SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga women's basketball team ran past visiting Idaho 88-51 Thursday evening in front of 5,795 strong at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The 37-point victory is the largest of the season for the Zags and largest since defeating Portland State by 39 (91-52) on Dec. 2, 2017.
 
"We certainly wanted to take care of business at home," head coach Lisa Fortier said. "There's a lot of positive to take [from this win], and it's much better than the alternative option."
 
Gonzaga (11-1) limited Idaho (3-6) to single-digit scoring in both the first and fourth quarters while causing the Vandals to shoot 29.5 percent, well below their season-average of 40.7 percent. The Bulldogs outrebounded Idaho by 20 (53-33), forced 20 turnovers and dished out a season-high 18 assists.
 
Five players finished in double-figures for the second time in the last three games, led by Zykera Rice with 16 points and six rebounds. Jenn Wirth added her first career double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Jessie Loera and Chandler Smith added 11 each. Katie Campbell completed the double-figure scoring with 10 points while added a career-high tying four steals.
 
"It's always great to get a win, especially against a tough team like [Idaho]," Rice said. "They have some great shooters on their team, and it's really good for our team going in to conference now to have all of that under our belt."
 
The Zags opened the first quarter on a 9-0 run behind four points from Rice. Idaho temporarily stopped the Bulldogs' run with a layup with 4:17 left to go, but Gonzaga finished on an 11-2 run to claim a 21-4 advantage after the first 10 minutes.
 
Idaho nearly quadrupled its offensive output in the second quarter with 15 points, but the Bulldogs produced 23 points in the second to extend their lead to 25 points (44-19) heading into the break. At the half, Gonzaga claimed a 30-17 edge on the glass while forcing the Vandals to shoot 25.8 percent from the floor.
 
The Bulldogs shot 47.1 percent in the third quarter, extending their lead to as many as 33 points with three minutes to go. Idaho closed the period on a 12-6 run, including a half-court shot as time expired, as GU led by 27 (70-43) heading into the final period. Gonzaga closed the game with an 18-8 advantage in the fourth to cement the 88-51 win.
 
"I think [this team] has done a great job of working through adversity on the court," Fortier said. "Some teams have thrown double teams at us or switching at us…teams have thrown a variety of different defenses at us…they've done all kinds of things and we've overcome them. I think the way we've been managing adversity is something I'm really proud of."
 
Gonzaga will open conference play following the Christmas holiday as it heads south to face Loyola Marymount Saturday, Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. in Los Angeles.