Gonzaga women earn one more shot at No. 15 BYU for WCC championship
LAS VEGAS – Please, folks, can’t we just enjoy the moment?
The Gonzaga women had just punched their ticket to the West Coast Conference title game Monday afternoon when coach Lisa Fortier got the inevitable question: How stressed-out were you going into this one?
Considering that the Zags needed to beat San Francisco to get off the NCAA Tournament bubble, Fortier’s answer raised a few eyebrows.
“I don’t know, I don’t feel the pressure, I just show up to the games,” Fortier said after the Zags did just that and beat the Dons 69-55 at the Orleans Arena.
“Somewhere along the line I’ve just moved it out of my mind and try to focus on right now,” she said. “As soon as you get excited and overvalue the NCAAs, you tend get tight and struggle, and as a coach I haven’t had success with that.”
Fortier’s message was to enjoy the moment, but that didn’t fly with some members of the media.
The questions then turned to Tuesday’s title game against tournament favorite BYU, which beat Portland 59-52 in the other semifinal. Questions followed in rapid succession – about what went wrong in two earlier losses and how GU can stay with the uber-talented Cougars.
The first question got right to the point: How to beat a team that’s outscored you 105-54 in the last six quarters and recently handed you the program’s worst loss in 10 years?
On top of that, this may be the best team in BYU history. The Cougars are 26-2, ranked 15th in the polls and brimming with confidence after taking the WCC regular-season title away from the Zags.
BYU struggled against Portland on Monday, but afterwards BYU sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzales was full of confidence regarding the Zags, Selection Sunday and whatever comes after that.
“We’re going to go into the NCAA Tournament and do some damage,” Gonzales said. “We’re really excited for that, and to make it to the Final Four.”
The gauntlet thrown down, Fortier and her players didn’t flinch – perhaps because the Zags had just relieved some of that pressure simply by beating USF.
Embracing a rare underdog role, Fortier tried to embrace the reality of “having a different challenge, because they are the team with all the talent. That’s what makes it fun.”
That’s why we’re here, right? To have fun?
Pressed for more details, Gonzaga forward Yvonne Ejim said the Zags will “have to stay consistent, zoned in on defense, making sure that we take care of the player we’re defending.”
“Good defense spawns good defense,” Fortier said while noting that Gonzales and guards Paisley Harding and Tegan Graham all present threats to drive or shoot from distance.
“We’re just excited to play them again,” guard Kaylynne Truong said. “The good thing is we get to face them again.”
And enjoy the moment.