Gonzaga University
4-0
Montana State
2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| MONTANA STATE BOBCATS | 18 | 29 | 47 |
| GONZAGA BULLDOGS | 46 | 54 | 100 |
Women's Basketball Pounds Montana State 100-47
11/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2008
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Gonzaga University women's basketball team was firing on all cylinders Friday evening, dominating Montana State University with a 100-47 win at the McCarthey Athletic Center in front of 2,593 Bulldog faithful. The Zags improved to 4-0 on the season and have now won 13-straight at home, while the Bobcats were dealt their first loss of the season and are 2-1.
"I am really proud with our team's effort tonight," said head coach Kelly Graves. "This was as good as effort as we have had here. We executed great on both ends of the floor."
It was one of the best all-around performances by a Bulldog women's squad. The Zags hit 43-of-87 from the field, both of which tied single-game school records. The last time Gonzaga made 43 field goal attempts was against Saint Martin's on Dec. 17, 1988 and the last time it attempted 87 shots was against Warner Pacific on Jan. 3, 1990. The Zags also finished with 67 rebounds; one rebound shy of the single-game school record.
The all-around spectacular game started from the tip as Gonzaga ran out to a 14-2 advantage just four minutes into the contest. The Bulldogs hit 6 of their first 10 shots, while holding the Bobcats to just one field goal on six attempts.
Montana State didn't break into double-digit points until 13 minutes into the half when Bobcat Sarah Strand sank one-of-two free throws to put the lopsided score at 32-10.
Gonzaga went into the locker room with the 46-18 advantage.
"I was very pleased with our start tonight," explained Graves." We came out focused and made it a point to start out well."
Junior Heather Bowman nearly outscored Montana State in the first half, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Courtney Vandersloot was also two assists shy of having a double-double at halftime. Vandersloot scored 12 points and dished out eight assists in the first twenty minutes.
"Bowman and Courtney played another solid night of basketball," said Graves of the reigning West Coast Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year. "Courtney ran the offense well, pushed the ball up the floor and Bowman also worked hard underneath. She is coming back to form day-by-day."
The Bulldogs showed just as much fire in the second half as they did in the first. Gonzaga opened the final half outscoring Montana State 30-13 over the first ten minutes to hold an impressive 43-point lead at 74-31.
Gonzaga hit the 100 point plateau for the second time this season on a Jumper by junior Tiffanie Shives with 40 seconds remaining in the contest. It is the first time since the early 80's the Bulldogs have scored 100 points in two or more games.
Bowman led all scorers with 25 points. Vandersloot added 19 points and dished out a career-high 13 assists for her second-straight double-double. Freshman Kelly Bowman dominated on the boards for the Zags, grabbing a career and game-high 11, including six of which were offensive.
As a team Gonzaga had 24 assists, 12 steals and eight blocks. The Bulldogs limited the Bobcats to 29 rebounds and forced them to turn the ball over 19 times.
Montana State was led by Katie Bussey and Lyndi Seindensticker who had 15 and 12 points, respectively. Seindensticker, a Spokane native who attended Lewis and Clark High School, tied her career high in points.
Gonzaga will play in its sixth game in 10 days when it travels to Laramie, Wyo., Sunday for a contest against the University of Wyoming. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
