SANTA CLARA, Calif. – In the first game against Santa Clara this year, the Gonzaga women's basketball team defeated the Broncos, 72-55.
The team was led by both Truongs with Kaylynne Truong tying her career-high of 18 and Kayleigh Truong adding 14 points. Sophomore Yvonne Ejim rounded out the double-digit scoring efforts with 12 and a team-high six rebounds.
In the first quarter, both Kaylynne Truong and senior Abby O'Connor led the team with five points apiece. The Zags forced seven turnovers in the opening minutes and scored seven points off those miscues. Four points came from inside the paint as another seven was from the bench.
At the end of the first, Gonzaga had a 16-10 lead and was shooting at 33.3 percent from the field.
The Zags scored 17 points in the second quarter with Kayleigh Truong leading the way with five points. Senior Anamaria Virjoghe was a key role in maintaining GU's lead as she scored back-to-back buckets midway through the second.
Defensively, Gonzaga forced another three turnovers and held SCU to a 31.3 shooting percentage. The Bulldogs were also outrebounding the Broncos 19-15 at halftime.
Going into the locker rooms, the Zags led 33-22 after going on an 11-0 run in the second quarter. Overall, the team was shooting at 42.3 percent.
In the third, Gonzaga was led by Ejim, who tallied six points, one rebound and a steal in eight minutes of action.
The Broncos tied the game at 39-39 with four minutes remaining in the quarter. The Zags responded with a jumper from Kayleigh Truong and another from a layup by Ejim.
At the end of the third, Gonzaga led 49-45 after scoring 16 points in the ten minutes.
In the fourth quarter, the Zags didn't allow Santa Clara to tie up the game again as the team went on an 18-3 run in the final five minutes of the game to secure their double-digit WCC road win.
With only four minutes remaining, O'Connor made a fast break bucket after Ejim grabbed a steal, to gain a 10-point lead.
The Truongs then made clutch back-to-back three pointers late in the fourth. Kaylynne drained one from beyond the arc with only two minutes remaining and then Kayleigh Truong followed up with her own three at just over one minute left.
Overall, Gonzaga shot at 44.8 percent and scored 26 points from inside the paint. The bench had another huge presence on the court as they scored 35 points.
Defensively, the Zags forced 16 turnovers and scored 20 points off those miscues. The Bulldogs continued leading on the boards, outrebounding the Broncos 36-29.
Records: GU moves to 19-5 overall and 10-1 in the West Coast Conference. Santa Clara falls to 11-11 overall and 5-7 in the conference.
Up Next: Gonzaga continues its road trip as the team visits the University of San Francisco this Saturday, Feb. 12. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. Live stats and live video can be found at GoZags.com along with Instagram and Twitter, @ZagWBB.
