Gonzaga women roll past Wyoming, 89-50

After three close games, the Gonzaga women finally broke loose Tuesday night.

Taking advantage of their height and depth, the 25th-ranked Zags took a double-digit lead in the second quarter and pulled away to an 89-50 nonconference win against Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming.

GU improved to 2-2 going into their first home game of the season, Sunday against Montana.

With the game tied at 18 late in the first quarter, the Zags outscored Wyoming 24-12 the rest of the half to take a 42-30 lead at intermission.

A strong second quarter was followed by an even better third, as the Zags made 5 of 10 long-range shots to put the game out of reach at 67-40.

“Our last three games have been kind of close and stressful, so I think to come out and play and shoot like we did today it’s just a big confidence boost,” senior forward Jenn Wirth said. “It kind of allows us to see what we’re really capable of.”

For the game, GU shot 55% (36 for 60) and even better from beyond the arc: 60% (12 for 20).

Wyoming shot only 34.6% and got just three second-chance points, the result of GU’s 44-19 dominance on the boards.

The Cowgirls focused on shutting down GU senior Jill Townsend, and they succeeded. Averaging 21.3 points coming into the game, Townsend managed just four.

However, Wyoming had no answer for Jenn Wirth, whose 16 points and 10 rebounds were both game-highs. Wirth also made 7 of 8 shots from the field.

“Tonight was a great team win,” coach Lisa Fortier said. “We were very efficient offensively, and we worked really well together for a good mix of interior and perimeter baskets. We needed a bounce-back game today, and we got it. I’m really happy for the team.”

The Zags also got a big game from senior guard Cierra Walker, who hit all four of her 3-point shots to finish with 12 points.

LeeAnne Wirth added 10 points and three blocks, and freshman Yvonne Ejim had seven rebounds in just 9 minutes on the court.