Gonzaga women start strong in easy win over Missouri State 68-49

It took until the 12th game but the Gonzaga women’s basketball team played its most complete game of the season Friday.

The Bulldogs shot well, played soundly on defense and dominated the boards on their way to a 68-49 decision over the Missouri State Bears before a crowd of 1,801 at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri.

Gonzaga wasn’t perfect (see 22 turnovers). But the Zags’ effort from start to finish was everything coach Lisa Fortier desired.

“The best thing our team did was start the game well,” Fortier said. “We really guarded in the first quarter and that set the tone for the game. There were very few possessions where we were not helping each other out and covering for each other defensively.”

Doing a lot of the heavy lifting were freshmen forwards Lauren Whittaker and Jaiden Haile. Whittaker posted her fourth double-double, scoring a team-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with 16 rebounds. It’s the second-most rebound by a freshman in Gonzaga history. Anne Bailey owns the record (20). Whittaker’s final rebound pushed her past Heather Bowman (15).

Haile came off the bench to haul down 12 rebounds in 23 minutes, an impressive number in its own right. Seven came on the offensive end. She also added five points and two blocked shots.

Gonzaga (7-5) outrebounded the Bears 41-24.

“To have both of them in double digits (rebounds) handily was great to see,” Fortier said.

The fashion in which the Zags played overall had to be a confidence boost after Gonzaga fell 68-66 at home on Tuesday against undefeated Arizona State.

“Statistically for me, the defensive field goal percentage (31.4%) and defensive 3-point percentage (20%) were the biggest highlights for me,” Fortier said. “We made them work really hard on offense.”

Sophomore guard Allie Turner, playing three hours from home in St. Louis, gave Gonzaga its first double-digit lead at 23-12 when she made a third 3-pointer in the first half with 4:54 to go in the second quarter.

Another sophomore guard, Teryn Gardner, knocked down a deep 3 to give the Zags a 29-18 lead 23 seconds before halftime.

The Bears (7-5) cut the deficit to eight at 39-31 with 3:23 to go in the third quarter. But the Zags used a 13-4 surge to close out the period with a 52-37 lead.

Gonzaga pushed its advantage to 21 points twice in the fourth.

The turnover number was a bit skewed. The Zags found a different way to watch that number become unnecessary. They were called for eight offensive fouls. Gonzaga committed 13 turnovers in the first half, but played with better poise the final two quarters.

The Zags made 27 of 57 shots from the field (47.4%) and 8 of 15 (53.3%) beyond the 3-point line.

Turner added 13 points and three assists and junior transfer Zeryhia Aukoso had 11 points and six assists. Ines Bettencourt had four assists and no turnovers as Gonzaga finished with 18.

Turner and Aukoso were inspired by having friends and family in attendance. Aukoso hails from Amarillo, Texas - about eight hours from Springfield.

Gonzaga completes its nonconference schedule Sunday at UC Riverside (2-8). Tipoff is at 2 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN+.