Women’s matchup: Gonzaga vs. Middle Tennessee State
Region: Fresno
Coach: Kelly Graves
Record: 24-9
Top scorer: Forward Stephanie Hawk, 14.7 ppg
Top rebounder: Hawk, 8.1 rpg
Keys to victory:
1. The Bulldogs must get the ball upcourt against the full-court Middle Tennessee State pressure to get into their half-court offense. Teams have shot well against the Blue Raiders once they break the press.
2. Contain Chrissy Givens. GU has done an excellent job when it wants to take one player out of the game, but the sure-fire WNBA draft pick is better than anyone the Zags have tackled since early December. But don’t forget about Amber Holt on the inside. She averages 16 points.
3. Rebound the ball. The Zags have done a good job forcing people to miss shots but it won’t do any good if they allow MTSU to get extra shots with offensive rebounds.
Region: Fresno
Coach: Rick Insell
Record: 29-3
Top scorer: Guard Chrissy Givens, 22 ppg
Top rebounder: Forward Amber Holt, 6.2 rpg
Keys to victory:
1. Force turnovers. The Blue Raiders have averaged more than 10 possessions more a game than their opponents because of the discrepancy in turnovers, forcing 844 with 423 steals, numbers much higher than GU.
2. Be patient in the half-court offense. Gonzaga has limited opponents to 39 percent shooting because of its tenacious defense, so MTSU must work for a good shot. It shot 45 percent for the year but got up almost 500 more shots than its opponents.
3. Crash the boards. MTSU has grabbed more than 13 offensive rebounds a game and the Bulldogs are prone to allowing extra shots.