SPOKANE, Wash. – No. 17/18 Gonzaga women's basketball used a big second quarter to erase an early 11-point deficit and win 88-65 against Pacific to stay perfect in West Coast Conference play at home inside the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday.
Gonzaga (15-1, 4-0 WCC) dominated Pacific (9-4, 2-1 WCC) inside, outscoring the Tigers 52-14 in the paint while nearly doubling their rebounds with a 40-21 edge on the glass.
Zykera Rice led Gonzaga with her second 20-point effort this season, finishing with 21 points off 10-of-16 from the floor to go along with seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Jenn Wirth added a career-high 16 points and seven rebounds while
Jill Townsend and
Katie Campbell rounded out the double-figure scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Jessie Loera added a game- and season-high eight assists in the win.
The Bulldogs opened the game with a quick six points to lead Pacific 6-2 three minutes in, but the Tigers responded with a dominating run to close the period. The Tigers put together a 23-8 run to close the period, shooting 53.3 percent while forcing six turnovers on the Zags to claim a 25-14 lead. The 11-point deficit is the largest first quarter deficit the Zags have faced this season.
Gonzaga's rough opening period set the stage for their largest single-quarter scoring output this season as the Bulldogs turned the tides in the second. It started on the defensive end, as Gonzaga forced eight turnovers on the Tigers while collecting five steals and scoring 16 points off turnovers. The Bulldogs shot 66.7 percent from the floor for 34 points while limiting Pacific to 17 points on the quarter. Gonzaga claimed a six-point lead (48-42) at the break.
"I don't know if we've given up a quarter, like we did in the first quarter, to a team yet this year, but I know we haven't followed it up with a quarter like we did today," head women's basketball coach
Lisa Fortier said. "Our second and third quarters were great. We buckled in defensively…Ameela Li is a great player. Valerie Higgins, a really tough player. Brooklyn McDavid is another tough player. When there are that many good individuals out there, you have to defend as a team and you have to follow the game plan on those guys. First quarter, we didn't; second, third and fourth, we did a much better job."
The Bulldogs opened the third period with five unanswered points and continued their defensive dominance, forcing Pacific to shoot 33.3 percent from the floor including an 0-for-4 performance from long range. Gonzaga outscored the Tigers 26-13 in the third to stretch its lead to 19 (74-55) by the end of the third period. GU kept rolling in the fourth quarter, limiting Pacific to 10 points to claim the 88-65 win.
"I'm so proud [of this team]," Rice said. "This is all you can really ask of your team as a senior going into your last year. My teammates have really been playing their butts off, and it's really helpful that no one feels like they have to do it by themselves."
Pacific was led by Ameela Li with 21 points, 18 of which came in the first half, to go along with three assists and two steals. Brooklyn McDavid added 15 points, while Isabel Newman and Valerie Higgins each added 11 points.
Gonzaga will have a week break before returning to play as it hosts Portland Saturday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
