‘There’s going to be a fight on Saturday’: Gonzaga women host Washington State for rematch of WCC contenders
If the West Coast Conference women’s basketball schedule is anything, it appears to be fair.
When Gonzaga and Washington State faced off in the first half of conference play a month ago, the Zags had a Thursday bye before traveling to Pullman.
WSU got the bye Thursday and travels to Gonzaga on Saturday.
WSU and Gonzaga face off Saturday at McCarthey Athletic Center with the first-place Zags (16-8, 11-2 WCC) against the third-place Cougars (15-10, 10-4). Tip is at 2 p.m.
For WSU, the bye came at a good time. The Cougars, who have won three in a row, are coming off playing five games in eight days.
Their two biggest conference games among the remaining six are at Gonzaga and at Portland.
WSU sophomore guard Eleonora Villa has been sick this week. WSU head coach Kamie Ethridge said she should be the most rested player and will be available Saturday.
“That’s unusual, you usually can’t do that,” Ethridge said of the extra time off. “It was a really needed time to get a break. We were running on fumes. Elle (Villa) got sick as a dog and we haven’t seen her all week.”
Gonzaga, which has won 10 in a row, topped WSU 69-61 in a game that didn’t seem that close. Ethridge said the difference was Gonzaga’s physical play, especially inside.
“They’re unapologetic about how hard they’re going to play and they’re going to play through you,” Ethridge said. “A fight is going to go on. There’s going to be a fight on Saturday. It’s just a matter of are you going to join in or are you going to be the punching bag. I mean that in a really positive way about what you’re going to get from Gonzaga. I hope we continue to grow as a program and we’re growing our team and people are talking about those things in us. (Gonzaga’s Yvonne) Ejim is an example of that. She’s grown that and she leads that team in that capacity.”
Ethridge has challenged her team to play harder. They’ll have to do so in an environment they haven’t faced like McCarthey Athletic Center.
The game is expected to be a sellout. It’s the first Gonzaga women’s game that students camped overnight to get the remaining tickets. The student allotment was accounted for earlier this week.
On the court where the game will be decided, WSU will be without sophomore block-shot artist Alex Covill. The 6-foot-6 post has missed the past two games with a foot issue. She’s a big reason why WSU ranks first in the nation in total blocks and averages 6.5 blocks per game, third best in the nation.
It’s likely Gonzaga will be without 6-3 graduate forward Maud Huijbens (concussion).
How the Cougars account for Ejim will be key. Senior forward Tara Wallack will draw the primary defensive assignment.
“It’s such a team defense,” Ethridge said. “You have to guard her with multiple people. They’re more than just Ejim, but she’s certainly a driving force for them. Not just her scoring, but her keeping balls alive and her leadership and her relentless pursuit of the ball. She makes everybody play so hard on that team. She’s a big factor for them and we’re going to throw a lot of different bodies at her.”
Playing again in less than 48 hours is nothing new for GU .
“A one-day turnaround is normal in our conference,” Fortier said. “You still have to practice on Friday and figure out what you have to do on Saturday. … They’re great shooters. Hopefully, our gym will be sold out.”
Ejim broke the Zags’ scoring record Thursday. She sits alone atop scoring and rebounding not only at Gonzaga but in the WCC.
She’s looking forward to facing WSU.
“Definitely excited for the matchup,” Ejim said. “It’ll be an interesting game. We’ll work hard (Friday) for that game. They’re a really good team.”
Much lies ahead in the quest for one of the top two seeds and a bye into the WCC Tournament semifinals. But a win would give the Zags a sweep over WSU, and they’ve already swept second-place Portland (21-3, 10-3). Having the head-to-head tiebreakers would give the Zags some room if they stub their toe in the final weeks.