ESTERO, Fla. – The #22/21 Gonzaga women's basketball team defeated Middle Tennessee 62-50 Saturday evening in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Showcase inside Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla. The Zags once again overcame a lackluster first half en route to their third-straight win.
 
Gonzaga (5-1) was led in scoring for the second-straight contest by Jenn Wirth with 18 points off 9-of-13 from the floor to go along with seven rebounds and two assists. Katie Campbell and Melody Kempton each added 10 points apiece.
 
As a team, the Bulldogs shot 52.1 percent from the floor and 55.6 percent from long range; Gonzaga finished with a 32-20 advantage in the paint and an 11-2 edge on second-change points. GU once again won the rebounding battle with a 37-30 advantage on the glass.
 
Despite shooting 52.1 percent in the first half while limiting Middle Tennessee (5-2) to 31.7 percent shooting and forcing three first-half fouls on Charity Savage, the Bulldogs led by only a point (28-27) heading into the break. The Blue Raiders forced nine turnovers on Gonzaga and limited the Zags to 14 points in the paint.
 
"Offensively, we again hadn't played very well [in the first half]," head women's basketball coach Lisa Fortier said. "We were taking questionable shots. We really wanted to go inside to the post players, and we really hadn't been able to do that very well in the first half. In the second half, we really focused on hammering it in to those guys."
 
Gonzaga made the adjustment early and often, finding Jenn Wirth on four of the first five possessions in the second half. Wirth exploded in the second half, scoring 14 of her 18 points in the last 20 minutes including eight points in the first three minutes of the third quarter. A trey from Louise Forsyth with 4:37 remaining in the third gave GU a 13-point lead (45-32), and by the end of the quarter the Zags had extended their lead to 16 (53-37).
 
The Zags led by as many as 22 points in the final quarter, as a layup from LeeAnne Wirth with 7:43 to go put GU ahead 59-37. But Middle Tennessee finished the quarter on a 13-3 run to cut the lead to 12 points, giving Gonzaga the 62-50 win.
 
"I just think we did a much better job of making their shooters drive and their drivers shoot," Fortier said. "We contained [Taylor Sutton] and [Aislynn Hayes] a lot better in the second half…A much better job of playing to their weaknesses and playing team defense."
 
Middle Tennessee was led by Anastasia Hayes with 20 points while Taylor Sutton added 11. Savage finished with a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Gonzaga is set to play in the championship game of the Gulf Coast Showcase Sunday, Dec. 1 at 4:30 p.m. PT inside Hertz Arena. The Bulldogs will play the winner of the Arizona State/Purdue game. For up to date game information, visit GoZags.com.