Monday, March 22
San Marcos, Texas
1 P.M.
Gonzaga University
vs
#12 Belmont
Photo by: Mike Wootton
WBB: Zags Set for #12-Seed Belmont in NCAA First Round Monday
3/19/2021 11:45:00 AM | Women's Basketball
First NCAA Tournament game in two years
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The #14/13 ranked and fifth-seeded Gonzaga women's basketball team is set for its first NCAA Tournament game in two years as the Zags are set to face #12-seeded Belmont in the NCAA Tournament First Round Monday, March 22 at 1 p.m. PT inside the Strahan Arena at the University Events Center on the campus of Texas State in San Marcos, Texas.
#14/13 (5) GONZAGA vs. (12) BELMONT
MARCH 22 | 1 P.M. PT | SAN MARCOS, TEXAS | STRAHAN AREANA AT UEC
TELEVISION: ESPN2 | LIVE STATS
THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga defeated BYU 43-42 on a last-second shot--and only made field goal--from Jill Townsend to capture the Zags' ninth tournament title and berth to their 12th NCAA tournament (not including the 2020 NCAA Tournament in which GU was projected as a No. 3/4 seed but was not the WCC automatic qualifier).
- Gonzaga returns to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in program history and the fourth-straight season (not including the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was cancelled due to COVID-19). Gonzaga secured a No. 5 seed for the 2021 tournament, which ties the highest seed in program history. It marks the second-straight tournament GU has been a No. 5 seed. In the last NCAA tournament in 2019, Gonzaga advanced to the NCAA Second Round before falling to No. 4 seed, and First and Second Rounds host, Oregon State 76-70.
- In 11 previous NCAA Tournament appearances, Gonzaga has advanced to the Elite Eight one time (2011), and the Sweet 16 on four separate occasions: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015. GU owns an even 11-11 record in the NCAA Tournament.
- With the win, GU improved to 23-3 on the season. It marks the fifth-straight 20-win season for the Zags, and the 19th 20-win season in program history.
-Gonzaga has twice played on March 22, with both games coming during the NCAA Tournament. The Zags carry a perfect 2-0 mark on the day; GU first faced Texas A&M on March 22, collecting a 72-71 victory in the NCAA Second Round in 2010. The last time GU played on March 22 was during the 2015 season, Head Coach Lisa Fortier's first as the Zags HC, defeating Oregon State 76-64 in Corvallis to advance to the Sweet 16.
- The Zags secured the outright West Coast Conference regular-season title with a 95-49 victory over Pepperdine on Feb. 25 inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. It's the fifth-straight regular-season title for the Zags and the 17th in program history.
- Gonzaga concluded the regular season with another dominating performance, defeating visiting LMU 77-39 on Senior Day on Feb. 27. It extended the nation's leading home win streak to 25 straight games. The Zags haven't lost a game in the Kennel since the 2018-19 season. Currently, Gonzaga is tied with Stephen F. Austin for the nation's longest win streak. Maryland is third with 22 straight, while South Dakota (20 straight) and Rice (19 straight) round out the top five.
- With the win over Loyola Marymount on Feb. 27, Gonzaga finished undefeated at home for the fifth time in program history and the second-straight season. It also marks the eighth undefeated home conference slate in program history.
- Gonzaga collected five WCC All-Conference honors this season, tying BYU for league-leading honors. Senior Jenn Wirth picked up Player of the Year honors--the first of her career--and the second-straight Zag and third in the last four seasons to earn the top award. Wirth was also selected to the All-WCC First Team along with Jill Townsend, the second such award for both. Melody Kempton was named the first-ever WCC Sixth Woman of the Year along with Honorable Mention All-WCC, the first all-conference awards for the junior forward. Kayleigh Truong and LeeAnne Wirth joined Kempton as All-WCC Honorable Mention, the second All-WCC award for Truong (All-Freshman in 2020), and the first All-WCC award for LeeAnne Wirth.
- Currently, Gonzaga is ranked 14th in the AP Poll and 13th in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have now been ranked or receiving votes for 55 consecutive voting weeks, dating back to Dec. 3, 2018.
- The Bulldogs return three starters and nine letter winners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' fourth consecutive West Coast Conference regular season title.
- In 2019-20, Gonzaga rose to its highest regular-season national ranking ever, securing a No. 11 AP and No. 10 ranking in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. Prior to the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Zags were predicted as high as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were expected to host the First and Second Rounds for the first time since the NCAA changed hosting rules for the tournament in 2014-15.
- Gonzaga returns 79.1 percent of its scoring and 79.2 percent of its rebounding from last season.
- Gonzaga returns as one of the top defensive teams in the nation from a season ago. In 2019-20, the Bulldogs ranked third in the nation in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 51.9 points per game.
- The Bulldogs won 28 games last season, including a 17-1 mark in WCC play to tie their own record for wins in a conference season. It was the fourth-straight 25+ win season and 12th 25+ win season in the last 13 seasons.
SERIES NOTES
- HOME: 0-0
- ROAD: 0-0
- NEUTRAL: 0-1, Belmont leads
- ONLY MEETING: Belmont won 71-63 in the Play4Kay Showcase in Las Vegas on Nov. 23, 2017.
- STREAK: Belmont, Won 1
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
- Belmont carries a 20-5 overall record and a 14-3 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference, securing the No. 2 seed in the OVC Championships.
- The Bruins advanced to the finals, defeating top-seeded UT Martin 83-75 to secure the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In doing so, the Bruins became just the third program from the OVC to ever make five conference tournament championships in a six-year span.
- Belmont is making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth in the last six years.
- Belmont navigated nine game postponements and two cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Heading into the tournament, the Bruins have won 10 consecutive games by an average of 15.2 points per game, and they rank inside the Top 50 nationally in 14 statistical categories, including the sixth-most steals (272) and 15th-most three-point field goals made (217).
- As a program, Belmont has posted six consecutive 20-win seasons.
- This season, the Bruins average 70.4 points per game shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from long range. 42 percent of their shot attempts come from beyond-the-arc.
- Belmont adds an average of 34.7 rebounds, 15.7 assists and 10.9 steals per game, to go along with 15.7 turnovers per contest.
- Two players average double-figure for Belmont, led by freshman Destinee Wells at 17.6 points per contest. Wells was named Freshman of the Year in the OVC this season, as well as All-OVC First Team and the OVC All-Newcomer Team. Wells finished with a career-high 32 points, seven assists and four steals in the championship game against UT Martin on March 13.
- Conley Chinn adds 12.5 points per game; Chinn was named to All-OVC First Team.
- Chinn leads the Bruins in rebounds with 4.9 per game; the junior ranks third in the OVC in field goal percentage with 47.2 percent. Allison Luly ranks second with 4.6 rebounds per game.
- Madison Bartley leads the Bruins in blocks with 23 on the season, 14 more than the next closest player for Belmont.
- Wells also leads Belmont in assists with 106 on the season for a 4.6 per game average; Jamilyn Kinney ranks second with 2.96 per game.
ALL ABOARD ALL-AMERICANS
Jill Townsend and Jenn Wirth became the fifth and sixth Zags in program history to earn All-America honors, and the first ever pair. Both Bulldogs were named Honorable Mention All-America, the first since Haiden Palmer in 2014. The duo joins Shannon Mathews (2005), Stephanie Hawk (2007), Courtney Vandersloot (2009, 2010, 2011) and Haiden Palmer (2014) as the only other Zags to be named Honorable Mention All-American.
ALL-TOURNEY PERFORMERS
[March 18] Gonzaga placed two players on the WCC All-Tournament team: Jill Townsend and Yvonne Ejim. Townsend was also selected the Most Outstanding Player, despite scoring just two points in 19 minutes of play in the title game. Townsend's two points were arguably the most crucial of the game, as she hit a jumper as time expired to lift Gonzaga over BYU 43-42 for Gonzaga's ninth tournament title and first since 2018. Yvonne Ejim was instrumental in the win, scoring a career-high 13 points while grabbing a career-high nine rebounds, one of which forced a jump ball with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation, setting Gonzaga up for the last-second shot.
HOW WE STACK UP NATIONALLY
[March 18] Gonzaga ranks inside the top 15 in six categories, including rebounding margin (4th), total assists (10th), assists per game (10th), scoring margin (11th), win/loss percentage (11th) and field goal percentage (14th). Including those categories, GU ranks inside the top 20 in eight categories, and inside the top 40 in 10 categories.
#14/13 (5) GONZAGA vs. (12) BELMONT
MARCH 22 | 1 P.M. PT | SAN MARCOS, TEXAS | STRAHAN AREANA AT UEC
TELEVISION: ESPN2 | LIVE STATS
THE TIP-OFF
- Gonzaga defeated BYU 43-42 on a last-second shot--and only made field goal--from Jill Townsend to capture the Zags' ninth tournament title and berth to their 12th NCAA tournament (not including the 2020 NCAA Tournament in which GU was projected as a No. 3/4 seed but was not the WCC automatic qualifier).
- Gonzaga returns to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in program history and the fourth-straight season (not including the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was cancelled due to COVID-19). Gonzaga secured a No. 5 seed for the 2021 tournament, which ties the highest seed in program history. It marks the second-straight tournament GU has been a No. 5 seed. In the last NCAA tournament in 2019, Gonzaga advanced to the NCAA Second Round before falling to No. 4 seed, and First and Second Rounds host, Oregon State 76-70.
- In 11 previous NCAA Tournament appearances, Gonzaga has advanced to the Elite Eight one time (2011), and the Sweet 16 on four separate occasions: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015. GU owns an even 11-11 record in the NCAA Tournament.
- With the win, GU improved to 23-3 on the season. It marks the fifth-straight 20-win season for the Zags, and the 19th 20-win season in program history.
-Gonzaga has twice played on March 22, with both games coming during the NCAA Tournament. The Zags carry a perfect 2-0 mark on the day; GU first faced Texas A&M on March 22, collecting a 72-71 victory in the NCAA Second Round in 2010. The last time GU played on March 22 was during the 2015 season, Head Coach Lisa Fortier's first as the Zags HC, defeating Oregon State 76-64 in Corvallis to advance to the Sweet 16.
- The Zags secured the outright West Coast Conference regular-season title with a 95-49 victory over Pepperdine on Feb. 25 inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. It's the fifth-straight regular-season title for the Zags and the 17th in program history.
- Gonzaga concluded the regular season with another dominating performance, defeating visiting LMU 77-39 on Senior Day on Feb. 27. It extended the nation's leading home win streak to 25 straight games. The Zags haven't lost a game in the Kennel since the 2018-19 season. Currently, Gonzaga is tied with Stephen F. Austin for the nation's longest win streak. Maryland is third with 22 straight, while South Dakota (20 straight) and Rice (19 straight) round out the top five.
- With the win over Loyola Marymount on Feb. 27, Gonzaga finished undefeated at home for the fifth time in program history and the second-straight season. It also marks the eighth undefeated home conference slate in program history.
- Gonzaga collected five WCC All-Conference honors this season, tying BYU for league-leading honors. Senior Jenn Wirth picked up Player of the Year honors--the first of her career--and the second-straight Zag and third in the last four seasons to earn the top award. Wirth was also selected to the All-WCC First Team along with Jill Townsend, the second such award for both. Melody Kempton was named the first-ever WCC Sixth Woman of the Year along with Honorable Mention All-WCC, the first all-conference awards for the junior forward. Kayleigh Truong and LeeAnne Wirth joined Kempton as All-WCC Honorable Mention, the second All-WCC award for Truong (All-Freshman in 2020), and the first All-WCC award for LeeAnne Wirth.
- Currently, Gonzaga is ranked 14th in the AP Poll and 13th in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have now been ranked or receiving votes for 55 consecutive voting weeks, dating back to Dec. 3, 2018.
- The Bulldogs return three starters and nine letter winners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' fourth consecutive West Coast Conference regular season title.
- In 2019-20, Gonzaga rose to its highest regular-season national ranking ever, securing a No. 11 AP and No. 10 ranking in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. Prior to the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Zags were predicted as high as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were expected to host the First and Second Rounds for the first time since the NCAA changed hosting rules for the tournament in 2014-15.
- Gonzaga returns 79.1 percent of its scoring and 79.2 percent of its rebounding from last season.
- Gonzaga returns as one of the top defensive teams in the nation from a season ago. In 2019-20, the Bulldogs ranked third in the nation in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 51.9 points per game.
- The Bulldogs won 28 games last season, including a 17-1 mark in WCC play to tie their own record for wins in a conference season. It was the fourth-straight 25+ win season and 12th 25+ win season in the last 13 seasons.
SERIES NOTES
- HOME: 0-0
- ROAD: 0-0
- NEUTRAL: 0-1, Belmont leads
- ONLY MEETING: Belmont won 71-63 in the Play4Kay Showcase in Las Vegas on Nov. 23, 2017.
- STREAK: Belmont, Won 1
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
- Belmont carries a 20-5 overall record and a 14-3 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference, securing the No. 2 seed in the OVC Championships.
- The Bruins advanced to the finals, defeating top-seeded UT Martin 83-75 to secure the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In doing so, the Bruins became just the third program from the OVC to ever make five conference tournament championships in a six-year span.
- Belmont is making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth in the last six years.
- Belmont navigated nine game postponements and two cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Heading into the tournament, the Bruins have won 10 consecutive games by an average of 15.2 points per game, and they rank inside the Top 50 nationally in 14 statistical categories, including the sixth-most steals (272) and 15th-most three-point field goals made (217).
- As a program, Belmont has posted six consecutive 20-win seasons.
- This season, the Bruins average 70.4 points per game shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from long range. 42 percent of their shot attempts come from beyond-the-arc.
- Belmont adds an average of 34.7 rebounds, 15.7 assists and 10.9 steals per game, to go along with 15.7 turnovers per contest.
- Two players average double-figure for Belmont, led by freshman Destinee Wells at 17.6 points per contest. Wells was named Freshman of the Year in the OVC this season, as well as All-OVC First Team and the OVC All-Newcomer Team. Wells finished with a career-high 32 points, seven assists and four steals in the championship game against UT Martin on March 13.
- Conley Chinn adds 12.5 points per game; Chinn was named to All-OVC First Team.
- Chinn leads the Bruins in rebounds with 4.9 per game; the junior ranks third in the OVC in field goal percentage with 47.2 percent. Allison Luly ranks second with 4.6 rebounds per game.
- Madison Bartley leads the Bruins in blocks with 23 on the season, 14 more than the next closest player for Belmont.
- Wells also leads Belmont in assists with 106 on the season for a 4.6 per game average; Jamilyn Kinney ranks second with 2.96 per game.
ALL ABOARD ALL-AMERICANS
Jill Townsend and Jenn Wirth became the fifth and sixth Zags in program history to earn All-America honors, and the first ever pair. Both Bulldogs were named Honorable Mention All-America, the first since Haiden Palmer in 2014. The duo joins Shannon Mathews (2005), Stephanie Hawk (2007), Courtney Vandersloot (2009, 2010, 2011) and Haiden Palmer (2014) as the only other Zags to be named Honorable Mention All-American.
ALL-TOURNEY PERFORMERS
[March 18] Gonzaga placed two players on the WCC All-Tournament team: Jill Townsend and Yvonne Ejim. Townsend was also selected the Most Outstanding Player, despite scoring just two points in 19 minutes of play in the title game. Townsend's two points were arguably the most crucial of the game, as she hit a jumper as time expired to lift Gonzaga over BYU 43-42 for Gonzaga's ninth tournament title and first since 2018. Yvonne Ejim was instrumental in the win, scoring a career-high 13 points while grabbing a career-high nine rebounds, one of which forced a jump ball with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation, setting Gonzaga up for the last-second shot.
HOW WE STACK UP NATIONALLY
[March 18] Gonzaga ranks inside the top 15 in six categories, including rebounding margin (4th), total assists (10th), assists per game (10th), scoring margin (11th), win/loss percentage (11th) and field goal percentage (14th). Including those categories, GU ranks inside the top 20 in eight categories, and inside the top 40 in 10 categories.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballThursday, March 28
Monday, March 25
Sunday, March 24
Saturday, March 23
