Thomas Clouse

A near sellout crowd stayed behind Feb. 19 and cheered as the Gonzaga women each climbed the ladder to cut down a piece of the net. Athletic Director Mike Roth stood at midcourt of the McCarthey Athletic Center as first-year basketball coach Lisa Fortier walked up and cut down the last strand after a record 15-0 run that earned the team’s 11th consecutive West Coast Conference championship.

One of the answers to how the Gonzaga women’s basketball team reached the Sweet 16 came from halfway around the world. The pressure of replacing a graduated Zag point guard, and running a foreign offense for a brand new coaching staff, fell squarely on the shoulders of a feisty transfer from Australia.

Everywhere she goes, she has the smile. Ask her about how her Gonzaga teammates played last weekend, Emma Wolfram smiles. Ask her about why she smiles all the time … well, yeah.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Gonzaga pulled off its biggest upset of the year on basketball’s biggest stage Sunday and the Bulldogs are now dancing home to Spokane to play in the Sweet 16. Facing Ruth Hamblin, Oregon State’s dominating center from Canada, the No. 11 seed Bulldogs turned to their own Canadian post player, Emma Wolfram, who scored a career-high 17 points and led Gonzaga to a 76-64 NCAA tournament victory over the third-seeded Beavers.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – With one upset in the books, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team seeks another today on the home court of the Pac-12 champions for the chance to play in Spokane for the Sweet 16. No. 11 seed Gonzaga (25-7) plays No. 3 seed Oregon State (27-4) in Gill Coliseum at 4 p.m. today in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The No. 10 Beavers beat No. 14 seed South Dakota State 74-62 on Friday to advance.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – With George Washington storming back within six points and the shot clock winding down Friday night, Gonzaga forward Sunny Greinacher didn’t think. She let it fly. The ball went through net with 3:15 left to play and the 3-pointer turned to be the game-winner as No. 11 seed Gonzaga upset No. 6 seed George Washington 82-69 in the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Throw out the seeds. All indications point to a barn burner when the Gonzaga and George Washington women’s basketball teams square off today at the NCAA tournament. Both the sixth-seeded Colonials and the 11th-seeded Bulldogs dominated their conferences. Both have tenacious defenses that fuel fast breaks and both have huge post players who can control most opponents in the paint.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Both the 11th-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs and sixth-seeded George Washington women’s basketball teams have the look of confident teams that are comfortable with the pressure of the NCAA tournament. The Colonials (29-3) could be heard singing and chanting in their locker room as they waited for their time on the practice floor.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Throw out the seeds. All indications point to a barn burner when the Gonzaga and George Washington women’s basketball teams square off today at the NCAA tournament.

Ted Forsi’s Alaska adventure started with some mentors in Spokane who invited him to join them 45 years ago on a hunt up north. After more than four decades since working as a volunteer for the Big Horn Outdoor Adventure Show, Forsi, an Auburn, Washington, native and Washington State graduate, is traveling here from Alaska to give a seminar that he hopes will give someone the same spark that changed his life forever.

You can, perhaps, forgive a coach who gives an interview in the heat of the moment after learning his team’s seeding for a game across the country against an unfamiliar opponent. George Washington coach Jonathan Tsipis told his school’s website that his No. 19 Colonials were heading to Corvallis, Oregon, as the No. 6 seed to take on a historically-good Gonzaga team as the No. 11 seed on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

You can, perhaps, forgive a coach who gives an interview in the heat of the moment after learning his team’s seeding for a game across the country against an unfamiliar opponent.

Ending one of the longest weeks any of them could remember, the Gonzaga women’s basketball players erupted with a roar Monday when the Zags finally came up on the NCAA tournament-selection board as a No. 11 seed in the Spokane Region to play Friday in Corvallis, Oregon, against No. 6 seed George Washington. The Bulldogs (24-7) had to wait for an at-large bid after BYU upset them March 9 in the semifinal game of the West Coast Conference tournament. The team kept the selection private but players came out for interviews once the Zags were selected.

With music blaring and defensive linemen fighting through blockers, the Spokane Shock entered the second day of practicing with pads Tuesday as the team tries to find starters, including a new quarterback, before the season begins on March 28.

SEATTLE – Fighting off injuries to its star guards, Washington State couldn’t match No. 9 Arizona State’s shooting in the second half and the Sun Devils pulled away for a 67-48 win Friday in a Pac-12 tournament quarterfinal at Seattle’s KeyArena. In her final game as a Cougar, senior guard Tia Presley (Gonzaga Prep) had a career-best seven steals and led all scorers with 16 points even after she missed more than three minutes with an injured ankle.

Fighting off injuries to its star guards, Washington State couldn’t match No. 9 Arizona State’s shooting in the second half and the Sun Devils pulled away for a 67-48 win Friday in a Pac-12 tournament quarterfinal game at Seattle’s KeyArena.