By Matt Breach
Special to GoZags.com
SPOKANE, Wash. - One by one, Gonzaga players climbed the ladder to snip a piece of the net and secure a small keepsake from a championship season. They exchanged hugs and high-fives, posed for pictures and even danced a little.
It was a celebration, to be sure, but nothing over the top. That's in part because the Bulldogs captured the West Coast Conference title well in advance of their regular-season finale. But largely, it's because this has become so darn customary for the Zags.
Gonzaga capped another dominate run through the WCC with a 59-56 win over Portland on Thursday night at the McCarthey Athletic Center. It was the Bulldogs' 15th conference win against just one loss.
Want an even more impressive number? How about nine? As in the number of consecutive conference championships Gonzaga has collected. Eight of those, including this season's, have been outright titles. No sharing here.
"Nine in a row is amazing, I don't care what sport, what league," Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves said. "When you win a championship nine years in a row, and especially like we did ... that's significant. I'm really proud and I'm really happy for (my players), they should enjoy this."
The Bulldogs have simply dominated the West Coast Conference during their nearly decade-long reign, piling up an astonishing 120-10 record against conference foes. That includes three undefeated seasons. This year marked the third time during that span the Zags dropped just one conference game.
Gonzaga's championship streak is unmatched in WCC history. The only school to come close to equaling that type of success - and it really isn't all that close - is Santa Clara. The Broncos won four straight titles beginning in 1991.
"It feels great - nine straight titles," Gonzaga senior Taelor Karr said. "It feels great to celebrate with my team. It's awesome."
But the Bulldogs' run isn't just unprecedented when stacked up against their conference peers. It is equal to or, in some cases, greater than just about anything any other school across the country has done. The list below, littered with some of the game's premier programs, shows where the Zags' streak ranks in the history of women's college basketball.
1) Louisiana Tech, Sun Belt and WAC, 15 in a row from 1993-2007
2) Stanford, Pac-12, 11 in a row from 2002-12
3) Chattanooga, Southern, 11 in a row from 2000-10
4) Stanford, Pac-12, 10 in a row from 1989-1998
T5) Gonzaga, West Coast, nine in a row from 2005-13
T5) Marist, Metro Atlantic, nine a row from 2005-13
T5) Liberty, Big South, nine in a row from 1998-2006
T5) Connecticut, Big East, nine in a row from 1994-2002
Only Gonzaga, Stanford and Marist have active streaks. Stanford, a team Zag fans know well, can seize their 12th straight crown on Saturday with a win at Washington State.
"Nine in a row, that's something," Graves said.
Indeed, and it's not just impressive when comparing Gonzaga with other women's programs. Few men's teams have been able to win at this rate. The Gonzaga men, of course, won 11 straight WCC championships from 2001-11 while UNLV claimed 10 consecutive Big West titles in the 1980s and early 90s.
The gold standard in all of college basketball, though, is the UCLA men. Led by legendary coach John Wooden, the Bruins won 13 straight conference crowns in the 1960s and 70s. Even more impressive, they snagged 10 national championships in a 12-year period, including seven in a row.
That's some pretty heady company the Bulldogs are keeping. Which means those little souvenirs and subdued celebrations, even if they are expected, are still meaningful.
"It was important that we keep the legacy going," Gonzaga senior Meghan Winters said. "I know all the alumni will be really proud of us."
Who knows? The alumni might even celebrate themselves. They should know how by now.
