Lady Zags Ready To Hit The Hardwood In 2016-17 Against Corban

[TerpZag]

Zags Ready To Hit The Hardwood In 2016-17 Against Corban

Exhibition game for both teams


Nov. 3, 2016


Corban Game Notes (11/3)#

Gonzaga (0-0) vs. Corban (3-0)
6:00 p.m. | Friday, Nov. 4 | McCarthey Athletic Center
Live Stats | Live Video


BACK ON TOP THE MOUNTAIN
- For the fourth-straight season, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team was picked as the West Coast Con-ference preseason favorite. The poll was announced at the sixth annual #WCChoops Tip-Off event Monday in Los Angeles. The Zags, which have won 11 of the last 12 regular-season WCC titles, received five of the 10 possible first-place votes for 76 points in the poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team. BYU was picked second and received four first-place votes and 75 points. It marked the fifth time GU and the Cougars were the top two teams in the poll since BYU joined the conference in 2011. The one-point separation is also the second closest margin between first and second in the poll over the last 11 years. BYU had a 61-60 edge over the Bulldogs in the 2012-13 poll, before Gonzaga won the conference regular-season title for the ninth-straight season.


TINKLE TWICE AS NICE
- In the preseason All-Conference selections, Elle Tinkle received the recognition for the second-straight season, as she only played 10 games last year before suffering a season-ending injury. She was named to the All-WCC First Team in 2015 after averaging 14.9 points per game during conference play, which was ninth in the WCC. In conference action, the senior was second in the league, shooting 50.6 percent from the field, and 43.8 percent from behind-the-arc, which was fourth in the WCC. Also in conference play, she was fifth in steals (2.1), seventh in blocks (1.0), ninth in three-pointers made per game (1.9), and 16th in rebounds (5.9). In her 10 games last year she averaged 10.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per contest.


BARTA’S BACK
- Jill Barta, a 2016 First Team All-WCC and WCC All-Freshman team selection, received her first Preseason All-WCC nod. Last year, she averaged 14 points per game, good for seventh in the WCC. The 6’3” freshman also snagged 5.8 rebounds per game, which was 18th in the conference. Barta shot 83 percent from the free throw line, third in the WCC and 61st in the country. She really shined in WCC action, finishing third in points per game (16.3), first in free throw percentage (91 percent), and ninth in field goal percentage (44 percent). In the Gonzaga freshman ranks, only Tammy Tibbles (475) scored more points than Barta’s 463 and only Heather Bowman (209) had more rebounds than Barta’s 190. She was the first freshman to lead the team in scoring in school history. She led the team in scoring in 18 of the 33 games last season...


WAITING PATIENTLY
- For redshirt senior Makenlee Williams and redshirt sophomore Chandler Smith, last year was a helpless feeling. Per NCAA rules, the two transfers had to sit out a year, and watch as the injuries caused the Zags to draw on underclassmen, when Williams and Smith had the experience the team wanted on the court. The two will make an immediate impact this season. Williams averaged 11.1 points per game in three sea-sons at Utah State and made 107 career three-pointers. She averaged over 14 points per game her final two seasons with the Aggies and scored 35 points against Black Hills State in 2013. Smith had a great finish to her freshman season at Nebraska in 2014-15, and had seven points and seven rebounds at No. 5 Mary-land in 2015.


10 YEARS OF KNOWLEDGE
- The Zags will lean heavily this season on the experience of their two five-year seniors. Kiara Kudron and Elle Tinkle have played a combined 203 games for the Zags. Kudron has averaged 4.8 points and 4.2 re-bounds per game in her career, but averaged 6.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg a season ago in her first year in the start-ing lineup. She is a career 44 percent shooter with 94 career assists and 32 blocks. Tinkle only played 10 games last season, but has started 39 games the last two years. She has played 110 games total and is a career 42 percent shooter who has averaged double figures in points the last two seasons.


LENGTH, LENGTH, LENGTH
- Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier loves her teams to hang their hats on defense, and this year’s team could be one of the best. The 13 players on the active roster average six feet in height, and eight of the players measure above six foot. Of those eight, six of them are forwards and guards and can extend the game offensively and defensively. Of the projected starters, Jill Barta, Elle Tinkle, and Kiara Kudron all measure taller than six foot two inches in height.


STOCKED IN SOPHOMORES
- With the rash of injuries last season, Gonzaga’s freshman, now sophomores, were rushed into heavy ac-tion early in their careers. The five-player sophomore class returns this year with a combined 134 games of experience between them. As a group they averaged almost 35 points per game in their freshman sea-sons. That experience will pay dividends in the depth of the Zags in 2016-2017.


NON-CONFERENCE CHALLENGES AWAIT
- In their scheduled non-conference slate, the Zags will face four opponents that advanced to the postsea-son in 2015-16, including two that made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. Five of the programs had top-100 RPI finishes last season, and six had .500 or better records. Four upcoming opponents had 20-win sea-sons in 2015-16. The Bulldogs travel to Stanford on Nov. 18. The Cardinal won 27 games last season, fin-ishing in the Elite Eight. Stanford, which finished ranked No. 11, escaped Spokane with a victory last season courtesy of a late run. The Zags open the Paradise Jam tournament against WNIT semifinalist, Michigan, before facing Florida State, which advanced to the Sweet 16 last season. Gonzaga closes the event versus Winthrop from the Big South Conference. Stanford (AP No. 11 & USA Today No. 10) and Florida State (AP No. 12 & USA Today No. 12) are both ranked in the national preseason polls. On the conference side, BYU is receiving votes in the AP Poll and Gonzaga, Michigan, and BYU are receiving votes in the USA Today Poll.


CHEESEBURGER, TURKEY IN PARADISE
- Gonzaga will play in the 2016 Paradise in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The three-day tournament takes place Nov. 24-26 at the 4,000-seat UVI Sports and Fitness Center. This will be the second time GU has played in the Paradise Jam. The Bulldogs lost all three of their games in the 2005 tournament. Gonzaga battled with perennial powers Maryland, Tennessee and Michigan State in that event. The games will stream online exclusively at www.FloHoops.com.

Gonzaga Article Link

[SkipZag]

Thanks Terp... Always good info.

I have been checking out the Facebook posts the last couple of weeks... And wondered how they chose who to represent the days leading up to tomorrow's game. The last 5 days were ZR, LS, JB, ET, and KK. Made me start to think how that would be for a starting lineup. I know ZagDad liked JB at the 3... how about ET at the 2 with KK and ZR under the basket. Throw in CS at 1... we would have 6', 6'1", 2-6'2", 6'3". EW gets health... 6', 2-6'2", 6'3", 6'5". How's that for a little length. ��

Tomorrow will be fun to see what the coaches do.

Go Zags!!

[ZagDad84]

Hi Skip:

I do like JB at the 3 but it won't happen tomorrow and maybe not at all. I assume EW will still be nursing her knee, and Elle has traditionally played the 3, so I think JB will play the 4. My best guess is that LF will start LS, ES, ET, JB and KK tomorrow. I personally would start Mac over ES, but I don't think LF will do so at least for tomorrow. I would expect that the substitutions will come fast and furious tomorrow with entire line-ups potentially changed as the coaching staff tries to find out the best combination of players. I would expect Mac to come in very early and if LS plays like she did at fan fest, CS or JL could also come in very early. The team only has tomorrow's exhibition and two OOC games next week until they play Stanford, so they need to figure their line-ups out in a hurry. LS, ES, ET, JB and KK all played together last year, are well experienced and should play well together.

I don't think the 4's and 5's will begin to be sorted out until EW gets back full time. Thus, I expect JB will be playing the 4 until EW is ready to start. Once EW gets in full swing, it would be fun to see JB try the 3 spot to see how she would do against what typically would be a considerably shorter although maybe quicker player. She may not have the speed to hang with a 3 but it would be fun to see. However, with our "glut" of players that can play the 2-3, JB may be regulated to the 4 spot all year. Next year the Wirth twins having the height to play the 3-4 could free up JB, if they are ready to play but that is next year.

I really want to see "Z" get some time at the 4-5. Things just seem to happen when she is in the game. She needs some seasoning on "D" but the pre-season is the time to get it and I think we will need her athleticism and attitude in the paint against Stanford, Florida State and Michigan.

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

Just noticed that Corbin has already played three (3) games and has won them all, two of them by large margins. Don't believe that means they are going to challenge the Lady Zags, but having 3 game victories under their belt why we have not played a game may impact the beginning of the game.

Checking the Corbin roster, one freshman at 6'-5", two players at 6'-1" and everybody else is under 6".

Less than 24 hours to go.

ZagDad

[ZagOD7540]

I hope the lady Zags have a new song this year. The "Space Jam" tune has got to go! Get rid of Bugs Bunny and let the girls pick a better song to warm up to. This is big girl basketball...not 8 year old YMCA.

[TerpZag]

Lady Zags lead Corban 33-14 with 4:57 left in the 2nd quarter...

[TerpZag]

Jill Barta already with 15 points...

[TerpZag]

Lady Zags lead at the half 41-21...

Barta finished the half with 15 points and 6 rebounds to lead Gonzaga...

[Virginia Zags Fan]

The Ladies look good for their first game action. Good hustle and good decisions for the most part. IMHO deepest team in a while. Jill Barta is a scoring machine. Love Z. Rice's hops, hustle and upside.

Something I am watching for: Last year it seemed the ladies would roll for a while and then not be able to score for stretches. Saw it a little at CITK last month. I want to see if they can keep it going for the entire game.

So far, Huge improvement for the team so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TerpZag]

Lady Zags are on a 13-0 run to start the 3rd quarter...54-21...

[TerpZag]

Lady Zags go on 15-0 run before Corban scores...Zags lead 60-24 with 2 minutes left in the quarter...

[TerpZag]

Lady Zags lead 68-24 at the end of the 3rd quarter...Barta with 21 points and 8 rebounds...

[TerpZag]

Kiara Kudron now with a double-double...10 points and 10 rebounds...

[TerpZag]

Gonzaga wins the game 86-31...

Jill Barta finishes with 21 points and 8 rebounds...

Zykera Rice, Laura Stockton and Kiara Kudron all scored 10 points tonight...

[Virginia Zags Fan]

Solid effort start to finish. Lisa and the staff had the ladies motivated and ready. Excited for Nichols next week!


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[Zaglaw]

Barta looked great, as I expected, but I'm most excited by our guard play. We have 3 good point guards! Stockton was, well Stockton - solid. Chandler Smith looked really good and we are blessed to have her in a Gonzaga uniform. But I was most impressed by Jesse Loera - not that she was better than the other 2, but she seemed completely unphased to be a freshman playing in her first game. Very solid play, smooth moves, nice shots and assists. So happy to have these point guards. Overall, we look good at every position and very deep. Can't wait for Emma W to get on the floor.

[Virginia Zags Fan]

Barta looked great, as I expected, but I'm most excited by our guard play. We have 3 good point guards! Stockton was, well Stockton - solid. Chandler Smith looked really good and we are blessed to have her in a Gonzaga uniform. But I was most impressed by Jesse Loera - not that she was better than the other 2, but she seemed completely unphased to be a freshman playing in her first game. Very solid play, smooth moves, nice shots and assists. So happy to have these point guards. Overall, we look good at every position and very deep. Can't wait for Emma W to get on the floor.

Agree with all Zaglaw. Guard play makes such a difference. Jesse L. is so quick and just has a solid presence. I thought Emma S' defense was super. There will be very little drop off from backcourt starters to subs.


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[sylean]

team looked fantastic....just fantastic....every combination seemed to work....

don't understand the ES starting at all but at least the substitutions were plentiful...

where to start....JB hit 3 threes IIRC to start the game...a steal..too.....very strong player...I liked her passes too and she blocked out well ....

Grace impresses me....she really does....she was so winded at Fan Fest and she looked like she had more stamina tonite....and she is not afraid to shoot!.....what a blessing.....and if she gets the ball deep, she just turns an shoots a short little jump.....good recruiting coaches....

and Jesse....so fast, so confident...good shooter....another blessing...

Z was knocking them dead.....Chandler is so smooth...Mak fights like a tiger....Laura S good leadership....Kiara was a beast on the boards and she has got this little 10-12 foot jumper down...Zhane can hit the 3's as well as anybody...

Elle is EVERYWHERE....disrupting passes....steals....she is always in the mix....right there, with her back, this team notched up a whole lot...

I know I probably am leaving things out but overall, team looked very fast, very quick, passing well, everyone looking for their shot....heads up and you can really really tell they are very competitive....they all want playing time.....sometimes that's not so good but sometimes it keeps every body buying in and competitive....

we seemed to always go for a quick shot...I think 2-3x they let the clock wind down....big improvement in that area...

the players just seem to be in sync....hope it continues....

.

[Zaglaw]

Agree Sylean. Also, Grace had excellent passes into the post. Karnowski-like.

[SkipZag]

Fun night for all...

ZagDad, you called the starting lineup. I think it will be the same all year.

The strength will come from the bench... Many players to come in without a fall in play.
As time goes on, I hope they keep the 2s and 3s together in rotation as with the 4's and 5's.
Blessed with 3 - 1s. Chandler played 1 thru 4.
Defense was good... But not challenged. Much better teams ahead.
Loved the rhythm of the game. Like the old days...including running plays. Scoring was good inside and out.

Players... Jesse.. Wow. Chandler... Smooth. Z... Brings another dimension. Wolf... Can't wait for her return. Elle... The heart of the team. Kiara... The fight in the team. Jill... Solid. Emma... hustle. Zhane... Becoming a very good player.
And Laura, quietly running the team.

And last, it was great watching the players on the bench coming out of their seats when one of their teammates made a great play.

Go Zags!!

[sylean]

as the games get harder, we'll see who shakes out...still think the starting five is not quite right....but it will be....I just like so many of these players its tough to choose..



onto next week....

[ZagDad84]

ZagDad, you called the starting lineup. I think it will be the same all year.

The strength will come from the bench... Many players to come in without a fall in play.
As time goes on, I hope they keep the 2s and 3s together in rotation as with the 4's and 5's.
Blessed with 3 - 1s. Chandler played 1 thru 4.
Defense was good... But not challenged. Much better teams ahead.
Loved the rhythm of the game. Like the old days...including running plays. Scoring was good inside and out.

And last, it was great watching the players on the bench coming out of their seats when one of their teammates made a great play.

Go Zags!!

Thanks Skip. Given enough chances, even I can get one or two right. Despite the calls to the contrary, Emma S. along with Elle are the teams best defender. So far no other #2 has even come close. Mac looked all out of sorts tonight. Chandler did fine but nothing spectacular on defense. Zhane, please, she was chasing her player two steps behind most of the night. Emma S. had her issues (a couple of travels, a couple of bad passes and poor shooting) tonight but her defense is not a problem. Compare the stats of Emma S and Zhane tonight. Zhane was 2-3 overall and from 3 while Emma S was 1-5 overall and 1-4 from 3. Emma had 4 turnovers and Zhane had none. However Zhane had no rebounds, no assists and no steals and played poor defense. Other than shooting Zhane brought nothing to the game. Emma S. played great defense, had 3 rebounds and assist and a steal. Emma S. will continue to start due to her defense and intangibles. However, when Emma W. comes back, don't be surprised to see Elle at the 2, Jill at the 3, KK at the 4 and Emma W at the five. If Jill can't stay with the 3, I would expect that Jill will stay at the 4 and KK will come off the bench.

For the game, first half about as expected. Corban, with 3 games under their belt, ran their offense and GU looked disjointed. If the lady Zags don't hit 7 3's in the first half, this game is relatively close. In particular, we only had a 27-21 lead in rebounds. Corban only has two players at 6'-1" and everybody else under 6'. Rebounding is a test of wills; who wants in more. In the first half, Corban did and that is not acceptable. Sloppy defense, poor rotation and did not block out for rebounds. Thank the man upstairs for Jill or the Zags would have looked pretty silly in the first half.

Give LF and her team some serious Kudos for her halftime speech. The girls came out with intensity and determination and stepped up the pressure on defense leading to turnovers and fastbreak points, GU outscored Corban 45-10 in the second half. We out rebounded them 20-2 in the second half and forced 17 turnovers as opposed to committing only 7 ourselves. Second half was for the vast majority of the game extremely well played.

As far as the players go, Jill was typical Jill. 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. What more can you say. KK was outstanding. 5-6 shooting, 10 rebounds and a block. She looked very comfortable on the court. This is the KK we needed last year. "Z", only shot 5-7, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steels. She brings energy and attitude. Great Job. LS had a very good game, 50% shooting, 5 assists 3 steals and no turnovers. Very nice game. Elle showed what we were missing last year. While she only shot 2-8, she was everywhere disrupting plays, getting rebounds, knocking balls loose and get steals. Mac looked all out of sorts tonight. Poor shooting (1-6) and 4 ticky-tak fouls in only 14 minutes. I am sure next Saturday cannot get here fast enough for her. Zhane shot well, 2-3 from 3 put did little else of note. Chandler played well for her first game. Shot reasonably well (2-5), got 3 rebounds, had an assist and played point very well for a while tonight. She is extremely versatile and I expect we will see her anywhere from 1-4 as the need arises. Great addition to the team. Grace looked very slow and timid in the first half, but in the second half, she looked transformed. 3-8 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a block in 14 minutes. Good job. Need to pick up the speed on defense but you had a helluva first night. Welcome to the Zags. Finally, my player of the game was Jesse L. she shot 3-5 including mid-range jumpers and left handed lay-ups, 3 assists and a steal in only 12 minutes. Plus she played that tenacious defense for which she is known. She looked like a seasoned veteran instead of a first game freshman.

Perhaps the best stat of the night, LS played 23 minutes and KK played 24, nobody else played more than 20. Knowing we have quality team members as back-ups means hopefully a team that doesn't need their players to be on the court 30-40 minutes per game. Well rested players will make the difference in the 4th quarter. Remember how many games we lost in the 4th quarter last year. With any luck, this year will be different.

The games will get harder and the opposing players, faster, bigger and stronger requiring the ladies to pick it up. But for a first game against a team with 3 victories under their belt, not bad at all. Already looking forward to next weekend.

ZagDad

[TerpZag]

Zags Roll In Exhibition Over Corban

Bulldogs hold Warriors to 10 second-half points


Nov. 4, 2016

Final Stats

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga Bulldogs won their lone exhibition tune-up for the 2016-2017 season in convincing fashion on Friday night, defeating visiting Corban (Ore.) 86-31 in front of 5006 fans in the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Jill Barta came out firing hitting her first two threes, and she led the Zags on the night with 21 points on seven-of-nine shooting, going three-of-four from three, to go with eight rebounds. Kiara Kudron was there in support with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Laura Stockton scored 10 points, had five assists, and zero turnovers as she got the start at point guard. Zykera Rice came off the bench to score 10 points to be the fourth Zag in double figures. Gonzaga shot 50% from the field in the game and held Corban at 21% and only 10 points in the second half.

“I think we played well tonight. It was a good experience being back out here in the Kennel,” Barta said.

“She knows how to score that’s for sure. I love having her on our team and I expect a lot of games like that from her,” Stockton said when asked of Barta.

Gonzaga outscored Corban 46-10 in the paint, 36-6 off turnovers, 16-3 in second-chance points, 10-0 in fastbreak points, and 34-8 in bench points. Gonzaga won the battle of the boards 47-23 and forced 27 turnovers while only giving it away 13 times.

Corban hung relatively close early, trailing 22-11 with two minutes left in the first quarter. The Zags doubled that lead by halftime with a 41-21 advantage. The third quarter is where the separation happened as the Zags used the quarter as an extended 27-3 run to put the Warriors well in the rearview. Gonzaga outscored Corban 18-7 in the fourth quarter and got all 12 players into the game with 11 playing double-digit minutes.

“I liked our overall intensity, I think we did a good job of creating our offense off of our defense,” Gonzaga third-year head coach Lisa Fortier said. “I think we need to do a better job of maintaining our defensive intensity throughout. The third quarter we held them to three points, but the second quarter we were playing like we were going through the motions.”

For Gonzaga next up is the real deal, they officially kick off the 2016-17 season by hosting Nicholls State next Saturday night, November 12 at 2 pm. Live stats and live video are available at GoZags.com, and the game is live on air on the Gonzaga IMG Radio Network Magic 790 KJRB AM.

Gonzaga Article Link plus Photo Gallery and Interview Video Links

[ZAG 4 LIFE]

I too was very impressed with Jesse Loera... nice looking player.
Definitely the quickest of the point guards, good passer, good midrange,
and best defender... need to find some minutes for her.

[Zag365]

for the "play-by-play" and "commentary." For those of us in markets where game is not on radio or TV this is really helps us get a feel for the team.