Gonzaga women, No. 20 BYU meet to likely decide WCC regular-season champion
PROVO, Utah – This game is supposed to be fun, Gonzaga women’s coach Lisa Fortier reminded everyone Thursday night.
The Zags had just won a laugher over Saint Mary’s, with most of the buckets punctuated by smiles and high-fives.
“That’s when we play our best: when we’re having fun,” Fortier said. “We need to channel that a little bit and not getting bogged down with the weight of what the game is.
“We just have to go out and execute our tails off.”
That’s just the attitude the Zags will need going into Saturday’s big game at BYU, a contest that will probably decide the West Coast Conference regular-season title.
With four games left, the Zags and Cougars are both 12-1 in the conference. On top of that, Gonzaga could use a boost to its NCAA Tournament resume, and a win over the 20th-ranked Cougars would fit the bill.
Adding to the weight of the moment, GU will be chasing its 17th regular-season title in the past 18 years.
The Zags are also burdened by the memory of the teams’ first meeting two weeks ago in the Kennel.
Leading by 15 at halftime, the Zags “melted down,” in Fortier’s words, and lost 62-50.
Fortier implied there would be some changes for the rematch, but didn’t share any secrets.
“If we could be steady for four quarters, that would help,” Fortier said. “That was an issue the first time we played them.”
Referencing the rest of the schedule, Fortier noted, “We’ve had a quarter where we haven’t been great in some of those games, so we need to have four complete quarters. And we have to defend personnel to their correct hand and to their weaknesses.
“And I think we just have to just play our game – it’s tough when you play in a game like that with high stakes, you worry about little things,’” added Fortier, who has a chance to win her 200th game on Saturday.
GU is 21-5 overall and 26th in the NCAA’s NET ranking, which according to most experts leaves the Zags on the NCAA Tournament bubble should they fail to win the upcoming WCC Tournament.
On BYU’s side of the scale, a win would be the Cougars’ 30th in a row at home.
It’s also Senior Night. Fans have been encouraged to wear black and fill the 19,000-seat Marriott Center
.
“I hope Saturday will be great for everybody because they deserve it,” BYU coach Jeff Judkins after the Cougars dispatched Loyola Marymount 77-54 on Thursday.
“No question (a win) would be really special,” Judkins said.
It’s already been a special season for the Cougars, who were picked to win the conference in a preseason poll of coaches.
They’ve backed up the expectations, going 21-2 overall and reaching 12th in NET. Winning out might get them a home slot the NCAA Tournament.
Junior guard Shaylee Gonzales leads the Cougars with 18.8 points a game. Senior guard Paisley Harding is right behind at 16.9.
It was Harding who sparked the BYU comeback earlier this year against GU.
Suffering a cut below her left eye shortly before halftime, the Everett native returned to score a game-high 22 points.
Junior forward Lauren Gustin averages 11.9 rebounds, eighth best in Division 1.
Rebounding was a major factor in the first meeting. Gonzaga dominated the boards 25-14 in the first half and held Gustin to just one.
But the Cougars went with a bigger lineup in the second half that included 6-foot-7 post Sara Hamson, turned the tables on the glass and won going away.
The Zags return home for three more games next week, including a makeup game on Monday against Santa Clara.