His ability to speak five languages made Ronny Turiaf – Zag by way of France by way of Martinique – the school’s international man of mystery. Or would have, except he made sure there was no mystery. His reflexive engagement of virtually everyone he encountered built relationships that transcended basketball, especially when you came to realize he was even more curious about you than you were about him.
Jill Barta scored 19 of her 24 points in the first half to lead the Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-5) to an 81-70 win over the Pepperdine Waves (10-20) in the West Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The marriage of the West Coast Conference tournament and Las Vegas turns 10 this week, an anniversary of such happy construct that it’s hard to remember the Pliocene days when the event was played on an assortment of rotating home courts – the road inevitably doubling back to Santa Clara, it seemed, and later San Diego.
Gonzaga needed all the luck it could get this season. Even before the season started, head coach Lisa Fortier was down a potential starter. Redshirt senior Emma Wolfram was out for the entire season after undergoing surgery for a recurring knee injury.
At some point, even the hardiest Gonzaga basketball fans may find themselves overwhelmed and underfunded amidst the glitzy cacophony of Las Vegas. Luckily, a different kind of playground is less than 30 minutes from the casino lights. World-class rock climbing, hiking, road cycling and more await.
All Gonzaga women’s basketball games during the upcoming West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas will be available over the air on 1510 KGA AM, as part of the IMG Radio Network. The games will not be available on 94.1 FM, as they have been this season.