Gonzaga University
7-1
Virginia
5-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzaga | 36 | 33 | 69 |
| Virginia | 31 | 31 | 62 |
Women's Basketball Upsets No. 15/16 Virginia, 69-62
11/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2008
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Heather Bowman scored 18 points to lead Gonzaga University to a 69-62 upset over No. 15/16 University of Virginia on Sunday in the WBCA Classic. The win secured the Bulldogs the WBCA Classic title.
The victory against Virginia was the first over an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) school in three tries and the second-ever over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs only other win over a top ranked team was Nov. 24, 2006 when they defeated then-No. 19 UCLA 62-57 at the Rainbow Wahine Tournament.
Kelly Bowen and Janelle Bekkering added 15 points each for the Bulldogs (7-1), who won two out of three games in the tournament hosted by Marquette University.
It was a career-high for Bowen, who was 5-for-7 from the floor, including a 2-of-3 on three-pointers. Bekkering, who added seven boards, hit two crucial 3-pointers in the second half, including one at the 9:47 mark of the second half that ultimately helped the Zags pull away from the Cavaliers at 53-46.
The Cavaliers (5-2) were led by Monica Wright with 26 points and Aisha Mohammed with 16.
Virginia led several times in the second half, and Wright's basket put the Cavaliers ahead 46-44. But Bowman scored shortly after to give the Bulldogs the lead for good at 48-46.
Gonzaga led 36-31 at halftime.
Bowman posted her second double-double of the season as she added 10 boards to her 18 points. She also had one steal and one assist in a team-high 38 minutes of action.
The Zags victory was even more impressive as it was without star point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who scored a career-high 32 points in the first game of the tournament against Marquette. Vandersloot sprained her ankle in the second half of Gonzaga's game against Utah yesterday and sat out today.
Sophomore Tatriana Lorenzo took over the point guard duties for GU and finished with six assists, only two turnovers, along with two steals and two rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Bowman and junior Vivian Frieson were both named All-Tournament.
