Difference makers: Familiar foe Shaylee Gonzales gives Zags trouble in Sweet 16

SHAYLEE GONZALES

An old nemesis of Gonzaga from her years at BYU, the second-year grad transfer stuck it to the Zags one last time. A two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year, she hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half to help stake the Longhorns to a 19-point halftime lead, then hit two more big shots in the second to help stifle Gonzaga’s third-quarter rally. Playing all 40 minutes, Gonzalez went 3 for 5 on 3-pointers and scored 15 points. She also had three rebounds and four assists.

BRYNNA MAXWELL

The Utah transfer had a solid outing in her final game as a Zag, finishing with 13 points. Her 3-point shot sparked a third-quarter rally that got the Zags within 12 points, and she contributed to a defense that held Texas second-team All-America guard Madison Booker to eight points, less than half her season average of 16.8.

TURNING POINT

Four minutes into the game, the Zags were finding their groove and led 7-4. Almost that quickly, things began to unravel in the face of an aggressive Texas defense. During the next 9-plus minutes, Gonzaga got decent looks but couldn’t finish on several 3-point attempts. At the other end, Texas began to find the range on the way to a 10-0 run, and things only got worse from there. By halftime, the Zags had made just three field goals and trailed 37-18.