SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga women's basketball played Washington State for the second time this season and won an overtime thriller, 73-69, in front of a sold out crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The game saw nine lead changes and was tied at 10 different points in the contest.
Three Zags scored in double figures, including Yvonne Ejim's 16 points and 17 rebounds. Allie Turner was right behind her with 15 and Bree Salenbien had her first career double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run to open up the game. Salenbien fueled the run for the Zags as GU held onto its lead the whole first quarter.
Both teams saw some shooting lows in the second quarter, but Gonzaga held onto the lead at halftime, 22-20. Ejim grabbed a team-best seven rebounds at the half as Gonzaga won the rebound battle, 29-18.
WSU went on a run to open the second half and took the lead. The Zags scored 18 points in the third quarter, led by Ejim's six points.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the fourth. The Zags started out the final 10 minutes by going 5-for-5 from the floor and WSU responded by going 4-for-4 to tie it at 53-53 almost midway through the quarter.
Turner gave Gonzaga the lead with just under a minute left with a jumper as the shot clock expired, 64-62. The Cougs responded with a pair of free throws to tie it up with 34 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
Gonzaga went on a 6-0 run in overtime to lead the Cougs by four points with just under 10 seconds left. Ejim scored four of those points and had a clutch steal to seal the victory for the Bulldogs.
Overall, GU dominated the boards, 54-32, as Ejim tied her career-high of 17 rebounds. Gonzaga also had a large margin of second chance points, outscoring WSU 21-2 in that category.
Notes:
- Ejim has scored double digits in 67-straight games. She also recorded her 11th double double of the year with 17 rebounds.
- The Bulldogs had their best rebounding performance of the season with 54.
- The Zags are now on an 11 game winning streak.
- Salenbien matched her career high of 14 points and had her first career double double at Gonzaga with 10 rebounds.
Up Next:
Gonzaga goes back on the road to Oregon State on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. Live stats can be found at GoZags.com and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
