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Gonzaga Women's Basketball

Zags women roar back in second half

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University
Despite being down at halftime, the Gonzaga University women’s basketball team earned a lopsided 91-64 decision over Seattle University on the second day of the Holiday Hoops Classic at KeyArena Thursday. The Bulldogs improved to 11-4 with the victory and ended the tournament 1-1, while the Redhawks fell to 4-11 overall and 0-2 in the tournament. Gonzaga was a bit stunned in the opening half as it was down 42-40 at halftime after Seattle’s Carley Butcher hit a jumper with time dwindling down to break the ninth tie of the contest. The Bulldogs hit a strong 53.1 percent from the field in the first half, hitting 17-of-32, but the Redhawks were even hotter, sinking 17-of-27 from the floor, for 63.0 percent shooting. One glaring difference, Seattle nailed 4-of-6 3-pointers; Gonzaga only was 1-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc. Standish led the Bulldogs with 13 points, and scored nine of the Zags final 13. It was a balanced offense for GU, with six other players scoring. Elle Kerfoot led the charge for the Redhawks, scoring 13 points, hitting all five of her shot attempts, including three 3-pointers. It was a different team that came on to the floor in the final 20 minutes as it used a 23-6 run to quickly break open the game at 63-48 with 13:12 left in the contest. Senior Janelle Bekkering closed out the run scoring nine-straight points for the Bulldogs. GU forced seven turnovers during this run and forced the Redhawks to hit just 3-of-7 from the floor. The game was never in doubt for Gonzaga after the opening burst as it continued to increase its lead, grabbing a 20-plus advantage after an old fashion 3-point play and short jumper by freshman Stephanie Golden which gave the Zags the 79-57 edge with 6:03 to play. Gonzaga’s largest lead of the contest was 27, secured with 41 seconds left in the game after a jumper by sophomore Meghan Winters put the score at 91-64. The Bulldogs had four players score in double-figures, including Standish who had a game-high 23 points and Bekkering who added 18. Senior Courtney Vandersloot chipped in 14 points, eight assists and seven steals, while junior Katelan Redmon had 12 points. Standish also had 12 rebounds for her second-straight double-double and fourth of the season. Standish and Vandersloot each were named to the Holiday Hoops Classic All-Tournament team. Seattle was led by Kerfoot who finished with 19. Gonzaga returns to the McCarthey Athletic Center for its final non-conference game of the season Monday when it hosts Southern Utah University. Game time is set for 6 p.m.