looks,” Kempton said. “So we just kept grinding.”
More hard work is ahead. The Zags end the regular season with five games in 10 days, starting with Saint Mary’s.
“They’re really good,” said Fortier, who reminded people that Saint Mary’s has a history of knocking off GU even in some of its best seasons.
“Everybody wants to make a big deal out of certain rivalry,” Fortier said without needing to utter “BYU.”
The Gaels are 12-12 overall and 6-7 in the WCC after an 84-69 home loss to BYU. The game was far closer than that, as Saint Mary’s trailed by only three points going into the fourth quarter.
Last month in Moraga, California, the Gaels trailed GU by just one point going into the fourth quarter. GU went on to win 66-53.
Forward Ali Bamberger leads the Gaels overall with 15.6 points and 9.1 rebounds a game, which ranks second in the WCC. She also has a team-high 16 blocks and 16 steals this year.
The Zags are 13-4 against Saint Mary’s since Fortier took over the program in 2014.
The Zags are averaging 40.3 rebounds a game and a 10.1 rebound margin, which ranks eighth in the nation and first in the WCC.
GU is among the most balanced scoring teams in Division 1, with Kempton, Yvonne Ejim and Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong each averaging between 10 and 11.2 points.
Thursday marks the Zags’ annual Pink Game. Fans are encouraged to participate by wearing pink apparel.