SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Gonzaga women's basketball team won its 20th West Coast Conference Regular Season Title with a 68-61 win at Santa Clara. It is GU's third-straight title and
Lisa Fortier's ninth as a head coach.
Allie Turner and
Bree Salenbien both had career days to pace the Zags to victory. Turner led the way by tying her career-high, 23 points, after going 9-for-10 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the three-point line.
Salenbien had a career-high 17 points for the Zags and also shot an impressive 6-for-8 from the floor with three of those being beyond the arc.
The Zags led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter with Salenbien leading the Bulldogs with eight points. She went 3-for-3 from the floor with two of those coming from beyond the arc. GU out-rebounded the Broncos, 11-7, with
Esther Little grabbing a team-high of four.
The Broncos outscored GU in the second quarter as the Zags trailed by just one at the half, 31-30. Turner led the Zags at halftime with 10 points and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.
Gonzaga came out of the locker room to score 20 points in the third quarter led by Turner's six points. Santa Clara responded in the fourth quarter, but the Zags held on to the lead for the rest of the game to clinch the WCC Regular Season Title.
Overall, GU shot 44% from the floor and 47.6% from beyond the arc. Gonzaga also out-rebounded the Broncos, 36-30, with
Yvonne Ejim grabbing six of them.
Lisa Fortier on the WCC Title: I don't know if I've ever been more proud of a team to win a championship. Just the growth that this team has done since we started in the fall to the point that we're at right now is something that I almost don't have any words for. They have bought into their own development, they bought into team chemistry, they bought into the work, and they've just kind of pushed through the grind and found a way to get better all the time. I am just really, really happy for them and proud of them.
Notes
With five threes today, Turner is now fourth in 3-point field goals made in a single season with 91. She only needs five more to tie
Brynna Maxwell's record of 96 made in 2023-24.
Turner is now fourth in all-time scoring for freshman with 412 career points.
Up Next
Gonzaga heads to the WCC Tournament next week in Las Vegas. They earned a bye until the semifinal game and will play on Monday, March 10.