The Gonzaga women used 38 points in the paint and 22 offensive rebounds to stomp the Santa Clara Broncos, 67-52. Jill Townsend led the Bulldogs with a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double. She also led the team with four assists. Gonzaga is now off to their best start in school history at 17-1.
Best Start in Team History
— Gonzaga WBB (@ZagWBB) January 17, 2020
GU moves to 17-1 overall for the first time ever and stays undefeated in WCC play.
13 pts, 12 rebs, double-double from @jtown_32 to the lead the way. #UnitedWeZag pic.twitter.com/mLzYmlMT36
After a back-and-forth, high scoring first quarter, the Zags took control in the middle half of the game. As usual, they locked down on defense to extend their lead from three to 10 at half, and then stifled the Broncos in the third quarter to the tune of just seven Santa Clara points in the frame. The lead was pushed to 25 midway through the fourth before some garbage time baskets made the score look a little more respectable.
Thanks to the 22 offensive rebounds and 17 Bronco turnovers, Gonzaga attempted a whopping 22 more shots than Santa Clara, which proved beneficial since Gonzaga only shot 38 percent from the field.
The Wirth twins combined for 22 points and 13 rebounds. Katie Campbell struggled from the field but hit all seven of her free throw attempts. Gonzaga has now won 15 straight games since losing in overtime to Stanford. They travel up the 101 (or 280 if they want the better freeway) to take on San Francisco on Saturday night.