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Gonzaga Women's Basketball

GU women 20th in AP poll: Jenn Wirth named WCC player of the week

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Jenn Wirth (3) shoots the ball against Portland during the second half of a college basketball game on Saturday, January 9, 2021, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. Gonzaga won the game 75-43.  (Tyler Tjomsland/THE SPOKESMAN-RE)

Jenn Wirth and the Gonzaga women are off to a dominating start in the West Coast Conference.

No surprise there.

The real shocker, given Zags’ record of 10-2 in WCC play and 5-0 overall, is that Wirth is GU’s first player this season to win the conference’s player of the week award.

By Saturday, there was no doubt. The senior forward produced her fourth double-double in five games on Saturday, leading GU to a 75-43 romp over Portland and leaving voters no choice but to give her the honor.

“I think there’s one player who deserves it,” GU coach Lisa Fortier said after Wirth went off for 21 points and 10 rebounds.

“But they don’t let me vote,” Fortier said.

National voters also were impressed. The Zags moved up another spot, to 20th, in this week’s Associated Press poll. They also jumped two positions in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), a major component of seeding teams for the NCAA Tournament.

Even in the glow of Saturday’s game – payback for a loss to Portland in last year’s WCC Tournament semifinals – team success meant more to Wirth.

“I think that we’re kind of on a roll right now, but I don’t want to ignore the fact that my teammates are super hard working,” Wirth said.

The senior forward began the week with a 26-point, seven-rebound performance against Pacific on Jan. 4 – her only non-double-double in WCC play.

Wirth shot 18-for-24 in the two wins. She is averaging a double-double in conference play at 16.8 points and 11.0 rebounds.

Wirth is shooting 68.6 percent from the floor in conference play to lead the WCC, almost 10 percent higher than the next closest conference player.

Gonzaga’s next game is Thursday at Santa Clara.