GU women struggle in second half, lose to BYU

LAS VEGAS – Down the stretch, top-seeded Gonzaga lost its way offensively, its composure and ultimately the game. Now, the Zags face an uncomfortable week of waiting to find out if they’ve done enough to merit an NCAA tournament at-large berth. Gonzaga didn’t want to leave its hopes up to a selection committee but that’s exactly where it stands after falling to No. 5 BYU 61-55 in the WCC tournament semifinals Monday at the Orleans Arena. The NCAA field will be announced next Monday. “We like to put things in our hands,” said Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier, whose team dropped three of its last five games. “I don’t know what the committee is going to think of our resume and body of work. I’m not 100 percent confident in what we’ve done this year.” The Zags (24-7), who have been to six straight NCAA tournaments, didn’t look 100 percent confident in the closing minutes. Gonzaga’s 12-point lead was sliced to four after Xojian Harry’s 3-pointer – one of nine BYU treys – with 12:28 left. Senior Lindsay Sherbert, who injured her knee in Friday’s win over Loyola Marymount, hit a pair of timely 3-pointers to temporarily hold off the Cougars, 0-2 against the Zags in the regular season. But Gonzaga’s offense couldn’t produce points and its defense couldn’t keep BYU off the free-throw line. The Zags had 10 turnovers and made just 25 percent from the field in the second half. Buckets were hard to come by, outside of seven second-chance points – GU dominated the glass 43-29 – and Sherbert’s 3s. “We missed shots, some foul calls, some easy shots for them that helped their confidence in the last 10 minutes,” said Greinacher, who scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half. “We might have lost a little bit of our composure.” Makenzi Morrison, who doubled her 9-point scoring average, connected on her fourth 3-pointer to give BYU (22-9) a 51-50 lead with 4:50 remaining. The Zags went 4-½ minutes without scoring before Emma Wolfram, sidelined Friday with food poisoning, made two free throws. BYU’s Micaelee Orton got loose for an easy layup but Keani Albanez’s 3-pointer trimmed the Cougars’ lead to 57-55 with 59.7 seconds left. The Zags forced a turnover on the inbound pass but gave it right back with a bad pass. “We let them get into easy spots and let them shoot easy shots,” BYU’s Lexi Eaton said. “We fixed that in the second half so we were all on the same page and making it tough for them every single possession.” Eaton sealed it with two foul shots with 32.5 seconds left. The Cougars made their last 11 free throws and 18 of 23 overall, led by Eaton’s 10 of 12. “It’s really tough,” Greinacher said. “Obviously the last three years it went our way. It doesn’t do our season justice, just how we played the conference mostly undefeated until the end. It’s upsetting.” The Zags were dominant early and late in the first half. They ripped off 10 unanswered points, fueled by two 17-foot jumpers by Greinacher and another by Wolfram, to take a 16-8 lead midway through the half. Gonzaga’s lead shrunk to 21-20 following an unforced turnover and Eaton’s 3-pointer with 4:40 remaining. The Zags responded with an 11-2 spurt to take a 32-22 lead at half. Greinacher had six of the 11 points and Georgia Stirton fed Wolfram for a layup. The Cougars extended their pressure in the second half, switching between man-to-man and zone defense and Gonzaga didn’t get nearly as many open looks. “It’s hard, an emotional situation,” Fortier said of GU’s locker rom. “The student-athlete experience is about playing at a place like Gonzaga and a great program and going to the NCAA tournament. Now, that’s taken out of our hands.”