Top-seeded Gonzaga women to open WCC Tournament against Oregon State
LAS VEGAS – If Gonzaga is going to win the West Coast Conference Tournament for the first time since 2021-22 – and the fifth time under coach Lisa Fortier – it’ll likely have to beat a team for a third straight time this season.
Gonzaga has swept Portland in regular-season play the last two seasons only to fall to the Pilots in the tournament final.
If the tournament follows seeding, Gonzaga (22-9) and Portland (28-3) will face off in the championship game Tuesday. A Fortier-coached team has never lost to the Pilots in regular-season play in 11 seasons (22-0). But Portland is 3-0 against the Zags in postseason play.
The Zags can’t get to Tuesday, though, without winning Monday. First up is No. 4-seed Oregon State (16-15), a shell of the team that advanced to the Elite Eight a year ago before losing to eventual champ South Carolina. The Beavers lost eight players in the transfer portal.
Oregon State topped San Francisco 61-59 in a thrilling quarterfinal Sunday when 6-foot-5 senior post Kelsey Rees hit the game-winner at the buzzer.
It was a challenge but Beavers coach Scott Rueck did a marvelous job retooling his team. It’s been a seasonlong project.
The Zags and Beavers split regular-season games, each winning on the road. In the first game, Gonzaga had Oregon State all but put away, leading 61-49 with three minutes remaining.
The Beavers rallied with a closing 12-0 run to force overtime. Oregon State won 71-67.
That loss seemed to spark the Bulldogs, who went on a 14-game winning streak including a 66-62 win Feb. 13 in Corvallis, Oregon – another game decided in overtime.
Like the Zags, the Beavers played well late. They won seven of their last nine games – limiting opponents to 53.4 points per game after surrendering 65.3 per game in their first 22 games.
From where the Zags started – they were 4-6 early – to where they are now is a journey with measurable improvement.
“I’m proud of our team – our (coaching) staff and our players just for what they’ve done,” Fortier said. “They’ve gone to work. We didn’t resemble this team in the fall at all in any stretch of the imagination. It’s definitely a group thing.”
Where the Zags are now and where they’ve been isn’t lost on Fortier.
“It’s more meaningful in my mind just with where the team is now compared to where they were before. They’ve been able to get better,” Fortier said. “And we still have some getting better to do. We’ve attacked improvement in a very unique way and they’ve just kind of grown in front of our eyes.”
The Zags have survived injuries and hiccups this season.
“Fingers crossed, we’re going into Vegas healthy,” Fortier said. “You need good health, good luck, good chemistry. Those are things that are sometimes in your control and sometimes not. We’re in a good place when it comes to that part.”