Gonzaga Women Rebound in Win over San Francisco

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are not one for enjoying losing streaks this season. The Zags rebounded from last Saturday’s disappointing loss to Saint Mary’s by going back to the basics against San Francisco, winning 56-38.

Melody Kempton and and LeeAnne Wirth led the Zags with 10 points a piece, as the balanced scoring attack gave Gonzaga more than enough for San Francisco to handle.

The Zags started off the game a little slow, nearly turning the ball over as often as they scored. However, after an off night with Saint Mary’s, the defense was back on the ball, and held San Francisco at bay while the offense got on track.

After Saint Mary’s shot 60 percent from beyond the arc, the perimeter defense locked it in better against the Dons. Gonzaga held San Francisco to just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc.

With the defense looking a bit better, it is clear that Gonzaga missed the outside presence of Katie Campbell and her shooting ability. Campbell, whose season ended early with a knee injury, was the Zags best shooter. With Jill Townsend missing all three of her three-point attempts, Gonzaga was rather cold from outside. Louise Forsyth hit a couple of threes, but overall, Gonzaga shot just 3-of-13 from long range.

Thanks to the likes of Forsyth, and the rest of the bench, Gonzaga’s depth showed how and why they’ve been able to compete with the likes of everybody this season. Gonzaga’s bench outscored San Francisco 25-6.

On the defensive end, the Zags held San Francisco to 30 percent from the floor and forced 17 turnovers. The Dons 38 total points marks the second lowest point total for a Gonzaga opponent this season, narrowly better than Pepperdine’s 36 points earlier this season.

Gonzaga will host Santa Clara on Saturday, Feb. 15, with their final home game of the season, honoring seniors Jessie Loera and Katie Campbell.