Gonzaga women up to No. 17; Jill Townsend takes WCC honor

It’s barely begun, but the week couldn’t be going any better for the Gonzaga women.

On Sunday, the Zags (8-1) thumped Washington State, 76-53. A day later they moved up another spot, to 17th, in the Associated Press poll.

Also on Monday, guard Jill Townsend won her first West Coast Conference Player of the Week award.

Including the Zags’ 70-55 win at Montana State, the junior from Okanogan averaged 15 points while shooting 66.6% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Townsend also averaged six rebounds and 1.5 steals in the two wins.

Townsend remains among the national leaders in free-throw percentage (24-for-25, or 96%).

As a team, Gonzaga broke into the top 10 this week in one of the biggest statistical categories: field-goal percentage. The Zags rank 10th out of 349 teams with a 47.7% average.

And thanks to senior guard Katie Campbell and solid performances from almost everyone else, the Zags rank seventh in 3-point shooting at 40.8%.

Campbell ranks 27th nationally with 47.6% accuracy from beyond the arc.

The Zags are home Saturday for a nonconference game against Texas Southern.