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SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Gonzaga women's basketball team cruised past UC Riverside in the opening round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament, 88-54, Thursday.
The Zags (19-13) matched their season-high scoring output and had their best shooting percentage (56.1) in the last two seasons. GU made 32 of its 57 shots from the field, including 10-of-22 from behind-the-arc. The Bulldogs also made 14 of their 17 free-throw attempts.
Jill Barta recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The freshman was 6-of-9 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Three other Zags reach double-digit scoring. Zhané Templeton matched her career-high with 16 points. The freshman made three of her four three-point shots. Chelsea Waters also made three three-pointers and scored a career-high 11 points. Laura Stockton finished with 10 points and a game-high five assists.
The Highlanders led 3-0 and 6-5 early in the game, but their leads totaled only 37 seconds. Gonzaga led 41-30 at halftime and dominated for the majority of the game.
The Bulldogs outrebounded UCR, 44-23, and had a 47-2 advantage in bench points. GU also had a 34-18 scoring advantage in the paint. UC Riverside's 54 points were its second-lowest output of the season. It entered the game averaging 78.6 points per game, which was 12th in the nation.
The Highlanders' 32 percent shooting from the field was their second-lowest percentage of the season. UCR was 4-of-16 from the three-point range and 12-for-16 from the free-throw line.
Rejane Verin led UC Riverside (23-9) with 17 points. She made 6 of her 13 shots from the field. Brittany Crain and Simone DeCoud contributed 13 and 11 points.
The Zags move on to the second round of the WNIT and will face the winner of Friday's Montana State and Utah matchup. The second round game will be at Gonzaga Monday at 6 p.m. Tickets are currently available for Monday's game. Visit GoZags.com/Tickets or call 509-313-6000 for ticket information.
