No. 11 Zags wrap up regular season with victory
From wire and news services | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 10 months AGO
LeeAnne Wirth had 14 points while twin sister Jenn Wirth had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 11 Gonzaga wrapped up its best regular season ever with a 56-42 victory over Portland on Saturday in Portland, Ore.
Gonzaga (28-2, 17-1 WCC), which had already clinched the West Coast Conference regular season title, matched the record for conference wins it set in 2018. The Bulldogs have won five straight going into the conference tournament and have held opponents to 50 points or less 17 times.
Haylee Andrews had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Portland (18-11, 11-7 WCC), which has already secured at least a fourth-place finish in the standings.
Melody Kempton, a sophomore from Post Falls High, had six points and three rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench for the Bulldogs.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Pilots, including road wins against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount last weekend.
The Zags’ only loss in conference was to Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., 70-60, back on Feb. 8 when the Wirth twins were held scoreless. The Bulldogs downed Portland 62-57 earlier this season in Spokane.
Kate Anderson, honored before the game as the lone senior on the Pilots, finished with 10 points.
A pair of layups from Alex Fowler and Maddie Muhlheim’s 3-pointer gave the Pilots an 18-14 lead in the second quarter and Portland led 24-23 at the half.
The Bulldogs began to pull away in the second half, stretching the lead to as many as 12 points.
Kaylynne Troung’s 3-pointer gave the Zags a 32-28 lead in the third quarter and went into the fourth with a 40-35 lead.
“The difference [in the second half] was that we defended the paint much better, and we didn’t settle for crazy early shots,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said. “We worked the offense a little bit, we got ball reversals; our percentages go up and up and up the more ball reversals we get.”
Gonzaga receives a double bye at the WCC Championships at Orleans Arena, in Las Vegas, and will return to action in the first semifinal of the tournament on Monday, March 9 at noon.
Idaho 70, Southern Utah 57: At Moscow, senior Lizzy Klinker had 23 points and six rebounds as the Vandals (18-9, 13-5 Big Sky) defeated the Thunderbirds (16-11, 10-8) on senior day at Memorial Gym.
Gina Marxen added 15 points for the Vandals, who play at Weber State on Wednesday and at Idaho State on Friday to conclude the regular season. Allison Kirby, a junior from Timberlake High, had two points and five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench for the Vandals.
Northern Colorado 67, Eastern Washington 61: At Cheney, Jessica McDowell-White scored 17 points for the Eagles (4-23, 3-15 Big Sky) in the loss to the Bears (12-16, 8-10) on senior day at Reese Court.
Grace Kirscher, a sophomore from Sandpoint High, had eight points and four assists for EWU, which plays at Idaho State on Wednesday and at Weber State on Friday to wrap up the regular season.
ARTICLES BY FROM WIRE AND NEWS SERVICES
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