Stockton, No. 15 Gonzaga women pull away from Pacific 63-51

STOCKTON, Calif. -- Laura Stockton scored 15 points with seven rebounds and five assists and No. 15 Gonzaga pulled away from Pacific in the fourth quarter for a 63-51 win Thursday night.

Zykera Rice added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs (20-2, 9-1 West Coast Conference), who pulled into tie with league-leading BYU after the 25th-ranked Cougars lost at Loyola Marymount. Gonzaga won the first meeting with Pacific 88-65.

There were seven ties and 11 lead changes before Rice hit a jumper in the paint to put Gonzaga up 47-46 late in the third quarter. Stockton followed with a layup for a 49-46 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Chandler Smith hit a 3-pointer for the first points of the fourth quarter and Melody Kempton followed with two free throws and a layup to cap the 11-0 run. Gonzaga did not make another field goal but Pacific was held to 1 of 11 in the final 10 minutes and never threatened.

Valerie Higgins had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Tigers (12-7, 8-4), who have lost six straight in the series.

Neither team shot above 37 percent. Gonzaga was 2 of 15 from 3-point range and Katie Campbell missed two, ending her streak at 19 games with a 3. The Zags had a 44-30 rebounding advantage with a season-high 23 on the offensive end for a 21-8 advantage in second-chance points.