Feb. 23, 2006

Box Score

SAN DIEGO - The Gonzaga University Bulldogs (15-13, 10-3 WCC) won their fifth straight game on Thursday night with a 58-51 decision over the University of San Diego (8-18, 3-10 WCC) at Jenny Craig Pavilion. With the win and a Loyola Marymount University win over Santa Clara University earlier in the evening, the Bulldogs moved into a three-way tie for first place in the WCC standings with one game remaining.

Trailing 51-50 with 1:02 remaining, Gonzaga continued to work the ball into the low post drawing fouls against a much smaller USD line-up. The Bulldogs hit 9-of-10 from the line over the last 1:02 to score the final nine points of the game and walk away with their third straight road win. Stephanie Hawk hit four of the final free throws as she finished a dominating performance with 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. She was 7-of-7 from the line. Juliann Laney also knocked down three free throws and Ashley Anderson added two in the last minute of action.

The two teams played a balanced first half knotting the score at 29-29 after the opening 20 minutes. Senior Anne Bailey came off the bench to score all 10 of her points for the Bulldogs while Kelly Winther led USD with 9. Winther would lead the Toreros with 14 for the game as they were limited to just 31 percent shooting from the field.

The lead changed hands four times in the second half with Sabine Loewe giving USD its final lead on a pair of free throws with 3:18 left. The Toreros would miss their final seven shots of the game. Tiara Harris added 12 points for San Diego in the loss.

Gonzaga used its low post and mid-range game effectively for the second straight game as the Bulldogs finished with one 3-point basket for the second straight game. Jami Bjorklund drained it for GU as part of her 13 point, 7 rebound night.

Gonzaga travels to the University of San Francisco for a Saturday afternoon game against the Dons at 2 p.m. With a win Gonzaga would finish with at-least a tie for their second straight WCC regular-season championship. The Bulldogs will host the West Coast Conference Tournament starting next Thursday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.