Size and shooting: Eliza Hollingsworth brings unique skillset to Gonzaga women’s basketball team

When the Gonzaga women’s basketball team has needed an extra presence inside, 6-foot-3 graduate forward Eliza Hollingsworth has more than answered the call.

Hollingsworth’s game, though, is more than taking advantage of her size. The Melbourne, Australia, native has the best offensive range for the Zags. She can step out and knock down 3-point shots and offers a complementary counter inside to Yvonne Ejim.

As soon as Hollingsworth arrived at Gonzaga her freshman year, she showed long-range effectiveness, frequently winning shooting drills.

Hollingsworth has averaged 10.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season.

Her scoring and rebounding are up over last season when she averaged 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds. She’s second on the team in blocked shots (22).

Hollingsworth has had six double-doubles, including three in Gonzaga’s last three games.

She is the fifth-leading scorer but capable of going off at any time. Earlier this season she scored a career-high 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting in a win over Liberty at a tournament in Katy, Texas.

That was especially notable considering she was coming off her worst-shooting effort the game before at Cal (1 of 10).

In her career, Hollingsworth – a 2024 West Coast Conference Second Team selection who was also named to this year’s WCC All-Tournament Team – has scored 714 points and grabbed 460 rebounds, most of which have come the last two seasons as a starter.

Hollingsworth has scored in double figures in 18 of 33 games and seven times in the last eight games.

Her end-of-the-season surge has been timely.

“Last year, she started embracing physicality a little more,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said. “She’s such a finesse player. This year rebounding is the biggest adjustment that she’s made. She’s been a great shooter her whole time here.”

Hollingsworth is most pleased with her rebounding.

“It’s definitely something that has been a priority from the coaching staff since I’ve been here,” Hollingsworth said. “To fill those shoes has been very rewarding.”

She hunts rebounds as soon as a teammate shoots.

“It makes it hard for a team to guard a second possession in a row,” Hollingsworth said. “I’ve grown the most in rebounding. I’ve tried to be gritty and turn a new level on to match the intensity of my teammates.”

Said Fortier: “She’s become a consistent rebounder. Between her and (Yvonne) they’ve done such a nice job of anchoring the rebounding. For Eliza’s sake she has added another tool to her bag. When you add the rebounding piece in there you become a different player (and) have a different impact. You have to guard her differently and that’s always good for us.”

Hollingsworth has played as Fortier envisioned she would this year.

“It’s the kind of year I hoped for for her,” Fortier said. “Part of the reason Eliza came back for her fifth year is she wanted to have this kind of experience. It’s what we were hoping she’d be able to do. And if you asked her she’d probably say it was what she was hoping for.”

Hollingsworth may be nearing the end of her playing career. Although she hasn’t closed the door to playing professionally, she is enrolled in nursing school in Melbourne and starts in July.

“It’s a bit undecided right now,” she said. “I’m leaning towards taking a break and let my body rest. I’ve been working through some injuries the last few years and I need to prioritize my health and get settled back into home.”

Hollingsworth’s mom, Kaz, was on hand for Senior Night on Feb. 28 and stayed over to watch the Zags at the WCC Tournament.

“My mom was debating whether to stay or not after the WCC finals,” Hollingsworth said. “So I went into a deep dive in all the bracketology and all the articles. She’s been here for a while. We took a bit of a gamble but here we are. She will stay as long as we keep playing.”