Gonzaga women move up to No. 22 in AP Top 25, despite loss at No. 2 Stanford

Despite losing at Stanford on Sunday, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team moved up one spot, to 22nd, in this week’s Associated Press poll released Monday.

It’s been a challenging week for the Zags.

Hitting the road last week with only eight healthy players, Gonzaga beat a solid Stephen F. Austin squad. 71-59.

Down to seven players on Sunday, the Zags played No. 2 Stanford almost evenly in the first half before the Cardinal pulled away in the second.

Unranked before the season began, the Zags (7-2) rejoined the rankings after an 18-month absence last week after a strong performance in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

GU received 106 overall votes, just behind Arkansas’ 121 and in front of Oklahoma, which had 99.

Defending NCAA champion South Carolina is a unanimous pick atop the poll. Ranked behind Stanford are Ohio State, Indiana and Notre Dame.

The Zags also rank high in several major statistical areas this week, especially free-throw shooting. As a team, GU ranks third in Division 1 with 82.8% (119 out of 144), while guard Brynna Maxwell is seventh in the individual ranking at 96% (29 out of 30).

Maxwell also ranks 14th nationally in 3-point shooting, hitting 52.7% (22 of 42).

As a team, the Bulldogs are shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc, which ranks 12th in the nation and first in the WCC.