The ‘Zags take both games in the first of two meetings for the men’s and women’s teams.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs emerged victorious over the Washington State Cougars in both the men’s and women’s basketball games on Saturday.
In Pullman, the Cougars women’s basketball team held the lead for all of 10 seconds and trailed by just two heading into the final quarter, but the Bulldogs were able to pull away for a 69-61 win. Later that day, in Spokane, the men played the Bulldogs close for the first 20 minutes, but No. 18 Gonzaga proved to be too much. The ‘Zags used a 24-7 run to open the second half to balloon their lead up to 20 and wouldn’t let WSU break within 13 until the final minute.
The women jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, with Alex Covill kicking things off with a layup. This would be the only time WSU led all game. The ‘Zags answered with a 6-0 run to swing the lead over and wouldn’t relinquish it. Gonzaga was all over the boards, hauling in 44.8% of their misses for offensive rebounds, resulting in 13 second-chance points. They also scorched the nets from beyond the arc, hitting 11/23 (47.8%) of their three-pointers. However, Gonzaga’s 22 turnovers helped keep WSU in the game. The 14 first-half turnovers by the ‘Zags resulted in 14 points the other way for the Cougars, with Tara Wallack playing a big part, nabbing four steals in the first 20 minutes.
WSU chipped into the lead as the game rolled into the second half. A trio of threes in a row from Wallack and Elle Villa helped cut the lead down to two heading into the final quarter. The ‘Zags again countered in the form of an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter, and while WSU was able to break back within four entering the final minute, Yvonne Ejim delivered the dagger with a layup with 37 seconds remaining.
Later that evening, the men’s team renewed their rivalry with the Bulldogs up in Spokane, their first meeting since 2015. The Cougars looked up to the task early on. While the two Palouse rivals jockeyed for the lead early, WSU threw the first haymaker with a 10-0 killshot run, anchored by seven points from ND Okafor. The big run gave WSU all the momentum and a six-point advantage in the game’s first seven minutes. Then, the turnover bug roared its ugly head for WSU. The Cougars turned the ball over seven times over the next 7:15 of game time, helping Gonzaga erase WSU’s lead as the Bulldogs 13-5 run gave them the lead. The Cougs fought back with a trio of threes from Kase Wynott, Dane Erikstrup, and LeJuan Watts. Gonzaga countered with a Dusty Stromer trey and a Khalif Battle layup before the end of the half to give the Bulldogs a three point halftime lead.
The second half began all Gonzaga and ended all Gonzaga. The Bulldogs kicked things off with an 8-0 run that later was part of an even bigger 24-7 run that turned a one-possession game into a 20-point Gonzaga lead in the blink of an eye. Gonzaga’s blistering 19/28 (67.9%) from the field in the second half was too much for WSU to overcome, despite the Cougars only turning the ball over four times in the second half.
Both teams will return to action on Thursday night, with the men traveling to San Diego to play the Toreros and the women will be in San Francisco to play the Dons.