Gonzaga Women Make History, Leap into Top 15

The 15-1 Gonzaga Bulldogs won four games in eight days and have now moved up to number 14 in the country. It’s their highest AP ranking in school history.

The Zags have won four straight WCC contests to begin their conference season. They trailed at halftime at LMU in the opener before blasting them by 25. They then went to Malibu and dismantled the Waves with another 25-point victory. They returned home this past Thursday and defeated Saint Mary’s 74-62, avenging their only WCC loss from last season. Finally, on Saturday, they trailed Pacific by double digits in the first quarter before turning up the defensive pressure and eventually pulled away to another 23-point victory.

13 of Gonzaga’s 15 wins have been by double digits. They handed #6 Stanford their lone loss of the season. Their RPI is currently 11 and only two teams have a better road record than the 5-0 mark of the Zags. Gonzaga’s only loss this season was to defending champion Notre Dame, who is back to being the number one team in the nation. Currently, Gonzaga is a projected 4-seed and could host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

As we’ve mentioned many times, they are doing it with depth and defense. But now the offense has finally come to life. Nine players average between 15 and 29 minutes and six players are averaging between 7.8 and 13.2 ppg. Zykera Rice has won back-to-back WCC Player of the Week honors. Laura Stockton and Jessie Loera have combined for 39 assists in their four WCC games. Katie Campbell is shooting 49.3% from deep and is 18-for-18 from the foul line.

Gonzaga is currently one of four programs to have both their men’s and women’s teams ranked in the Top 15. The Bulldogs will finally get a few days to rest, as they will take Thursday off before hosting Portland on Saturday. Their big showdown with BYU (12-3, 4-0) comes in Provo next Thursday.