Vince Grippi: Defensive switch, sellout crowd help Zags change tide against UC Irvine

It doesn’t always have to be something big to change a course. A small tap on the tiller. A wind shift. Maybe a quick tightening of the sails.

That’s all. Well, that and a change in latitude. And attitude.

Coming off their second consecutive West Coast Conference Tournament finals loss to Portland, Lisa Fortier’s Gonzaga Bulldogs, runaway regular-season champs, didn’t need huge changes to put the disappointment behind them.

But NCAA Tournament first-round opponent UC Irvine supplied some impetus anyway, with a quick start. An 11-point deficit late in the first quarter took some wind out of the Zags’ sails.

The 6,000 who flowed into McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday night, turning the place into a sea of red, seemed adrift. Even a four-point wave to end the quarter didn’t look to help the Bulldogs’ cause.

It was time for a bigger nudge.

Coming out of the quarter break, Fortier held up two fingers on her right hand. It may have been to signify the 1-2-2 zone the Bulldogs decided to use, but it turned out to signify more. A 75-56 victory.

“I think in that second quarter, we were supposed to be in (the zone) until they scored on us,” Fortier said, “and then we got a lot of stops. Even when they did score on us, we decided that we liked it.”

What was not to like?

The defensive change slowed the Anteaters’ attack. Made them think instead of reacting. After shooting 53% in the opening quarter, the Anteaters (23-9) shot 26% the rest of the way.

The zone also seemed to settle the Bulldogs a bit. Instead of using boatloads of energy chasing guards like Deja Lee (13 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field) through screens and cuts, Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong and Brynna Maxwell settled into what they have been often in this 31-3 season: shooters, distributors and disruptors.

“I think they play about 98% man,” Irvine coach Tamara Inoue said of the Zags, “but the 2% came out today.”

That was the macro move. The micro ones?

Maxwell thought the final 30-plus minutes showed how different this senior-dominated team is from last year’s group that suffered a devastating first-round NCAA loss.

The squads share a similar roster, sure, and entered their first NCAA game coming off a loss. That, said Maxwell, was where the similarities end.

“You can’t even compare the two,” she said of the two seasons, explaining how this senior-led team hung together. Picked each other up. Set goals. One was to seize the opportunity presented Saturday.

Maxwell sat in the Gonzaga locker room, patiently answering questions. It was quite possibly the first quiet that washed over her in the past two hours. And that made her smile.

“It was so loud, we came in at halftime and everyone’s ears were ringing,” Maxwell said of the noise she and her teammates had endured – and appreciated. “It was such a cool environment.”

A stimulating one, at least.

“We felt the energy,” Yvonne Eijim said, “especially when we come back on defense, everyone is cheering, everyone is clapping.”

All that was happening without the usual crowd-pleasing shots supplied by Maxwell. And yet, despite hitting just 4 of 12 shots, including just two of her seven 3-point attempts, the Bulldogs were 32 points to the good when she was on the floor.

“She was bringing attention,” Fortier said in way of explanation for that astounding statistic. “That creates opportunity. She stretches the defense. She is a threat. With a player like Brynna, they were in her shorts the whole time. They had to help, they had to switch, they had to double.

“They were trying desperately not to let her get a 3 off, and that just brings attention.”

Kayleigh Truong took advantage, despite having to sit much of that off-course first quarter. She returned, keyed the offense with five assists – a total matched by her sister Kaylynne – and scored 16 points. The biggest beneficiary, though, was Ejim, who professed afterward she welcomed the physical play.

Her best argument? A game-high 26 points – on 12-for-23 shooting from the floor – and 14 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Monday, when the 16th-ranked Zags try to sail into a Sweet 16 against Utah, there may need a new course charted. Avoiding the early shoals sure would help. As would riding the wind.

But most important, getting stops. And making shots.