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The Gonzaga Bulldogs women’s basketball team is the newly minted No. 24 team in the nation in the latest AP poll.
Women’s AP Poll - Week 5
| rank | team | points | previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| rank | team | points | previous |
| 1 | Connecticut (31) | 775 | 2 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 719 | 1 |
| 3 | Oregon | 707 | 3 |
| 4 | Baylor | 689 | 4 |
| 5 | Louisville | 661 | 5 |
| 6 | Mississippi State | 622 | 6 |
| 7 | Maryland | 587 | 7 |
| 8 | Oregon State | 549 | 9 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 524 | 11 |
| 10 | North Carolina State | 473 | 13 |
| 11 | Stanford | 446 | 8 |
| 12 | Texas | 438 | 10 |
| 13 | California | 362 | 15 |
| 14 | Minnesota | 357 | 20 |
| 15 | Syracuse | 330 | 12 |
| 16 | Iowa | 303 | 14 |
| 17 | Arizona State | 222 | 19 |
| 18 | Marquette | 195 | 22 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 194 | 25 |
| 20 | DePaul | 177 | 16 |
| 21 | Drake | 157 | 21 |
| 22 | South Carolina | 113 | 18 |
| 23 | Missouri | 95 | NR |
| 24 | Gonzaga | 93 | NR |
| 25 | Miami (FL) | 68 | 21 |
The women, who have been grinding out stellar defensive victories all year, picked up a marquee win on Sunday afternoon, defeating the then No. 8 Stanford Cardinal, 79-73. The win was enough to launch the women into the top 25 poll, where they should remain for much of the season as the favorite in the West Coast Conference.
The win over Stanford was the women’s first over a ranked opponent since 2016, and their fifth-win over a top 10 program.
Alongside the news, Chandler Smith was named the WCC women’s basketball Player of the Week, thanks to her game-high 20 points against Stanford, the final four points coming to absolutely seal the deal in the exciting contest. Smith is the first Gonzaga player to win the PotW award for Gonzaga this season.