New-look Gonzaga women turn page after departure of Yvonne Ejim

If the Gonzaga women’s basketball team faced the possibility of taking a step back, it would seem that it could happen in the 2025-26 season.

The Bulldogs are embracing the most turnover in coach Lisa Fortier’s career. More than half the team is new – including four transfers and three freshmen.

Even the player who has been in Spokane the longest, redshirt freshman Lauren Whittaker, has yet to log a minute in a regular-season game.

Interestingly, another point to the Zags’ newness is Whittaker is the lone connection to GU’s last trip to the NCAA Tournament. She had been with the Zags three months after arriving from New Zealand when Gonzaga advanced to the Sweet 16 two years ago.

The Zags return one starter in sophomore point guard Allie Turner.

Gone is arguably the best player in school history, Yvonne Ejim, who rewrote the record book a year ago.

So fans will need to be patient as coach Lisa Fortier and staff sort through talent that needs time to gel.

What does this team need to do to get the Zags back to the NCAA Tournament? First, embrace the tradition. Gonzaga has been to the NCAA Tournament eight times under Fortier. Second, and perhaps more important, it’s a golden opportunity for the new Zags to carve out their own history.

The good news is there’s experience – even if it hasn’t come in GU uniforms.

Gonzaga rarely awards incoming freshmen with a lot of playing time, let alone makes them starters. But there Turner was last season, and the Zags were in dire need of a point guard.

She had a season unlike any previous Gonzaga freshman, averaging the most minutes (32.7) and making a school record 3-pointers (105). She was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and selected to the WCC first team.

Turner has been asked to add an intangible to her role this season. She’ll be counted on heavily to get the Zags’ offense going, but she’ll be asked to do something that Ejim was a model example of the past two years – leadership.

Others will be asked to step up too, but Turner has cache.

Turner will have a deep roster to turn to for help. While certainly untested, the Zags could feature one of their deepest teams.

It’s unlikely Gonzaga will have a set starting lineup for 31 regular-season games. Fortier could ultimately settle on a steady lineup with a defined substitute rotation. At first, though, she’s likely going to let the players settle the question of minutes.

Returning transfers Ines Bettencourt, a 5-9 guard from Portugal, and McKynnlie Dalan, a 6-0 small forward from the University of Minnesota by way of Montesano, Washington, will likely join Turner and Whittaker in the starting lineup.

Don’t be surprised if Saint Mary’s transfer Zeryhia Aokuso, a 5-10 guard from Amarillo, Texas, is a starter. She has impressed during the preseason, and she’s familiar with the Zags having played against them the last two years.

Others vying for a starting job are transfers Taylor Smith, a 6-2 forward from Weber State, and Sierra Lichtie, a 6-foot forward from Cal Poly.

Freshmen Julia Wilson, a 5-10 guard from Temecula, California; Jaiden Haile, a 6-2 forward from Fargo, North Dakota; and Paige Lofing, a 5-9 guard from Billings, Montana, could see minutes off the bench. Boise State transfer Teryn Gardner, a 5-10 guard from Mead, 5-11 sophomore returning wing Christabel Osarobo, and 5-9 senior returning guard Vera Gunaydin will vie for remaining time off the bench.

Turner was the only full-time starter a year ago who had more assists than turnovers. The Zags had the most turnovers in a season under Fortier (598).

With as many as five possible point guards, Fortier is confident that won’t persist as an issue this year.

“We’re aware of it while not trying to get bogged down by it,” Fortier said. “I’m hopeful that we’re going to be more confident with the ball and make better decisions this year.”

For 25.9 minutes a game a year ago, Gonzaga had just four scorers on the court. It was clear – the Zags played 4 on 5 quite often.

This season, the Zags will have scorers on the court at all times.

Gonzaga averaged 68.4 points per game last season, third worst under Fortier. The 65.8 the Zags averaged in 2015-16 ranks last followed by 68.1 in 2019-20.

Gonzaga’s single-season high under Fortier is 81.2, and that happened during the recent Sweet 16 run.

The Zags aren’t likely to eclipse that mark this season, but they could challenge it. Gonzaga will score in transition often, make a lot of 3-pointers and pound the ball inside effectively.

It’s all a recipe for an entertaining offense.

If the offense proves prolific, it could set the Zags up well for the postseason. They want to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing it last year.

To that end, Gonzaga has a challenging nonconference schedule arranged to assist in postseason seeding. To automatically secure an NCAA Tournament berth, the Zags must do something they haven’t done in four years – win the WCC Tournament.