SPOKANE, Wash. – In the first West Coast Conference rematch this year, Gonzaga defeated Portland again, this time by a score of 68-59.

Senior Cierra Walker led the Bulldogs with 15 points as she scored nine points from the beyond the arc. Junior Kayleigh Truong was right behind her with 13 points and five assists.

Senior Melody Kempton rounded out the double-figure scoring effort with 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Zags got things started quickly in the first and jumped out to a 20-9 lead over the Pilots. Walker led the Bulldogs with six points as senior Abby O'Connor grabbed a team-high three boards in the opening quarter. GU shot at 50 percent in the field and forced six turnovers.

After one quarter, Gonzaga led 20-16 and was outrebounding Portland 8-6. 

Junior Kaylynne Truong led the Bulldogs in the second with five points as sophomore Yvonne Ejim and O'Connor bother grabbed three rebounds. Defensively, Gonzaga held Portland to a 20 percent three-point shooting percentage and 42.9 percent overall.

At the half, GU led 31-30, but the Pilots attempted a comeback in the third quarter and led by as many as five. But the Bulldogs shifted momentum back in their favor to take the two-point lead after three quarters of play.

In the final quarter, Walker scored nine points as Gonzaga shot from 60 percent in the field. The tam also closed out the game with 100 percent from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.

Overall, the Zags scored 18 points from inside the paint and another 24 from off turnovers as they caused 17 miscues from UP. The Bulldogs shot at 43.1 percent from the field and shot a blistering 88.9 percent from the charity stripe. On the defense side of the ball, Gonzaga held Portland to a 48.9 shooting percentage and only allowed four three-pointers. 

GU continued dominating the boards, as the team outrebounded the Pilots 31-25. Kempton and O'Connor led the team with seven rebounds as senior Anamaria Virjoghe and Kaylynne Truong both grabbed six.

Records: Gonzaga moves to 12-4 overall and 4-0 in the WCC. Portland falls to 11-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play. 

The Zags now lead Portland 59-27 overall as GU goes 2-0 against the Pilots in the regular season this year.

Up Next: The Bulldogs travel to Saint Mary's this Saturday, Jan. 22. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. Live stats and video can be found at GoZags.com along with Instagram and Twitter, @ZagWBB.

Gonzaga hits the road for the next three games and the team will return to the Kennel on Feb. 3 against Pacific.