Gonzaga women march on, beat Colorado 64-55 to reach WBIT quarterfinals
The 34th game of the season Sunday for the Gonzaga women’s basketball team played out like a microcosm of the year.
The Zags struggled early, but once they got going, especially on defense, the improvement was discernible.
Gonzaga scored nearly as many points in the third quarter as it did in the first half, opening a lead they would protect in a 64-55 victory over the No. 1 seed Colorado Buffaloes in a Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament second-round game at CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado.
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs (24-10) move on to the WBIT’s quarterfinals and travel to No. 2 Minnesota (22-11) on Thursday.
Tipoff is at 5 p.m. PDT.
Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier called a timeout 2:43 into the game with her team trailing 10-2.
“The first couple of possessions we weren’t defending personnel like we were supposed to or least what we thought would be most effective,” Fortier said. “We let their good shooters get to open spots. The message at that timeout was we need to do a much better job because they were getting easy shots.”
The Zags responded, going on a 12-4 surge to pull even at 14-14.
“We knew they had some players who could make some tough shots,” Fortier said. “We wanted to make sure we limited the easy ones. After that we were a little more dialed in with their personnel.”
After Colorado’s early success, Gonzaga followed with two baskets from Yvonne Ejim, including a steal and layup that allowed Gonzaga to open its biggest lead in the first half at 21-16 with 7:32 to go in the second quarter.
Colorado responded, taking a 23-21 lead. A 3-pointer from Claire O’Connor gave the Zags the lead at 26-25, and that would stand until halftime.
Colorado went scoreless the final 4 :02 of the first half and Gonzaga went scoreless the final 3:47.
The Zags missed five straight and were 2 of 11 in that stretch.
Freshman point guard Allie Turner hit the first of three 3-pointers early in the third quarter, then she added her 100th of the season to give the Zags the lead for good at 39-36.
“Our team did a good job of finding something that worked,” Fortier said. “And then when we found something that worked and stuck with it. (The third quarter) was a great quarter for us.”
Turner’s third 3-pointer extended the lead to 47-38 moments later. A midrange jumper from Ejim gave the Zags their first double-digit lead at 49-38 with 2:21 to go in the third.
Gonzaga led 51-42 going into the fourth. The Zags made 9 of 17 shots from the field in the third with five 3-pointers.
They finished with 18 assists to just 12 turnovers.
“The best thing that our team does is we don’t look for credit. We share the ball and find whoever makes the most sense,” Fortier said. “We played tough at elevation.”
Ejim had her 39th career double-double, 14th of the season, with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Turner matched the 15 points and added five assists and four rebounds.
Turner now has 101 made 3-pointers, the Zags’ single-season record. She eclipsed the mark set by Brynna Maxwell (96) last season.
“It was really big to win at elevation,” Turner said. “We knew it was going to be a hard game, and this team was seeded higher than us. We didn’t start well, but we rallied behind each other.”
Ejim praised her teammates for withstanding Colorado’s pressure.
“To handle that gives us a little bit of confidence,” Ejim said. “It also gives us a boost of energy knowing that we can take on tough opponents.”
Colorado finishes the season 21-13.
“I thought we got some good looks that didn’t fall like maybe normally they do,” said former Gonzaga assistant and Colorado coach JR Payne said. “I also think they’re (the Zags) really, really long, contest shots very well on the perimeter. Inside, things were pretty contested.”