Box Score Netitor -
Nov. 23, 2015 Final Stats | Postgame Interviews (Video)
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Jill Barta scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the second half guiding the Gonzaga women's basketball team to a 70-44 win over Grand Canyon in the 2015 Naismith Hall of Fame Women's Challenge Monday.
The Zags (4-1) won their third straight game behind a trio of double-digit scorers. Barta finished 4-of-7 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. The freshman has scored in double-digits in four of her first five collegiate games. Kiara Kudron added 14 points, while Emma Stach made 5-of-6 from the field with 12 points.
In the first-ever meeting between the programs, it was Grand Canyon that got off to the early lead. The `Lopes led twice by four points, including 12-8 with 2:48 remaining in the first quarter. GU countered with an 8-0 run and did not trail again.
Gonzaga closed the second quarter on an 11-2 run and led 33-20 at halftime. The Bulldogs' largest lead was 30, twice in the fourth quarter.
The Zags shot 48 percent from the field in the second half, including 60 percent in the third quarter. GU held Grand Canyon to 19 percent from the field in the second half. Gonzaga had a 40-32 rebound advantage and a 32-14 edge in the paint.
Shelby Cheslek had three blocks and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for the Bulldogs. Dana Jones led GCU (2-3) with eight boards. The `Lopes' Courtney Hayes dished out a game-high six assists and Kudron had four for Gonzaga. Jones and Hayes led Grand Canyon with 12 and 11 points.
The Bulldogs face Southern California (3-0) Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Challenge. Grand Canyon and West Virginia will be the final game of the Challenge in Spokane at 8 p.m. Gonzaga completes the tournament against North Carolina in Uncasville, Conn., Sunday.
Postgame quotes
Thoughts on game ...
Another good team effort, hard game to play after a hard fought win yesterday but we rallied, I didn't like the way we finished up and we were doing some uncharacteristic things on offense but overall we came away with a win.
On the difference between the first and second quarters ...
Their pressure a little bit got us flustered and we weren't working the ball around for good shots on the offensive end, we weren't getting a lot of offensive rebounds, which allowed them to come back and attack us on the defensive end.
