Zags rout BYU women in conference opener at McCarthey

In a contest the players called a “statement” game, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team dominated visiting BYU Saturday to win its first conference matchup 78-62 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga (8-4, 1-0 WCC) limited its turnovers and Keani Albanez had more steals (7) than the Cougars (8-4, 0-1) had as a team. “That was the complete game I was waiting for,” coach Lisa Fortier said. “I am just really proud of our team.” BYU hung tough in the first half and tied the game three times. But the Cougars were never able to take the lead. Unlike losses to Iowa, Washington State and American, Gonzaga found a way to finish in the second half by answering every run BYU put together. At one point Gonzaga led by 20 points, prompting some of the 5,911 fans in attendance to leave early. “BYU is a very, very talented team,” Fortier said. “It’s a good game to set the tone for the conference.” Albanez, a senior guard, led all scorers with 20 points along with her seven steals. In one series in the second half, she twice stole the ball and finished with a layup as part of a 10-0 run for the Zags after BYU had reduced GU’s lead to six points. “We’ve tried to focus her energy,” Fortier said of Albanez. “She was able to create offense off her defense. That doesn’t happen without a lot of hard work.” Both teams came out hitting shots and played about even in the opening minutes. Gonzaga made a run when guard Georgia Stirton missed a 3-pointer. Her teammates bailed her out by getting an offensive rebound and gave Stirton a second chance. She hit the follow-up shot to put Gonzaga up 18-13. Twice in the first half, the Bulldogs ran the shot clock to the buzzer. The first time Shaniqua Nilles hit a 3-pointer, and Stirton also hit a layup at the buzzer just before halftime to give Gonzaga a 45-34 lead. BYU’s dynamic scorer, Lexie Eaton, kept the Cougars close with 10 first-half points, but the Bulldogs kept feeding the ball inside to Sunny Greinacher, who with her first bucket became the 20th Bulldog to reach the 1,000-point club. Four Zags finished with double figures in scoring. Greinacher finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Stirton hit 3 of 4 3-pointers and scored 11 points with five assists. For the game, Gonzaga shot 44.3 percent from the floor. Junior guard Elle Tinkle played another stellar game defensively and scored a career-high 15 points. She also had five rebounds, three blocks and three steals. “We knew we would have to play a full game,” the 6-foot-2 Tinkle said. The Cougars “are always so tough. It was awesome. Everyone bought into playing a complete game.” The Bulldogs limited Eaton to 13 points, more than six below her scoring average. Morgan Bailey, who averages 18 points, also scored 13 for the Cougars. Gonzaga now prepares for a 6 p.m. Monday game at home against San Diego, which is 11-1 after an 87-65 win Saturday at Portland. “San Diego is tough. They are very athletic and very long,” Fortier said. “They are one of the hardest working teams out there.” Fortier said she told the team she was proud of how they responded after taking lumps in some games leading up to conference play. “To become WCC champions, it’s going to take one game at a time,” she said. “There’s a lot of work ahead of us.”