No. 22 Gonzaga women top Dayton 76-65 at Gulf Coast Showcase
ESTERO, Fla. – Jenn Wirth scored a career-high 19 points, Katie Campbell added 17 with five 3-pointers and No. 22 Gonzaga beat Dayton 76-65 on Friday in the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Gonzaga trailed by two points midway through the third quarter until going on a 12-0 run to stay in front for good. Campbell scored five points during the run and Wirth added four.
“We were trying to do too much (in the first half). We were turning the ball over – not in trying to make the passes and plays that we normally do, but doing things that we never do,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said. “I was happy to be where we were, because we didn’t play very well.”
Campbell’s final 3-pointer put the Bulldogs ahead 72-63 with 36 seconds left. Her teammates made four straight free throws to seal it.
Jill Townsend chipped in 18 points for Gonzaga (4-1). The Zags made 8 of 20 3-pointers.
“The toughness of our team improved at the half,” Fortier said. “We settled in a little bit and started working together.”
Shakeela Fowler and Jayla Scaife each scored 16 points for Dayton (3-4), which has lost three straight. Erin Whalen added 10 points.
Gonzaga advances to face Middle Tennessee in the semifinals on Saturday.