Balanced scoring leads Gonzaga over Montana 82-69

Even without their full roster, the Gonzaga Bulldogs present a difficult matchup.

The level of difficulty is only going to increase in the coming weeks following a 82-69 nonconference win over the Montana Grizzlies in a season-opening women’s college basketball game Tuesday before a crowd of 4,952 at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Gonzaga extended its home winning streak to 37 and it was the Zags’ ninth season-opening win under 11-year coach Lisa Fortier.

Stop if this sounds familiar – five Zags scored in double figures.

The Zags pushed the advantage to as much as 25 points, but they didn’t finish well, committing seven turnovers in the fourth quarter, five in the final 3:30.

Fortier chalked up the end of the game to situational experience that will benefit the Zags down the road. She was pleased with the start.

The Zags couldn’t have scripted a better start . They led 10-2 and never gave Montana a chance to catch a breath. Six Zags scored in the first quarter, leading to a 31-15 advantage going into the second.

“I loved the way we started,” Fortier said. “The first quarter was tremendous. … We had two great defensive quarters. We weren’t as sharp offensively in the second quarter as we were in the first, but we were moving the ball, we were setting good screens, we were running sharp clean offense. Nobody really cared where the ball went.”

By game’s end, a freshman from St. Louis led Gonzaga in scoring. Allie Turner scored 18 points off the bench, making 5 of 8 3-pointers. She also had six rebounds and four assists.

Gonzaga graduate forward Yvonne Ejim had her 26th career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. UConn transfer guard Ines Bettencourt added 16 points and five assists, Maud Huijbens added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Minnesota sophomore transfer McKynnlie Dalan, slowed most of preseason with an shooting elbow injury, came off the bench for 12 points, 11 in the first half.

“If we can get good at making the next-right play we’re going to be tough to stop because we have a lot of players who are capable,” Fortier said.

Ejim praised her teammates for the start.

“We were connecting well,” Ejim said. “Our passes were sharp, our offense executed properly and we’re getting more comfortable finding people in their most advantageous spots.”

Three times Montana cut Gonzaga’s lead to 13 points, including the final score.

But the Grizzlies couldn’t stop the balanced Zags.

Gonzaga’s biggest lead was 25 points – thanks to defense and limiting Montana to one shot on most possessions. The Zags forced most of the Grizzlies’ 11 first-half turnovers.

Montana, picked to finish third in the Big Sky Conference, used a 9-3 surge to cut the deficit to 49-30 going into halftime.

Seven of eight Zags scored in the first half and five players hit 3-pointers, led by two from Turner.

Fortier didn’t know what kind of 3-point-shooting team she would have coming out of preseason. The Zags made 11 of 21 from long range.

Montana freshman Avery Waddington from Lake City High in Coeur d’Alene led the Grizzlies with 13 points, five assists and three steals.

Looking down the road, redshirt freshman forward Lauren Whittaker and Saint Mary’s graduate guard Tayla Dalton are getting closer to a return for Gonzaga.

Gonzaga goes to Stanford on Sunday. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2, beginning at noon.