In an exhilarating overtime finish against the Oregon State Beavers (15-6, 7-1 WCC) in front of 4,000+ at the Gill Coliseum, the Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-7, 6-2 WCC) unfortunately fell to third place in the West Coast Conference standings. Gonzaga never trailed by more than eight points and was always near, but couldn’t get over the hump.
Forward Lauren Whittaker had one of her best performances that she’s put together all season long, which is saying a lot as she is one of the top freshmen in the country right now. The Kiwi scored a career-high 37 points (tied the program’s single-game scoring record) on 12-26 field goals/1-8 three-pointers/12-14 free throws, plus 14 rebounds.
The milestones just keep on coming, as Whittaker also passed the great Heather Bowman (2006-07, 209 rebounds) with her 210 (and counting) rebounds in her first college basketball season.
Sophomore guard Allie Turner only put up three shots total, adding just five points. She also turned the ball over a team-high four times to just two assists. Far from one of her best outings witnessed during her time with the Zags, as Turner didn’t take a single shot in the second half or overtime.
The real excitement from the matchup came when Oregon State coach Scott Rueck was given a technical foul late in the first half. He then almost earned a second technical and ejection when a foul on junior guard Jenna Villa’s half-court heave before heading into the halftime locker room wasn’t called on Gonzaga senior guard Ines Bettencourt. Rueck had the right to be angry on that one.
Zags freshman guard Paige Lofing was put in a tough spot while only playing three total minutes against the Beavers, but she hit the clutch deep three-pointer to send this game into overtime.
The Oregon State backcourt duo of Villa (31 points on a shooting split of 6-of-9 field goals, 4-for-5 three-pointers, 15-of-20 free throws) and versatile junior guard Kennedie Shuler (17 points, nine assists, five rebounds, three blocks) still couldn’t be stopped throughout. In fact, Shuler’s unbelievable 10 steals tied the program’s single-game steals record.
The Washington State Cougars transfer Villa made four free throws in the final 13 seconds of overtime to secure the vital victory for West Coast Conference Tournament seeding purposes.
What continues to kill Gonzaga is the turnover issue. 19 total in Corvallis, which led to 25 points for the Beavers. The next opportunity to right the wrongs for the Zags will come in a week’s time on Thursday, Jan. 29, against the San Francisco Dons (12-7, 5-3 WCC) in the Bay Area. It can be viewed on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. PT.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
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