Gonzaga Overcomes 18-Point Deficit to Win First Game

The Gonzaga women overcame an 18-point first half deficit to beat South Dakota, 54-50, to earn their first win of the season. Jill Townsend and Jenn Wirth were named to the All-Tournament team for the event.

Coming off a heartbreaking loss to top-ranked South Carolina 24 hours prior, Gonzaga came out incredibly sluggish in the first half. They trailed 27-9 midway through the second quarter before slowly crawling their way back.

Whatever was said in the locker room at halftime seemed to work. The Zags cut the lead to seven entering the fourth and then caught fire. Townsend and Kayleigh Truong went on a 9-0 run to give the Bulldogs a 40-38 lead, a lead they would not relinquish. After growing the lead to seven, the Coyotes cut it to one with under two minutes remaining. But Townsend went 6-for-6 from the foul line down the stretch to ice the game.

Townsend finished with 20 points and four rebounds for the Zags. Truong, after struggling yesterday, played a huge part in the second half, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds. The 18th-ranked Bulldogs improve to 1-1 and take on South Dakota State on Saturday.