Gonzaga women dominate defensively, top San Diego to remain unbeaten in WCC play

SAN DIEGO – Jessie Loera scored 13 points with seven assists and five rebounds and No. 17 Gonzaga overcame a season-high 23 turnovers to defeat San Diego 57-42 on Saturday for its 12th straight win.

Jill Townsend added 11 points and LeeAnne Wirth had 10 for the Bulldogs (14-1, 3-0 West Coast Conference), who made up for their sloppiness by pounding the Toreros (8-7, 2-2) 40-17 on the boards.

“This was a great way to end a really tough road trip,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said in a team release. “We were able to overcome a high turnover number with a huge effort on the glass. We stayed focused on our defensive assignments and for the most part did a good job executing the defensive game plan.”

Gonzaga had nine turnovers in the first quarter but jumped ahead 7-2 and held on for a 12-10 lead. Loera had a pair of baskets as the Bulldogs opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run and it was 27-16 at the half.

Gonzaga held a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half, leading by as many as 18 points following a jumper from Townsend midway through the fourth quarter. San Diego twice cut the lead to 12 points in the final 4 minutes, but a 3-pointer from Katie Campbell with 20 seconds remaining sealed the 57-42 victory.

Madison Pollock led San Diego, which was just 1 of 5 from 3-point range, with 11 points and Sydney Hunter scored 10.

Gonzaga shot 60% in the second half and 46.5% for the game with five 3-pointers. San Diego shot 35% and was outscored by seven at the foul line.

The Bulldogs return to the McCarthey Athletic Center at 6 p.m. Thursday against Saint Mary’s, which has won five in a row.