LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The #16/15 Gonzaga women's basketball team defeated No. 4-seeded Santa Clara 72-62 Monday afternoon in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament, inside The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. It's the first time since 2019 and the 15^th time in program history the Zags have advanced to the tournament championship game.
 
Gonzaga (22-3) finished with four players in double figures, led by a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double from senior guard Jill Townsend. Cierra Walker added 13 points off a 3-of-7 performance from long range, while Jenn Wirth chipped in 12 points and four rebounds. Kayleigh Truong rounded out the double-figure performances with 10 points, four assists and a career-high five steals.
 
"I think our team played a good game," Head Coach Lisa Fortier said. "Santa Clara had us out of sorts a little in the first half, and I really like the way we responded after that. We were moving the ball well; we're at our best when we share the ball and when we're playing as a team…We just stuck to the plan and the task at hand, which was just the next play. Continuing to do that, over and over again, seemed to be a recipe for success for our team today."
 
As a team, the Zags shot 47.4 percent from the floor and 92.9 percent from the free throw line, but converted 5-of-18 treys to shoot 27.8 percent from long range. GU controlled the glass 39-23, including a 12-4 advantage on the offensive glass, while converting those 12 offensive boards for 12 second-chance points. Santa Clara (14-11) shot 44.6 percent from the field including a 36.4 clip from beyond-the-arc, while forcing 21 turnovers on the Zags, which led to 15 points for the Broncos.
 
The Zags found the bottom of the net early in the first period as Townsend converted a layup less than 10 seconds into regulation, but seven first-quarter turnovers made it difficult for the Bulldogs to find a natural rhythm. As a team, GU shot 35.3 percent from the floor and was 0-of-4 from long range, but it balanced its offensive struggles with a strong defensive effort. The Bulldogs forced seven turnovers in the opening frame on Santa Clara, scoring six points off those turnovers. A 4-0 Zag run to close the quarter gave GU a six-point cushion (12-6) to start the second.
 
Just over two minutes into the second frame, GU extended its lead to seven (15-8) off a free throw from Melody Kempton, but an 8-2 run in favor of the Broncos over the next two minutes cut the lead to one, 17-16. GU responded with a run of its own, scoring 13 unanswered points over the next three minutes, fueled by buckets from four different Zags, to take a 29-16 lead with 2:38 to go. Yet the Zags remained scoreless for the final minutes of the half, allowing SCU to chip away and bring the advantage to single digits (29-22) heading into the break.
 
Gonzaga's shooting woes disappeared in the third as it converted 10-of-14 attempts to shoot 71.4 percent from the floor with a 50.0 percent effort from long range, but Santa Clara nearly matched the Zags, shooting at a 58.3 percent clip for 17 third-quarter points. The Broncos thrice cut the lead to three points in the quarter, and the Zags did not build a double-figure lead until 1:53 to go in the quarter when a layup from Townsend put GU ahead by 11, 48-37.
 
The Zags maintained a double-figure advantage until well into the third, until a trey from Ashlyn Herlihy with 6:53 to go cut the lead to nine, 58-49. The Broncos outscored GU 6-3 over the next two minutes to make it a two-possession game (61-55) with 4:32 remaining. Forty seconds later, the advantage was still six points (63-57), but back-to-back Bulldog buckets—one from Yvonne Ejim and a trey from Townsend—extended the lead to double-figures once more. The Zags locked down defensively in the closing minutes, securing the 72-62 victory to advance to the championship game.
 
Santa Clara was led by Lindsey VanAllen with a game-high 17 points off 7-of-14 from the floor, while both Merle Wiehl and Herlihy added 16 points each.
 
The Zags face the winner of the BYU/San Francisco game Tuesday, March 9 at 1 p.m. inside The Orleans Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+; check GoZags.com for up-to-date game time information.