Gonzaga Women, Lisa Fortier Are Back in the Big Dance

· Yahoo Sports

The No. 2-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs women have won the West Coast Conference Tournament championship for the first time since 2022. The Zags are returning to the Big Dance for the first time since 2024, entering with a 24-9 overall record. I know that the talented and acrobatic Red Panda, who killed yet another halftime performance, is now a fan of coach Lisa Fortier and her team’s overall showing in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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This was another typical down-to-the-wire battle with the No. 4-seeded Oregon State Beavers at the Orleans Arena, a rematch of last season’s title game. This time, it was the Zags who had the last laugh behind another strong offensive showing.

In their two games in the desert, Gonzaga averaged 82 points per game in their semifinal win over the No. 3-seeded Santa Clara Broncos and title victory against coach Scott Rueck’s Beavers.

Most of the production came from none other than National Freshman of the Year candidate, redshirt freshman forward Lauren Whittaker from Canterbury, New Zealand. She put in a game-high 26 points on 9-for-20 field goals/3-for-7 three-pointers/5-for-6 free throws, nine rebounds, three assists/one turnover, and two steals. Whittaker was named the West Coast Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player for her invaluable contributions.

Sophomore guard Allie Turner had a massive second-half performance of her own, finishing with 14 points on 2-for-4 three-pointers, five assists/one turnover, and four rebounds. Even true freshman guard Paige Lofing’s moxy and confidence to pull up at the top of the key, drain that late three-pointer in the second half, was a game-changer.

The Zags went on a clutch 11-3 run in the final 2:15, proving how dangerous a group this is that is starting to connect at the right time. Tough draw for anyone in March. Especially if they can take care of the ball like they did in the title game, only turning it over eight times. That’s compared to the 20 times they did that in the semifinal round, an obvious point of emphasis and need for improvement from the coaching staff.

What another overall job well done by Fortier in Spokane, Washington. Only returning one starter in Turner, yet still reaching the mountaintop while getting over 20+ wins for the tenth straight season. Not to mention all that she has been through personally over the last year with her battle against breast cancer. Shows a lot about Fortier’s toughness and character.

ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme recently had Gonzaga as the No. 12 seed in the Sacramento region, taking on the No. 5 seed North Carolina Tar Heels out of the Atlantic Coast Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

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