No. 25 Gonzaga women fall to Michigan in Paradise Jam

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – Katelynn Flaherty made four 3-pointers and scored 22 points, Siera Thompson added five 3s and 21 points, and Michigan beat No. 25 Gonzaga 78-66 in the Paradise Jam on Thursday night.

Nicole Munger played a key role in the final minutes for Michigan. She made a 3-pointer from the corner for a 70-63 lead with 3:19 left and drew a charge with 32.6 seconds remaining. She was fouled on the ensuing inbound play and hit two free throws for a 74-66 lead.

Gonzaga cut the lead to four with 4:30 left after Emma Stach drained a 3-pointer and Zhane Templeton scored a layup off of a steal. The Zags pulled within four again with 0:44 remaining, but ended the game with four empty possessions.

Hallie Thome had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists for Michigan (5-0), which never trailed. The Wolverines made 12 of 21 3-pointers while Gonzaga was just 3 of 20 (15 percent). GU was just 1 of 13 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Boogie Brozoski hit a long contested 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to give Michigan a 44-34 lead.

The Zags controlled the glass, outrebounding the Wolverines 34-31 and posting 15 second-chance points to Michigan’s two.

Jill Barta made 9 of 13 shots, hit all eight of her free-throw attempts and finished with a season-high 27 points for Gonzaga (3-1). The redshirt sophomore had 17 points by halftime.

Stach added 11 points and eight rebounds.

Laura Stockton finished in double figures with 10 points, and also led the Zags in assists with five.

GU’s bench went six deep, but only scored 10 points in the 12-point loss to the Wolverines. Fifth-year senior Elle Tinkle had a rough shooting night, going 0 for 5 from the field (0 for 4 on 3-point attempts).

The Zags face off with No. 10 Florida State on Friday in Game 2 of the Paradise Jam. The Seminoles whacked Winthrop 98-35 in their first game in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday.