Perfect time to peak: Finally at full strength, Gonzaga women must limit turnovers, play better defense at WCC Tournament

LAS VEGAS – The development of the Gonzaga women’s basketball team this season wasn’t necessarily by design but out of necessity.

The Bulldogs returned one starter from one of their best teams in history. There were many questions facing the Zags.

As they were trying to find their way, though, injuries and illnesses surfaced and stacked up. Head coach Lisa Fortier has started nine of her 11 available players. Seven have started at least 11 games.

The Zags, the No. 1 seed, are finally at full strength heading into the West Coast Conference Tournament.

Two-time WCC Player of the Year Yvonne Ejim has led the Zags in scoring at 20.7 points per game and true freshman point guard Allie Turner, who has been impressive since the season’s opening tip, is the second-leading scorer at 13.3 ppg. Seven Zags are averaging 5.1 or more points per game.

Through seven various injuries and ailments, Gonzaga has developed quality depth. That could serve the Bulldogs well in Las Vegas.

And the coaching staff, together for 11 seasons, has been patient with the Zags’ development, leaning on a word that is a theme in the program – process.

The Zags had to look to the transfer portal last spring after seeing four starters depart. At the same time, Fortier was beginning an eight-month battle with cancer treatment.

Fortier was ruled healthy just before the season began.

The Zags have had issues – and they’re the type of challenges that typically come with a new team stocked with mostly new players. The primary concerns have been turnovers and defense.

Gonzaga will finish the season with the most turnovers for a Fortier team. It’s the type of turnover, more than the quantity of turnovers, that has been most distressing.

Through the regular season, the Zags allowed opponents 16.1 points per game from turnovers while they scored just 11.7 off opponents’ turnovers. That’s like starting a game trailing 4-0.

The margin improved in the WCC. Opponents averaged 14.9 to Gonzaga’s 13.6, a difference of -1.3.

Gonzaga lost five games by a combined nine points. Turnovers could have been the difference in those games, for sure.

In 20 games, opponents have scored more points off turnovers. Seven times the Zags have scored more points than opponents off turnovers and four times it was a draw.

Fortier hasn’t avoided talking about the issues publicly or with her team.

“We talk about (turnovers). We chart them,” Fortier said. “We try to eliminate them. In some of the games where we’ve been at our best – not all of them, but some of them – there’s been lower numbers.”

The Zags have had the propensity of turnovers early in quarters. And they sometimes come in bunches.

Fortier and staff have gauged their conversations about turnovers and encouraging players not to commit them. It’s akin to telling players not to foul. Sometimes it becomes such a subconscious thing that they can’t shake it.

“If you do too much with it, you’re thinking, ‘Don’t turn it over,’ ” Fortier said. “I wish it was different, but it’s kind of the makeup of this team. We had a ton of turnovers in some of the early games and we are still turning it over some.”

Fortier’s message to her team this week is simple.

“We’ve been under this kind of pressure (the type they’ll feel and see in Las Vegas) since the day they showed up,” Fortier said. “That’s the kind of pressure you play with at Gonzaga if you’re a Gonzaga athlete, especially in the basketball program. When we weren’t performing, there was pressure to perform better. It’s a competitive advantage. So we can say we know what it’s like to feel that pressure every game, so let’s not worry about that pressure. Let’s just focus on how we can be the best against and what we can do against them.”

The other liability at times has been defense.

“Our defense isn’t as good as we would have liked it to be all year,” Fortier said.

What’s helped, though, is having Ejim, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, waiting in the key to put a stop to things when things become scrambled.

Of the two major honors Ejim received this week, she’s most proud of defensive player of the year.

Ejim and her team will have to be on point in Las Vegas.

Ejim said nobody has to do anything special.

“People are not going out there trying to make magic,” Ejim said. “They’re trying to do what they’re supposed to do. So having this week to sit here in this gym and grow together as a team it’s super advantageous and a blessing for us.”

Turner understands what is at stake. The Zags want to close things out right for their departing players.

“We’re all playing for the seniors. It could be the last time (we play together),” Turner said. “They’re such good teammates and leaders that we really just want to win for them.”