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The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Gonzaga women rally behind defense to beat North Dakota State 62-56
- Story byThe Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
- Gonzaga women rally behind defense to beat North Dakota State 62-56
Nov. 2—It hasn't been often the last couple of years that defense was the most critical element to victory for the Gonzaga women's basketball team.
The Bulldogs needed all the defense they could muster Monday until they found some offense late.
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Gonzaga didn't get its first lead until midway in the fourth quarter, but it was all Zags until the final buzzer in a 62-56 win over the North Dakota State Bison before 4,464 at McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Zags forced most of NDSU's 17 turnovers. They pestered Bison shooters often.
Maybe Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier was prophetic when she had her team do an interesting drill two weeks ago. She said they put bubbles over the baskets to simulate not being able to make shots.
"We put a rebounding bubble on both hoops so that we could see how we responded when the ball wasn't going in the basket," Fortier said. "It couldn't have been more apropos for the way that the game was going. We are such a good offensive team and the ball was not going in the basket."
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The Zags found themselves in a shooting funk for the first 20 minutes. But good starts to both quarters in the second half went far in Gonzaga finding its way offensively the final 20 minutes.
Gonzaga trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but found a way to stay within single digits by halftime.
Three times the Zags pulled within a point in the third, but a late surge allowed NDSU to take a 41-34 lead into the final period.
"We were able to guard well enough and not freak out and try to go one on one and do it all by ourselves," Fortier said. "We were able to contest shots and to rebound. And that carried us until the tie where we obviously knocked down quite a few baskets."
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The No. 1 shooting team in the nation in 3-point percentage last year, Gonzaga struggled mightily from distance. The Zags had made just 2 of 14 before junior guard Teryn Gardner, who stepped into the starting lineup for the first time in her career, gave the crowd something to get loud about.
Gardner hit back-to-back 3-pointers, pulling the Zags into a 45-all tie and then giving Gonzaga its first lead with 5 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the fourth.
Junior guard Allie Turner took a nice pass over the top of the defense from junior forward Lauren Whittaker and made a 3, pushing Gonzaga to a 57-51 lead with 1:13 to go.
"Defense was a key aspect for us and being able to get over those screens," said Whittaker, who finished with a double-double — 22 points and 10 rebounds to go with four steals and two assists. "Communication is what really kind of got us through towards the end."
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Gardner, who made 3 of 8 from 3-point range, finished with nine points and four assists.
"People get so many shots up a day (at practice) that you have to keep shooting," Gardner said. "It'd be a letdown if you stopped shooting."
Whittaker said there was a simple explanation for the poor first half offensively.
"We were a little bit disjointed," Whittaker said.
The Zags never found their touch in the opening 20 minutes. The Bulldogs missed their first seven attempts from 3-point range until Gardner converted with 44 seconds to go before halftime, pulling the Zags within 29-22.
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The Zags made 10 of 28 from the floor (35.7%) in the first half, but finished 25 of 61 (41%). They made 5 of 18 (27.8%) from behind the arc.
A 3-pointer from Asp Karrington gave the Bison their biggest lead, 21-10, at the 6:49 mark of the second.
Gonzaga senior forward Taylor Smith hit a couple of big shots in the second half, finishing with 10 points and four assists.
NDSU lost two starters to injuries in the first half including fifth-year forward Avery Koenen, who was named the Summit League's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year last season. They were on crutches in the second half.
Gonzaga plays the second of three straight at home Friday when Idaho, an NCAA Tournament qualifier last year, visits.
Idaho opened Monday with a 71-47 win over NCAA Division II Saint Martin's.
