The new face of the Gonzaga Bulldogs program continues her dominant stretch. For the fourth straight week, forward Lauren Whittaker has been named the top freshman in the West Coast Conference.
After leading the Zags in their lone win over the Portland Pilots last week, the redshirt freshman finished with 22 points on 8-for-14 field goals/2-for-3 three-pointers and grabbed 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season (seventh-most in college basketball).
Among freshmen in the national rankings, Whittaker is second in points per game (19.6) and fourth in rebounds per game (9.9). The Canterbury, New Zealand native’s nine double-doubles lead the nation for first-years.
Next for coach Lisa Fortier’s group (12-6, 4-1 WCC) is the San Francisco Dons (10-6, 3-2 WCC) on Thursday, Jan. 15, inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. Tip-off will take place at 6:00 p.m. PT on ESPN+.
The Zags currently stand at third in the conference standings behind the Santa Clara Broncos (15-4, 5-1 WCC) and Oregon State Beavers (13-5, 5-0 WCC).
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
.webp?ssl=1 "The state of play at McLaren after three rounds of the 2026 season")
