Gonzaga women make up for last year’s early exit, beat Nebraska 68-55 in first round of NCAA Tournament
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sometimes it’s good to dwell on the past.
It’s been a year since the Gonzaga women were upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by underdog Belmont, and no one has forgotten.
That memory went a long way to boost the Zags on Friday afternoon, as they beat Nebraska 68-55 to advance to the second round of the NCAAs.
“Coming off of that loss last year, we were all ready immediately after that to come back to the tournament,” senior Melody Kempton said after the game. “So we’ve been waiting for this moment for a while.”
The coaches knew it, too.
“We were trying to stay steady, but it was bubbling under the surface,” coach Lisa Fortier said. “Our players really wanted to win the game.”
So does everyone else, but the Zags (27-6) were a focused bunch – in the paint, in transition and on the boards – as they won their first NCAA game since 2019.
Up next is a Sunday encounter with host Louisville, the top seed in the Wichita Region. The Cardinals beat No. 16 seed Albany 83-51 in the day’s second game at the KFC Yum! Center.
Louisville will be a solid favorite, but the ninth-seeded Zags are peaking at the right time.
Their winning formula hasn’t changed, and for the second time in as many games, they executed the plan.
In a game that was fast-paced and physical, Gonzaga outrebounded the Cornhuskers 40-33, held them to 32% shooting and outscored them 32-18 in the paint.
It didn’t hurt that Nebraska star Jaz Shelley sat on the bench for two long stretches because of foul trouble.
The game didn’t start well. The Cornhuskers (24-9) led by as many as five points in the first quarter and 16-14 when it ended after making 4 of 7 shots from long range.
Thirty seconds into the second quarter, Eliza Hollingsworth drained a 3-pointer to give GU the lead.
Nebraska answered with two more 3s to briefly retake the lead, but Truong and Yvonne Ejim sparked a 7-0 run and the Zags led by as many as six before settling for a 33-30 advantage at halftime.
The Bulldogs took control out of the gate in the third quarter with a pair of layups and a Kempton bucket to push the margin to 39-30.
Guard Sam Haiby sparked a rally that got the Huskers within five, but they got no closer.
Kempton, who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, closed the third quarter with back-to-back baskets to give the Zags a 54-43 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
“I’m just really proud of the defensive effort they had, but also that big third quarter when Nebraska made a push and our team responded,” Fortier said.
“If you can do that consistently, then you’re going to be a tough out every time.”
More rallies came in the fourth quarter. Alexis Markowski sank a 3 to pull Nebraska within 59-52 with 5½ minutes left, but Gonzaga answered with a 9-0 run to put the game away.
Kempton and Yvonne Ejim scored 14 apiece for Gonzaga, which shot 46.4% from the field.
Moments later, the GU locker room was filled with shouting as Fortier walked in.
“They were very excited in the locker room, and I think that you always are,” Fortier said. “Again, a different team than we had last year, but the players that were around and did experience it, I think are very, very much preferred this to what happened last year.”
