Gonzaga women make quick turnaround to play at Santa Clara

A day after Gonzaga stomped conference rival BYU in Spokane, the Zags got on a plane and headed to California to hopefully extend their nine-game winning streak in Santa Clara.

It’s the third week in a row the team has had split games – one at home and one on the road. But if the Zags are frustrated about the long hours spent traveling every week, they make sure to keep their opinions to themselves around head coach Lisa Fortier.

That’s because long plane rides were expected early on this season, so Fortier doesn’t want to hear the complaints.

“We can’t spend a lot of time complaining,” Fortier said. Traveling on a bus or flying on a plane and making quick trips for a game is just how college basketball goes sometimes, Fortier said. “It’s just the nature of it.”

Gonzaga (18-4, 9-2 West Coast Conference) traveled to Santa Clara, California, to meet the Broncos (10-12, 5-6) on Saturday afternoon for the second time this season.

During their first matchup, the Zags topped Santa Clara 51-39 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Redshirt sophomore Jill Barta led with 17 points and four steals.

The Zags are coming off an 87-52 rout of BYU on Thursday night, when Gonzaga hit a program-record 17 3-pointers. Junior guard Emma Stach led the way with five 3s. The victory kept Gonzaga atop the WCC and pushed the Cougars from second to third place in the WCC, behind Saint Mary’s.

The Broncos face Gonzaga after beating Portland 68-56 on Thursday. The win broke Santa Clara’s four-game losing streak.