Feb. 28, 2004

Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Gonzaga University women's basketball team finished the regular season tied for second place in the West Coast Conference, earning the No. 2 seed in the WCC Championships with a 55-53 win over University of San Diego on Saturday evening. The Bulldogs remain tied with Pepperdine University, each with a 10-4 conference record.

Gonzaga (17-10, 10-4 WCC) was led by Shannon Mathews with 16 points who hit the last five points of the game. The Bulldogs also featured junior Ashley Burke and senior Anne Bickelhaupt with 10 points each.

San Diego (6-21, 1-13 WCC) was led by Marta Menuez and Melissa Padgett with 14 points each, followed by Brandi Collato with 12 points.

The game started slowly with Gonzaga limiting San Diego to only three points in the first nine minutes of the game. The Toreros nearly caught the Bulldogs at 9-8 with 9:58 to go, but Gonzaga took off with an 11-0 run for a 20-8 lead. San Diego attempted to cut the lead by exchanging points with the Bulldogs, but Gonzaga held onto a nine-point lead at the half, 31-22.

San Diego came back onto the floor with a tough attitude, starting the second half with an 11-0 run. The Toreros then matched the Bulldogs shot for shot all the way until Collato hit a three-pointer for San Diego to bring the Toreros ahead, 51-50, with 3:42 on the clock. Menuez hit her two free throws to give San Diego a three point advantage, but Mathews closed the gap to one with a jumper. Polly Dong missed a jumper for the Toreros, giving Mathews another opportunity for the quick two points and the 52-51 lead. Mathews hit the jumper and ended the game with a free throw for the two point lead, 55-53.

Gonzaga shot 44 percent from the field (22-for-50) with only one more rebound than San Diego (20-19). The Toreros shot only 38 percent from the field (18-for-47), with 20 turnovers for the night.

Gonzaga owns the tiebreaker against Pepperdine due to the Bulldogs' 70-54 victory over Loyola Marymount on Jan. 10. The Waves were unable to claim a victory over LMU during the season.

Gonzaga will receive a first and second round bye, making their first appearance in the WCC Championships on Saturday, March 6.