Thomas Clouse

Basketball, as a sport, rarely gets more entertaining than the four-overtime opus played by the Gonzaga women’s basketball team last Saturday against San Francisco. Coach Lisa Fortier routinely puts her team through last-second situations in practice to prepare for all the scenarios that could arise.

Basketball, as a sport, rarely gets more entertaining than the four-overtime opus played by the Gonzaga women’s basketball team last Saturday against San Francisco.

Sometimes in sports two teams battle so evenly that no one who played or watched the game will ever forget that they were part of it. The Gonzaga women’s basketball team locked horns with San Francisco on Saturday in a game that will live in GU lore as the Bulldogs prevailed 91-84 after four overtime periods. It was the longest game played at any women’s collegiate level this season.

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team locked horns with San Francisco on Saturday in a game that will live in GU lore as the Bulldogs prevailed 91-84 after four overtime periods.

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team couldn’t get out of its own way to start the game, but the Bulldogs turned on the jets and raced to a commanding 76-49 win Thursday night over Santa Clara.

The No. 21 Whitworth Pirates never surrendered the lead, but they also didn’t feel like they earned the 90-83 victory over Willamette on Saturday night at Whitworth Fieldhouse. The Pirates (17-2, 10-0 Northwest Conference) had one of their best shooting nights of the year (50.8 percent), but the Bearcats kept making runs and just would not go away.

Lewis & Clark missed two late free throws that resulted in overtime and the Whitworth Pirates rallied to defeat the Pioneers 68-60 on Friday night at Whitworth Fieldhouse. The 21st-ranked Pirates (16-2, 9-0 Northwest) tied the game at 56 when sophomore wing Christian Jurlina hit a jumper with 39 seconds to play in regulation.

The Whitworth men and women’s basketball teams have thrown up some impressive numbers as both teams begin the second halves of their conference seasons tonight against Lewis & Clark at Whitworth Fieldhouse. The No. 17 women (16-1, 7-1 Northwest Conference) started the season on a 14-game winning streak before losing Jan. 17 at undefeated George Fox. The No. 21 men (16-2, 8-0) have won 15 straight games since losing Nov. 22 to St. Thomas, which is ranked No. 2 by D3hoops.com.

Halfway through the league, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team has answered every West Coast Conference challenge as it heads into a week with only one game. The Bulldogs have come a long way from a team plagued with turnovers that looked lost in the early season with its half-court offense.

Halfway through the league, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team has answered every West Coast Conference challenge as it heads into a week with only one game.

The Whitworth men’s basketball team started strong and never let its foot off the gas as the Pirates pillaged Pacific Lutheran 78-59 Saturday night at Whitworth Fieldhouse. The Lutes looked like they left their offense on the bus as they took more than six minutes to score a point. As a team, the Lutes shot only 21.4 percent from the field in the first half and appeared lucky to be down just 13 points – 35-22 – at the break.

The Whitworth women’s basketball team allowed Pacific Lutheran to hang close for a half but the Pirates plundered the Lutes in the second half for a 65-49 victory Saturday at Whitworth Fieldhouse. “We didn’t have much energy to start the game,” coach Helen Higgs said. “But I was happy with how we responded. We had a lot more bounce in our legs in the second half.”

Trailing at halftime, the Whitworth Pirates surged in the second half of a slugfest to beat visiting Puget Sound 78-72 Friday night at Whitworth Fieldhouse. With the win, the Pirates remain unbeaten in conference play and retain their lead atop the Northwest Conference.