Rice, Jenn Wirth lead No. 17 Gonzaga women past Pacific

Jan 5, 2019, 10:20 pm

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Zykera Rice scored 21 points, Jenn Wirth added 16 and No. 17 Gonzaga turned up the defensive pressure to win its 11th straight game, 88-65 over Pacific on Saturday.

Jill Townsend added 13 points for the Bulldogs (15-1, 4-0 West Coast Conference), who went 23 of 36 in the middle two quarters and held the Tigers (9-4, 2-1) to 10 of 26.

Pacific hit 4 of 5 3-pointers in the first quarter to open a 25-14 lead. But Gonzaga responded with 34 points in the second quarter and 26 in the third, in both cases doubling up the Tigers for a 74-55 lead entering the fourth.

Gonzaga forced 19 turnovers, turning those into 25 points, and had a 40-21 rebounding advantage. LeeAnne Wirth had eight rebounds, Rice and Jenn Wirth seven apiece. The Bulldogs also had 24 assists on 34 baskets, eight from Jessie Loera.

The Tigers were up 35-26 with more than six minutes left in the second quarter when the Bulldogs reeled off eight quick points. Gonzaga added a 9-0 burst and led 48-42 at the break before opening the second half with a 9-2 run.

Ameela Li led Pacific with 21 points and Brooklyn McDavid had 15.