Gonzaga women outlast Washington State 73-69 in overtime to sweep season series

Lisa Fortier almost apologized to the fans for what they witnessed in the first three quarters Saturday afternoon at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Then the Washington State and Gonzaga women’s basketball teams registered a classic finish and rewarded the sellout crowd of 6,000 with overtime.

Gonzaga picked the right time to finally start making shots, too, and the Bulldogs fended off the Cougars in a game in which neither team wanted to give an inch in a West Coast Conference matchup between the teams picked to finish 1-2.

The Zags used a big rebounding advantage that led to an overwhelming difference in second-chance points for a 73-69 decision.

“I’m surprised the fans didn’t leave,” Fortier said.

The teams got the fans’ attention quickly in the fourth quarter, though. They combined to make the first nine shots, with Gonzaga going 5 for 5 that included two 3-pointers and a jumper from freshman point guard Allie Turner, Yvonne Ejim’s basket and Claire O’Connor’s 3-pointer.

In that same stretch, Washington State freshman guard Charlotte Abraham got loose for two 3-pointers, and the game was knotted at 53 with 6:47 remaining.

Bree Salenbien’s 3-pointer, coupled with Ejim’s basket deep inside gave the Zags their biggest lead of the fourth quarter at 62-57 with 2:52 to go.

Tara Wallack’s 3-pointer and Dayna Mendez’s two free throws pulled the Cougars even at with 1:28 remaining.

Turner’s floater in the key put the Zags ahead 64-62 before Wallack made two fouls shots with 34.8 seconds to go.

Gonzaga tried to get Ejim loose for a final shot, but she committed a turnover just before the regulation buzzer.

Eleonora Villa hit a soft banker and followed with 1 of 2 free throws moments later to give WSU its final lead at 69-67 with 2:41 to go in overtime.

As it would turn out, that would be the Cougars’ final points.

Ejim, who made 1 of 10 shots from the field in a sluggish first half, got inside to level things at 69. Then Tayla Dalton, off a big offensive rebound from Salenbien, hit a jumper to put the Zags ahead for good at 71-69 with 1:40 to go.

Ejim stole the ball from Villa with 25 seconds left and took off before being fouled. She made both free throws for the final margin with 23 seconds left.

WSU had a couple of 3-point attempts but couldn’t connect.

Gonzaga, which made 8 of 36 shots from the field in the first half, caught fire in the fourth, connecting on 9 of 15. But the critical difference came on the boards, where the Zags outrebounded the Cougs 54-32 and outscored WSU 21-2 in second-chance opportunities.

“We had our best offensive quarter when we needed it,” Fortier said.

The Zags extended their winning streak to 11, improving to 17-8 overall and 12-2 in the WCC.

“Our team sometimes forces the issue and we did not do that in the fourth quarter, and that’s probably why we shot it so well,” Fortier said. “The second-chance points … a huge key to the game and the outcome for sure.”

Despite the loss, WSU (15-11, 10-5) remains in third place behind Portland (21-3, 10-3), which was idle .

“We finally found our groove on the offensive end (in the third quarter), but they’re just a hard team to keep off the boards and to hold them to one shot,” WSU coach Kamie Ethridge said. “If we just had any ability to do that, we might be thinking of a different game, but that’s just a big part of their game and a lot of (3-pointers) came off of those (kick-outs) after missed baskets. Credit to them, but proud of our team and how we competed.”

It was a career game for the injury-plagued Salenbien in many ways. She tied her career high for points with 14, completed a double-double with a career-high 10 rebounds and played a career-high 26 minutes.

“I’m just starting to get my rhythm back sitting out that long,” said the redshirt junior, who had just played in 41 games before returning from a third ACL surgery 10 games ago. “It’s hard to come back. So game by game, I’m just looking to progress each game. So hopefully, I can keep going through on this momentum.”

After the difficult first half, Ejim settled in and finished with her 36th double-double and reached double figures for 67th consecutive game. She had 16 points and 17 rebounds.

Fortier presented Ejim with a basketball during a brief pregame ceremony, honoring her for becoming the Zags’ all-time career scorer.

Turner added 15 points and five assists.

Wallack led four Cougars in double figures with 18 points, five blocked shots and four rebounds. Villa was next with 13 points.

Fortier praised her team for being patient during some disjointed offensive moments. When the Zags struggled to score at times, they were all over the boards and recovering most of the loose balls.

She credited WSU for bringing that out in her team.

“For the foreseeable future, that’s going to be a big game for us,” Fortier said of the Cougs’ two-year affiliate WCC membership and the future home the teams will share in the still-to-be named new conference.

It’s developing into a respectable rivalry. That was evident Saturday.