Zags’ 10th NCAA tourney appearance under Lisa Fortier likely feels just like the first | Gonzaga women
Even when it’s new it doesn’t feel old.
That couldn’t be more true for the Gonzaga women’s basketball team.
The Bulldogs head back to the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time since earning their first berth in 2006-07. It’s the 10th time for a Lisa Fortier-coached team.
The Zags secured the berth with a memorable 76-66 win over Oregon State, which has made a habit of dancing in March.
Oregon State is just two years removed from an Elite Eight appearance. Days following the season and the Beavers headed to the West Coast Conference, coach Scott Rueck witnessed mass defections through the transfer portal.
The Beavers lost eight players, and Rueck somehow did a masterful rebuild that resulted in a WCC Tournament championship last season, which included a 63-61 come-from-behind win over Gonzaga in the semifinals.
The loss knocked the Zags into the WBIT. Gonzaga’s end-of-season goal is to be in the NCAA Tournament, not the consolation tournament.
The reason this feels largely new to the Zags is, well, it is for 11 of 12 players. UConn transfer guard Ines Bettencourt was on two teams in Bristol, Connecticut, that played in the NCAA Tournament including the Final Four in 2022-23.
Bettencourt enjoyed UConn’s success. But this is her time as Gonzaga’s lone senior. She did see the court in one late March game for 10 minutes at UConn, but her 26.2 minutes per game for the Zags has been priceless.
One could see it on the faces of Bettencourt’s teammates in Las Vegas that they wanted to win Tuesday for her.
Gonzaga’s redshirt forward Lauren Whittaker was on the bench two years ago three months after arriving from Canterbury, New Zealand. She watched the Zags post the best record in school history (32-4) and advance to the Sweet 16.
But for three true freshmen, two sophomores and five transfers – three of whom are juniors, one a graduate senior and one a sophomore – playing the next game is what they’ve dreamed about.
It doesn’t matter where and it doesn’t matter who it’s against. It just matters that Gonzaga is there.
Goodbye, WCC
Most of the season, Fortier deferred thoughts about Gonzaga leaving the WCC. For good reason, too. It’s not something she’s personally celebrating.
“You’re probably tired of me saying gratitude, but that’s actually how I feel,” Fortier said. “I love the West Coast Conference and I love the (Orleans) Arena, and I love the setup that we have here. We’ve had good memories in all these locker rooms and these hotels. So the conference has been great to us.”
Fortier wasn’t done.
“It was a great fit for Gonzaga for however long we were in it,” she said. “Certainly my entire coaching career (12 as head coach, 10 as an assistant). We’re excited for what’s next, but we’re just going to be appreciative of all that we got to do, the growing up that I got to have, the friendships that have been made – we’ve done a lot of good work in this conference. So hopefully the conference feels the same way about Gonzaga and our program.”
Championship celebration
Before the Zags cut down the net Tuesday, they left their mark on the awards podium.
That’s the beauty of the WCC women’s basketball title celebration compared with the men. No inhibition. The Zags danced and it carried on for a while.
Right in the middle of it was 6-foot-3 freshman forward and WCC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year Lauren Whittaker.
Whittaker kept motioning to Fortier, not quite 6-3, to participate. Fortier waved her off, hoping to avoid having to break out her dancing talents.
Finally, Fortier gave in. And that caused many smiles to brighten further on the Orleans Arena court.
“These guys try to get me to dance and I’m like, guys, I don’t want to,” Fortier said. “They’re not good (her dancing skills). They (her players) do put on some loud music in the locker room. It just kind of makes you want to move, you know what I mean.”
It was the first time in four years that confetti fell on the Zags. And Fortier’s daughter was taking the final championship by gathering as much as she could.
“My kids are about to be too old to care about confetti, but they’re not quite yet,” Fortier said. “My daughter has a shirt full of confetti and that’s the biggest win for me actually.”