GAME Review: Gonzaga Ladies look for retribution over Portland in WCC Title rematch

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team signals for one of a program-record 19 3-pointers during a win over the Pacific Tigers on Feb. 3 at McCarthey Athletic Center. (Courtesy of Gonzaga Athletics)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Following Gonzaga's 72-61 win over Pacific, the 1-seed Zooms (30-2, 17-0) are making a beeline for its seventh West Coast Gathering title game over the most recent eight years. However, there will be no opportunity to absorb this success, as GU will raise a ruckus around town within 24 hours after its elimination round win. 

"Better believe it, it's so fast. It's a quick circle back, we don't have a great deal of time," Gonzaga Lead trainer Lisa Fortier said. "We won't discuss it going into tomorrow, we'll discuss our objectives and which ones we did and didn't make. One week from now, we will, and we have a lot of time. So we can cover things and attempt to get better in certain areas we want to, however we have very little time for that today."

The Bulldogs will meet the 3-cultivated Portland Pilots (20-12, 11-6) in the title game for the second successive year. Last season, Gonzaga was unglued about Portland as the Pilots slipped away from Vegas with the WCC prize after the 64-60 win. The Gonzaga players will let you know vengeance isn't their only concentration, however, they certainly haven't disregarded that feeling they left Vegas with last season.

"We've let each other know all the time that we'll simply zero in on each game in turn. We would rather not ignore a game, yet now that it's here, we can zero in on that," Kayleigh Truong said. "I suppose, regardless, saying something in this game sort of detracts from the way that we need to play the game and how the game is being played. Not zeroing in on that, but I feel like saying something, we would in any case. That is to say, we simply need to come out tomorrow and play like we generally do. Whatever occurs, on the off chance that we say something or not, we're going into Spring the group we need to be," Yvonne Ejim added. 

Gonzaga and Portland have played two times this year, the Zooms dominated both matches with an all-out success edge of 71 places. Last break, in GU's last round of the normal season and on senior evening, the Bulldogs put on a center, giving the Pilots a 50-point misfortune in a game where five Crosses completed in twofold digit focuses. Gonzaga thumped down 10 threes and shot a rankling 52.6% from the field. If GU can set up those kinds of numbers once more, it would be truly challenging for any group to beat them. 

The Zooms have five players who set up twofold digit focuses per game. Yvonne Ejim isn't just the top scorer for Gonzaga, however, a top player in the NCAA as she midpoints 20 focuses, 8.3 bounce back, 1.5 takes, and one block for each game and has scored twofold figure focuses in each game this season.

Brynna Maxwell (14.4), Kayleigh Truong (12.4), Kaylynne Truong (11.8), and Eliza Hollingsworth (10) complete the rundown of Zooms whose normal twofold digit focuses. Collectively, Gonzaga midpoints 82 focuses per game on 49.1% shooting from the field and 40.4% from three.

Portland has only three players averaging something like 10 focuses, and collectively, set up 68 focuses per game. 

Gonzaga set another program record on Monday for 24 straight wins; they will hope to extend it to 25 while bringing back a WCC Competition title on Tuesday when the Bulldogs and the Pilots tip off at 1pm on ESPNU. Following the game, SWX will have features and post-game responses on SWXLocalSports.com.

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team signals for one of a program-record 19 3-pointers during a win over the Pacific Tigers on Feb. 3 at McCarthey Athletic Center. (Courtesy of Gonzaga Athletics)

No. 15 Gonzaga to take on Pacific in WCC elimination rounds, on the street to retaliate for last year's title game misfortune

LAS VEGAS - Two additional successes and the Gonzaga ladies' ball group will match the most triumphs in school history. 

Maybe generally be significant, however, two additional successes and Gonzaga will have first-and second-round games in the NCAA Competition. 

The Crosses were positioned fifteenth in the NCAA's last rankings of top 16 seeds the week before. So two additional successes will simply set their initial NCAA Competition objective - McCarthey Athletic Center. 

Think about the West Coast Meeting Competition as an issue of unparalleled accomplishment. The fifteenth-positioned Crosses know their set of experiences has been unpredictable on occasion, and last year is still new in their psyches. 

Portland upset the Zooms in the competition title game a year prior. 

So no Zoom will be neglecting the following two games, starting Monday when top-cultivated Gonzaga (29-2) takes on No. 5 Pacific (18-13) in an elimination round matchup. The hint is around early afternoon.  

In the other elimination round, No. 2 St Nick Clara (every minute of every day) meets No. 3 Portland (19-12). 

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team signals for one of a program-record 19 3-pointers during a win over the Pacific Tigers on Feb. 3 at McCarthey Athletic Center. (Courtesy of Gonzaga Athletics)

The title game on Tuesday tips at 1 p.m. 

ESPN+ will communicate the elimination rounds and ESPNU will communicate the title game. 

The Zooms took care of Pacific 104-39 and 91-78 in WCC matchups. 

Gonzaga completed the ordinary season on a 23-game series of wins. The last 16 triumphs were in overwhelming design against WCC groups. 

The Crosses are attempting to come out on top for gathering and competition championships around the same time for the fourth time under Fortier. They did as such in 2020-21, 2017-18, 2016-17. 

Another success will give Fortier the most she's at any point in a season. 

The Crosses have discussed how the season finished a year prior - a misfortune in the WCC competition last and an early exit in the NCAA Competition. Be that as it may, it has close to nothing to do with discussing recovery and more to do with being the group they've been this season. 

"(It's) simply needing to improve and never needing to go underneath the standard that we want to be at," Gonzaga senior Yvonne Ejim, who was named the WCC Player and Protective Player of the Year, said. 

"Accompanying energy every step of the way - we don't begin slow and attempt to develop. We would rather not start high and wane off. We need to keep that energy reliable. On the off chance that we have that in our game, that stuff we've been all dealing with this year will show." 

Ejim expects things probably won't come as effectively for the Crosses beginning Monday. 

"Played these groups two times, this moment we're playing a third opportunity," Ejim said "It's a ton of concentration. Each group needs to accompany a ton of centers while you're playing a group for the third time. You're protecting them again for the third time, playing them on offense again for the third time." 

 Junior forward Maud Huijbens, who was named the WCC's 6th Lady of the Year, said the Crosses are all set. 

"It resembles that peculiar week where you're simply rehearsing - get us around there, how about we kick this party off you know," Huijbens said. "In any case, that is the way I feel. We've (had) a great chance to get ready to be our best selves when we arrive." 

Crosses' mentor Lisa Fortier inquired as to whether she was worried about carelessness. The short response is no. 

"The initiative won't permit it," Fortier said "They returned to accomplish a long run, however, they didn't return to simply make an insincere effort and have something nibble us since we're not focusing. They're especially dialed into it. They're presenting it to each training session." 

Furthermore, they have a ton to play for - maybe a chance to play again in the Pet Hotel. 

"It's invigorating to realize the position we have ourselves into," Ejim said. "It's a demonstration of what we've had the option to do. We would like to have it here in Spokane. We will keep making progress toward that objective." 

Ejim says the group's experience will be key in the postseason. 

"It's great to realize that we have young ladies that have encountered (nerves, butterflies, pressure) and had the option to contend through that," Ejim said. "Indeed, even to have achievement and disappointment also, we understand what we should do and what we want to do." 

Gonzaga's starters are normal in twofold figures and have been all through the high points and low points that can happen in Las Vegas. 

"I think certainty fabricates and compounds," Fortier said. "We're probably as sure as a gathering … they're having a good time and playing for something greater. 

"They understand what's occurred down there (Las Vegas) previously. On the off chance that we can monitor, we will have the option to emerge from there with everything looking great."