Gonzaga Zags Top Seed; Open WCC Tournament Play March 11

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  • TerpZag
    Zag for Life
    • Feb 2007
    • 15193

    Gonzaga Zags Top Seed; Open WCC Tournament Play March 11

    WBB: Zags Top Seed; Open WCC Tournament Play March 11

    Bulldogs secured top seed for third-straight season


    SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The West Coast Conference has announced the brackets and game times for the 2019 University Credit Union WCC Basketball Championships at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The tournament will begin with a women's opening round match-up at 12:00 p.m. PST on Thursday, March 7 and continue through the championship game on Tuesday, March 12. All games will be televised live nationwide, and will be streamed online.

    With a new format at the 2019 edition of the championship, Thursday, March 7 features first round games on both the women's and men's sides. Seeds 7-10 will play in the tournament's first day beginning with the women's session at 12 p.m. and the men's session at 6 p.m.

    Friday, March 8 will see seeds 5-6 enter the competition with the women's session again beginning at 12 p.m. followed by the men's session at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 9 introduces seeds 3-4 with third round games beginning at 1 p.m. following the Saturday morning Hall of Honor ceremony at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.

    There will be no games on Sunday, March 10, and the tournament resumes with women's and men's semifinals on Monday, March 11. The two champions will be crowned on Tuesday, March 12.

    Gonzaga secured its third-straight number one seed in the tournament and its 13th regular-season title in the last 14 seasons with a 16-2 WCC record. BYU earned the second seed with a 15-3 conference record. Both secured byes into the semifinal round on Monday, March 11.

    Pepperdine and Saint Mary's each finished with identical 12-6 records, but the Waves earn the third-seed due to a tiebreaker with a season-sweep against fifth-seeded Loyola Marymount. The Lions and Pacific also tied with each going 10-8, but LMU earned the fifth-seed thanks to its 1-1 record against BYU.

    Santa Clara (seven), Portland (eight), San Francisco (nine) and San Diego (10) round out the women's bracket and will start tournament play on Thursday afternoon in the first round.

    For the sixth straight year, every game from the 2019 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Championships will be nationally televised. Twelve games can be seen live in well over 60 million homes nationwide via cable and satellite on BYUtv. Those games - including eight women's games and the first four men's games - will also be streamed live on TheW.tv, the West Coast Conference's digital platform.

    On Tuesday, the women's championship game will be shown nationwide at 1 p.m. on ESPNU. All ESPN Networks telecasts can also be seen live on WatchESPN.

    The winner of the 2019 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Championships will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

    Thursday, March 7
    FIRST ROUND

    Women's Game 1: No. 8 Portland vs No. 9 San Francisco, 12 p.m. (BYUtv, TheW.tv)
    Women's Game 2: No. 7 Santa Clara vs No. 10 San Diego, 2 p.m. (BYUtv, TheW.tv)

    Friday, March 8
    SECOND ROUND

    Women's Game 3: No. 5 Loyola Marymount vs Game 1 Winner, 12 p.m. (BYUtv, TheW.tv)
    Women's Game 4: No. 6 Pacific vs Game 2 Winner, 2 p.m. (BYUtv, TheW.tv)

    Saturday, March 9
    THIRD ROUND

    Women's Game 5: No. 4 Saint Mary's vs Game 3 Winner, 1 p.m. (BYUtv, TheW.tv)
    Women's Game 6: No. 3 Pepperdine vs Game 4 Winner, 3 p.m. (BYUtv, TheW.tv)

    Monday, March 11
    SEMIFINALS

    Women's Semifinal: No. 1 Gonzaga vs Game 5 Winner, 12 p.m. (BYUtv, TheW.tv)
    Women's Semifinal: No. 2 Brigham Young vs Game 6 Winner, 2 p.m. (BYUtv, TheW.tv)

    Tuesday, March 12
    CHAMPIONSHIPS

    Women's Championship Game, 1:00 p.m. (ESPNU, WatchESPN)

    Gonzaga Article Link
  • TerpZag
    Zag for Life
    • Feb 2007
    • 15193

    #3
    Women's Teams Look To Rise To The Occasion


    By John Crumpacker
    #WCChoops Columnist


    LAS VEGAS - In preparing to face No. 8 Portland in the first round of the West Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament on Thursday, San Diego head coach Cindy Fisher would be wise to consider what the Pilots did on the last day of the regular season.

    With nothing particular to play for in terms of seeding for the WCC tourney, the Pilots (13-16, 5-13 WCC) nevertheless put the hammer down on No. 3 Pepperdine (19-10, 12-6 WCC) at the Chiles Center and won going away, 85-63. Such a game as this falls under the “on any given day’’ category.

    “We didn’t finish as strong as we started,’’ Waves coach DeLisha Milton-Jones said. “That’s always a tough game (for us). Last year the same scenario played out. I don’t know what it is. It’s disappointing but it’s also good because it’s a little bit of humble pie. We’re good, but we’re not that good.’’

    Portland (13-16, 5-13 WCC) vs. No. 9 San Diego (9-20, 2-16 WCC) marks the start of the 2019 WCC Tournament at noon on Thursday at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas in the first of 18 games that will determine women’s and men’s champions on March 12th. While the Toreros defeated USF in the last game of the season, a grim streak of 15 consecutive losses will be hard to put aside as the tourney begins.

    At 2 p.m., No. 7 Santa Clara (13-16, 6-12 WCC) takes on 10th seed San Francisco (6-23/2-16), finishing off a disappointing season under coach Molly Goodenbour in which the Dons managed to beat only San Diego and Pepperdine in conference play.

    Although Gonzaga earned the No. 1 seed with a sterling season record of 27-3 overall and 16-2 in conference, the Zags nonetheless were swept by No. 2 BYU (23-6, 15-3 WCC) for the only blemishes on their schedule. The difference in seeding came when the Cougars dropped three in a row to Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine and Saint’s Mary’s before rattling off six consecutive victories to end the regular season.

    “I think it’s going to be a dogfight,’’ said Milton-Jones, whose Waves do not play until the quarterfinals on Saturday. “The WCC is a tough conference. Now, we’re under the same roof fighting for the same thing. It’s going to be intense. It’s an exciting time. All the players should look forward to it.

    “The team to beat is still Gonzaga.’’

    In Thursday’s opener, Portland and San Diego both rely on offensive balance. Seniors Julie Spencer (15.4) and Darian Slaga (14.3) are joined by freshman Haylee Andrews (11.6) to account for the bulk of the Pilots’ scoring. The Toreros are even more balanced on the offensive end with Patricia Brossman (11.3), Madison Pollock (11.1) and Leticia Soares (10.2).

    The matinee between old rivals Santa Clara and USF features a pair of players in the top seven in the WCC in scoring in Dons’ senior Shannon Powell (15.6) and Broncos’ junior Tia Hay (15.3), the only player in the conference whose first and last names have three letters each.

    The winners on Thursday move on to Friday’s second round, in which No. 5 Pacific (17-11, 10-8 WCC) takes on either Portland or San Diego while No. 6 Loyola Marymount (17-13, 10-8 WCC) will play either Santa Clara or USF.

    While Gonzaga and BYU clearly established themselves as the two best teams in the conference, results from teams finishing from third to fifth indicate that vulnerabilities exist. Even Portland, 5-13 in conference play, is capable of rising to the occasion.

    WCCSports Article Link

    Comment

    • TerpZag
      Zag for Life
      • Feb 2007
      • 15193

      #4
      No. 9 San Francisco (76) def. No. 8 Portland (69)

      WBB | Youth Steps Up to Carry Dons Past Pilots in WCC Tourney

      San Francisco 76 - Portland 69 Final Game Stats



      No. 7 Santa Clara (63) def. No. 10 San Diego (59)

      Big Fourth Quarter Puts Women's Basketball Over San Diego

      Santa Clara 63 - San Diego 59 Final Game Stats

      Comment

      • seacatfan
        Zag for Life
        • Feb 2014
        • 11740

        #5
        LMU rolled over USF 66-45.

        Comment

        • seacatfan
          Zag for Life
          • Feb 2014
          • 11740

          #6
          Pacific ran away from Santa Clara down the stretch 76-60.

          Comment

          • CG3Dad
            Kennel Club
            • Nov 2017
            • 317

            #7
            Originally posted by seacatfan View Post
            LMU rolled over USF 66-45.
            Both lower seeded teams ran out of gas in the fourth


            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

            Comment

            • TerpZag
              Zag for Life
              • Feb 2007
              • 15193

              #8
              No. 5 Loyola Marymount (66) def. No. 9 San Francisco (45)

              Lions Advance to Quarterfinals After 66-45 Win Over USF

              Loyola Marymount 66 - San Francico 45 Final Game Stats



              No. 6 Pacific (76) def. No. 7 Santa Clara (60)

              Season Ends for (Santa Clara's) Women's Basketball With Loss to Pacific

              Pacific 76 - Santa Clara 60 Final Game Stats

              Comment

              • TerpZag
                Zag for Life
                • Feb 2007
                • 15193

                #9
                Crumpacker: Women's Second Round Recap

                By John Crumpacker
                WCC Columnist


                As coaches whose teams lost in the second round of the West Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament, Molly Goodenbour and Bill Carr know the significance of playing 18 league games. Every game counts.

                “The 18 games we play in conference are very valuable because you want as much rest as possible in the tournament,’’ Carr said.

                “You get your seed based on what you accomplished during the year,’’ Goodenbour said. “We were a nine. We were in a tough position.’’

                On Friday at the Orleans Arena, 5 Loyola Marymount beat 9 San Francisco 66-45 to move on to Saturday’s quarterfinals vs. 4 Saint Mary’s while 6 Pacific put an end to 7 Santa Clara’s season with a 76-60 win. The Tigers now take on 3 Pepperdine.

                While Pacific tries to catch some rest after playing on Friday, the Waves come in rested as the No. 3 seed receiving a bye into the quarterfinals. The teams split during the season, Pacific prevailing 78-67 in Stockton and Pepperdine holding court in Malibu 96-76.

                Asked what the Tigers need to do to be successful against Pepperdine, sophomore guard Valerie Higgins said without hesitation, “Shut down the league MVP. She’s an amazing player.’’

                That would be senior forward Yasmine Robinson-Bacote, the WCC’s Player of the Year. She led the conference in scoring at 20.0 per game, with single-game highs of 47, 35 and 31. She also averaged 7.5 rebounds and recorded 22 blocks.

                “They’re fueled by Yasmine,’’ Pacific coach Bradley Davis said. “We have to be dialed-in defensively. We have to slow down and harass (her). She’s a great player. It’s going to be a tall task, but we’ll be ready.’’

                Not that tall. Robinson-Bacote is a modest 5-foot-11. It’s fair to say she plays above her height as the force that drives the Waves, who finished 19-10 and 12-6 in conference.

                In the other quarterfinal, Saint Mary’s likewise comes in rested after posting a similar 19-10 mark and 12-6 in the WCC, losing out to Pepperdine on a tiebreaker for the third seed. The Gaels present a balanced offense with forwards Sydney Raggio (12.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Megan McKay (12.6, 7.4).

                “Saint Mary’s is a tough team,’’ LMU’s Jasmine Jones said. “We have to rebound. Saint Mary’s crashes (the boards) hard. We just have to play hard. The team that plays the hardest wins.’’

                Saint Mary’s and Loyola Marymount split during the season, each winning at home: Saint Mary’s 86-82 and LMU 69-56.

                “There is no team in the conference not capable of beating any other team,’’ LMU coach Charity Elliott said. “Saint Mary’s is a tough opponent. They run a system and they run it well. It’s going to be a formidable challenge. It’s March. Anything can happen.’’

                As proof, this is What We Learned from the second day of the tournament:

                1. It helps to have a bench, even if it’s a truncated one. Pacific suited up nine players and needed nearly all of them. With Santa Clara refusing to go away in a tight third quarter, Davis sent in reserve guards Kaylin Randhawa and Lianna Tillman. They both gave the Tigers a needed boost late in the third period and into the fourth. Tillman hit a 3-point shot followed seconds later by a put-back by Randhawa at the third period buzzer, giving Pacific a 54-48 lead going into the fourth. Randhawa finished with nine points, Tillman seven. “They gave us a lift, energy-wise,’’ Davis said.

                2. While Pepperdine has its Yasmine, LMU has its Jasmine. A starter at forward for the Lions, Jasmine Jones came up huge vs. USF with 15 points and 14 rebounds as three of her teammates followed her in double-figuring scoring. Jones also had 3 steals, 2 assists and 1 block. “We were totally determined to keep fighting and play for each other,’’ Jones said. “You don’t want this to be the last time playing.’’

                3. To that end, LMU limited Santa Clara to 25 points in the third and fourth periods while putting up 43 to establish a comfortable lead. Bronco Lauren Yearwood, who was a presence in the post with 10 points in the first half, was held to just four points in the second half. As Jones said, “Defense is key.’’ LMU scored 15 points off turnovers and 16 on second-chance shots, indicative of a team willing to do what’s necessary to win.

                WCCSports Article Link

                Comment

                • TerpZag
                  Zag for Life
                  • Feb 2007
                  • 15193

                  #10
                  No. 4 Saint Mary's (70) def. No. 5 Loyola Marymount (38)

                  WBB | SMC Advances to WCC Semifinals With 32-Point Win over LMU

                  Saint Mary's 70 - Loyola Marymount 38 Final Game Stats



                  No. 3 Pepperdine (87) def. No. 6 Pacific (84)

                  Waves Advance to WCC Hoops Semifinal for First Time Since 2010

                  Pepperdine 87 - Pacific 84 Final Game Stats

                  Comment

                  • TerpZag
                    Zag for Life
                    • Feb 2007
                    • 15193

                    #11
                    Crumpacker: Women's Third Round Recap


                    FIVE QUESTIONS WITH YASMINE ROBINSON-BACOTE

                    By John Crumpacker
                    WCC Columnist


                    It was an afternoon of contrasts as the West Coast Conference women’s tournament moved into the quarterfinal round on day three at the Orleans Arena.

                    No. 4 Saint Mary’s, coming in fresh with a bye into the third round, had an easy time of it against 5 Loyola Marymount, overwhelming the Lions 70-38 to advance to Monday’s semifinals vs. top seed Gonzaga.

                    That rout was followed by something riveting as 3 Pepperdine saw a 15-point lead turn into a 2-point deficit late in the game against 6 Pacific. The Tigers, down 53-38 early in the third period, came all the way back and led 83-81 with 2:02 to go.

                    The Waves responded with baskets from WCC Player of the Year Yasmine Robinson-Bacote, Barbara Sitanggan and Deezha Battle to take an 87-84 lead with 0:25 left. That stood up for the win as the Tigers missed two 3-point shots in the final 18 seconds.

                    Pepperdine moves on to the semifinals against second seed BYU on Monday.

                    “First and foremost, Pacific was a very good team, a tough opponent,’’ Pepperdine coach Delisha Milton-Jones said. “They showed tremendous will. Whatever Pacific showed, we matched it or exceeded it. Today’s game was a battle. We knew it would be.’’

                    The teams split during the season, Pacific winning at the Spanos Center 78-67 and Pepperdine handling the Tigers easily 96-76 at Firestone Fieldhouse.

                    “Keys to winning have always been to defend, rebound and run out,’’ Robinson-Bacote said. “We got away from that. This is a game of runs and they went on a tremendous run. We got back to our principles.’’

                    In contrast, LMU was never in its quarterfinal with Saint Mary’s as it scored 4 points in the first period, 10 in the second, 14 in the third and 10 in the fourth. The Lions hit on only 12 of 54 shots for 22.2 percent as opposed to 25 of 55 for the Gaels.

                    For Saint Mary’s, Madeline Holland had 18 points while Megan McKay contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds. LMU’s leading scorer was Jasmine Jones with 12.

                    Asked if the game as it played out from a player’s perspective looked as easy as it did from the stands, McKay said, “I think so. It was fun. We turned those nerves into positive energy. We turned it into a good time.’’

                    Coach Paul Thomas said, “I think we played some very capable defense tonight. All our kids did a good job of understanding who they were guarding. LMU did not shoot the ball well.’’

                    LMU coach Charity Elliott said she did not see such a performance from her team a day after it beat San Francisco 66-45 to advance to the quarterfinals.

                    “First of all, this was certainly nothing anyone of us expected,’’ she said. “It’s disappointing. We did not have the same sense of urgency or fight. Give credit to Saint Mary’s. They were laser-focused. It’s very disappointing for our team and our program.’’

                    LMU senior guard Andee Velasco was an emotional presence after the game, pausing in mid-sentence to compose herself in a press conference.

                    “I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself,’’ she said. “It’s really emotional right now. I stand with my teammates. I stand by my girls. I stand by my coach. I’m proud of what we’ve done.’’

                    WCCSports Article Link

                    Comment

                    • TerpZag
                      Zag for Life
                      • Feb 2007
                      • 15193

                      #12
                      Zags Face Saint Mary’s in WCC Tournament Semifinals Monday

                      Will be the eighth time GU has faced SMC in the conference tournament


                      No. 14/12 GONZAGA (27-3) vs. SAINT MARY'S (20-10)
                      MARCH 11 | 12 P.M. | LAS VEGAS, NEV. | THE ORLEANS ARENA


                      WATCH: theW.tv
                      RADIO: KJRB 790 AM/94.1 FM
                      WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS


                      THE TIP-OFF
                      - Gonzaga and Saint Mary's meet for the 72nd time in program history and the eighth time at a neutral site in the WCC tournament. GU holds a 6-1 overall mark against the Gaels at a neutral site, and a perfect 4-0 record against SMC in Las Vegas.
                      - The Bulldogs have won six of the last seven meetings including the last two straight. In the last six wins, GU has scored an average of 72.7 points per game while limiting the Gaels to 64.5 points per game. Of the last seven meetings, two games have been decided by five points or less, while four games have been decided by 10 points or more.
                      - Gonzaga led the WCC in 20+ point victories over conference opponents during conference play. So far this season, the Bulldogs have won by 20 or more points 10 times during conference play. Saint Mary's is the next closest program with five victories over WCC programs by 20 or more points. Every program in the WCC except San Diego and San Francisco have at least one win over a conference opponent by 20 or more points.
                      - The Bulldogs currently lead the WCC in six categories: Scoring defense (57.3 ppg, 35th nationally), scoring margin (+16.5, 13th nationally), field goal percentage defense (.370), three-point field goal percentage (37.7%), rebounding defense (31.5 rpg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). The Zags also rank second in seven categories: free throw percentage (75.0%), field goal percentage (45.9%), three-point field goal percentage defense (29.2%), rebounding margin (+6.4), steals per game (9.3), turnover margin (+3.6) and offensive rebounding percentage (.377).
                      - Gonzaga is ranked for the 13th-straight week after entering the polls at No. 24/22 on Dec. 3. Following wins at Pacific (Jan. 31, 63-51) and at Saint Mary's (Feb. 2, 66-52), Gonzaga moved up to No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Zags' No. 12 ranking is the highest in either poll in program history. This week, the Bulldogs fell to No. 16 following wins at Santa Clara (74-61) and at San Francisco (64-44).
                      - Gonzaga eclipsed the 20-win plateau with its 63-51 victory at Pacific on Jan. 31. It marks the 14th time in program history that the Bulldogs have won at least 20 games; the Zags have eclipsed the 30-win game only once. During the 2010-11 season when the Bulldogs advanced to the Elite Eight, Gonzaga finished with a program-record 31 wins with a 31-5 overall record.
                      - With its 24th win on Feb. 24 against Santa Clara, this season's squad becomes the 13th in GU history to reach at least 24 wins on the season. It also marks the third straight season and 12th of the last 13 seasons that the Zags have had at least 24 wins on the year.
                      - With Gonzaga's win over Loyola Marymount on March 2, the Bulldogs secured their 15th regular-season WCC title after having won the WCC 1988, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15, '17 and '18.

                      INSIDE THE SERIES
                      Overall: 72nd meeting; Gonzaga leads 43-28
                      In Spokane: 22-10| In Moraga: 15-17| N(eutral): 6-1
                      Current Streak: Gonzaga, Won 2
                      Last Meeting: Gonzaga defeated Saint Mary's 66-52 in Moraga on Feb. 2.
                      Series Notes: Gonzaga and Saint Mary's meet for the 72nd time in program history.
                      - Monday will mark the 12th time the two programs have met while Gonzaga has been nationally ranked. The Bulldogs are 9-2 overall when facing the Gaels as a nationally ranked program; the Zags are currently on a four-game win streak when facing SMC as a nationally ranked program, defeating Saint Mary's by an average of 11.0 points per game.
                      - Out of the last 39 meetings, Gonzaga has won 32. The Bulldogs put together a 17-game win streak from 2004-11 and allowed the Gaels just one streak of two wins.

                      SCOUTING SAINT MARY'S:
                      - The Gales are fresh off a 70-38 quarterfinal victory over Loyola Marymount in the WCC Tournament. Saint Mary's shot 45.5 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Lions 53-26. Four players finished in double-figures for the Gaels, led by 18 points from Madeline Holland. Megan McKay (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Sydney Raggio (10 points, 12 boards) finshed with double-doubles while Sam Simons added 10 points and five assists.
                      - Saint Mary's is 20-10 overall on the season and secured the No. 4 seed and a bye to the quarterfinal round with a 12-6 overall conference record.
                      - As a team, the Gaels average a league-leading 76.1 points per game shooting a conference-best 48.2 percent from the floor. The Gaels also lead the conference in rebounding margin (+8.0), assists per game (16.2) and defensive rebounds per game (28.6).
                      - Four players average double-figures for the Gaels while three players shoot ovver 50 percent from the floor. First Team All-WCC performer Sydney Raggio leads SMC with 12.8 points per game shooting 51.8 percent from the floor while fellow First Team All-WCC selection Megan McKay adds 12.7 points shooting a league-leading 60.7 percent. Sam Simmons adds 11.2 points shooting 51.0 percent while Jasmine Forcadilla contributes 10 points per game shooting 48.2 percent from the floor.
                      - Raggio and McKay also lead the team in rebounding, hauling in an average of 8.8 and 7.5 boards per game, respectively.
                      - In the last meeting, the Bulldogs defeated SMC 66-52 in Moraga, Calif., on Feb. 2, dominating the Gaels inside with a 34-26 advantage in the paint. GU limited Saint Mary's to 32.7 percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers. Four Zags finished in double-figures, led by 14 points from Jenn Wirth; Jill Townsend added 12 points while Katie Campbell and LeeAnne Wirth added 10 each.

                      ZAGS IN THE WCC TOURNAMENT
                      - The Bulldogs secured the No. 1 seed for the 13th time in program history when they clinched the outright WCC regular-season title with a 68-58 win over Loyola Marymount on March 2. Santa Clara has been the number one seed five times, the next highest total.
                      - The Zags are 26-4 all-time as the No. 1 seed.
                      - Gonzaga has reached the title game 11 times as the No. 1 seed and has never won the championship as anything but a No. 1 seed. Since the tournament moved to Las Vegas in 2009, Gonzaga has won seven of the 10 titles.
                      - Gonzaga is 28-17 all-time in the WCC tournament with eight titles in 13 finals appearances. The Bulldogs won their first tournament title in 2007 with a 64-47 win over Loyola Marymount; including the win in 2007, Gonzaga has won eight of the last 12 WCC tournament titles including the last two straight.
                      - The Bulldogs are currently on a six-game win streak in the WCC tournament.
                      - Lisa Fortier is 7-2 all-time in WCC tournament games with title-game appearances in two of her first four seasons (2017, 2018). Fortier carries a 2-0 record in WCC tournament title games.
                      - In GU's 13 title game appearances, it has faced every WCC opponent except San Francisco and Pacific.
                      - vs. BYU (1-1)
                      - vs. LMU (1-1)
                      - vs. PEPP (1-0)
                      - vs. POR (0-1)
                      - vs. SMC (1-0)
                      - vs. USD (2-1)
                      - vs. SCU (0-1)

                      ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
                      - For the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2011, three Bulldogs earned first team all-WCC accolades. Zykera Rice, Laura Stockton and Chandler Smith each picked up First Team All-WCC honors for the first time in their careers.
                      - Head Coach Lisa Fortier picked up her fourth career WCC Coach of the Year honor. It marks the fourth time in her first five years she's earned the award, extending her own WCC record. Last season, Fortier set the record of three honors in her first four seasons.
                      - Jill Townsend rounded out the All-WCC honors with an honorable mention nod, the first of her career.

                      SPEAKING OF AWARDS...
                      - Five Zags earned WCC Academic All-Conference honors, led by Chandler Smith with her second straight All-Academic Team honor. Zykera Rice, Katie Campbell, Jill Townsend and Jenn Wirth all picked up All-Academic Honorable Mention nods.

                      FORTIER NAMED NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR LATE SEASON CANDIDATE
                      - On Feb. 27, Lisa Fortier was named one of 15 nominees for the Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Late Season Candidate.
                      - Fortier is one of just two coaches with fewer than 10 years experience as a head coach. Both Fortier and Carolyn Kieger of Marquette are in their fifth year as a head coach.

                      KEEP AN EYE ON...
                      - Zykera Rice is currently 24 points shy of eclipsing 1,000 career points. The senior has 977 total points, with 427 coming this season. That's 43.7 percent of her total career points in one season, and counting.
                      - Katie Campbell is three treys shy of moving into 10th place for three-point field goals in a single season. Currently, she has 55 made threes on the year, two shy of Shannon Mathews' 57 made threes during the 2004-05 season. Jessica Malone owns the top three spots with 90, 78 and 77 made threes during the 2001-02, 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons, respectively.
                      - Laura Stockton currently sits in third all-time in career assists with 458; it doesn't look like she has a chance to surpass Shannon Mathews (600 career assists), but it does look like she has a shot to surpass Mathews on the single-season assists list. Currently, Mathews claims the 10th spot with 141 assists during the 2003-04 season. Stockton currently has 126 assists this season, and she's averaged 4.8 assists over the last four games.
                      - Sophomore Jenn Wirth currently ranks second in field goal percentage in a single season. Wirth has converted 79-of-141 attempts to shoot 56.0 percent. In her 23 games played, that's an average of 3.4 made field goals per contest. Her 56.0 percent shooting ranks second in the conference.

                      SECOND IN THE NATION IN ATTENDANCE PERCENT CAPACITY
                      - The Gonzaga women's basketball team currently ranks second in the nation in attendance percent capacity at 93.74. This season, the Bulldogs have averaged 5,625 fans per game of the 6,000 seats in McCarthey. This season alone, Gonzaga has had four sellouts of 6,000: vs. No. 8/7 Stanford on Dec. 2; vs. Santa Clara on Jan. 24, vs. BYU on Feb. 16 and vs. Loyola Marymount on March 2. Since McCarthey opened in 2004, the women's basketball team has recorded 31 sellouts.

                      DUAL SUCCESSES
                      Both the women's and the men's basketball programs are thriving this season. Currently, the combined wins between the women (27) and the men (29) are the highest combined wins between programs in the nation with 56. Belmont is the next closest with 52 combined wins while Mississippi State (51) and Kentucky (50) each have at least 50 combined wins.

                      1. Gonzaga 56
                      2. Belmont 52
                      3. Mississippi State 51
                      4. Kentucky 50
                      5. New Mexico State 49
                      6. South Dakota State 48
                      Buffalo 48
                      Baylor 48
                      9. Marquette 47
                      Stony Brook 47

                      Gonzaga Article Link

                      Comment

                      • ZAGS ATTACK BASKET
                        Zag for Life
                        • Feb 2016
                        • 1514

                        #13
                        Her we go again SM up 7-0. Put in Jill.

                        Comment

                        • ZAGS ATTACK BASKET
                          Zag for Life
                          • Feb 2016
                          • 1514

                          #14
                          Off timeout LS take a 3 and misses are you kidding me CLF. We need to rebound better.

                          12-8 SM 2nd 3 ball made by SM. Took out Jill she was the only one doing anything.

                          Whats CLF taking out her best player today Jill she stole ball a couple of times, and rallied the team. CLF bad decision took out Jill St. Mary's goes on a run what a surprise.

                          CLF better get it together SM outplaying ZAGS mean while Jill still on bench with no fouls.

                          Coast to coast layup by Holland no defense Jill was on the bench.

                          Lee Wirth long bomber missed.

                          SM up 18-14 end of 1st quarter. If ZAGS want to win this game I would keep Jill in for the rest of the game. SM was clearly the better team on matches in 1st quarter.

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                          • ZAGS ATTACK BASKET
                            Zag for Life
                            • Feb 2016
                            • 1514

                            #15
                            25-16 SM. Zags cold as ice. Katie not taking no shots. Zags can't but a bucket.

                            27-16 SM not looking good. Zags playing scared. Zags not even guarding SM wide open shots. SM lead boards by 9.

                            McCoy and Raggio out muscling ZAGS.

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