Townsend nets 17, No. 11 Gonzaga pulls away from Pacific

Feb 7, 2020, 05:00 am

STOCKTON, Calif. -- Jill Townsend scored 17 points, Jenn Wirth had a double-double and No. 11 Gonzaga pulled away in the second half on Thursday night to defeat Pacific 83-65 for its 21st straight victory.

The Bulldogs, who have their highest ranking ever and are two wins shy of matching the 2004-05 team for the longest winning streak, outscored the Tigers 41-27 in the second half.

LeeAnne Wirth scored 12 points, Louise Forsyth added 11 and Jenn Wirth 10 points and 10 rebounds plus five assists for Gonzaga (23-1, 12-0 West Coast Conference). Jessie Loera had eight points, five assists and five steals.

Gonzaga led 42-38 after an unusual first half. The Bulldogs went just 4 of 11 from 3-point range but shot 62% overall (18 of 29). Pacific went 6 of 9 behind the arch but was just 13 of 29 overall (45%). The Zags had a 17-5 run in the second quarter before Pacific went on a 19-7 run in the last five minutes.

Valerie Higgins led Pacific (13-10, 6-6) with 16 points, Brooklyn McDavid added 14 and Lianna Tillman 12.

Gonzaga ended up shooting 53% and Pacific 37% with both teams going 8 of 18 from distance.

Gonzaga edged Pacific 68-67 on Jan. 11. In that game Gonzaga guard Katie Campbell scored 15 points but she missed the rematch with a knee injury suffered in the Bulldogs' last game.

Freshman Kayleigh Truong stepped into the starting lineup in place of Campbell, whose status hasn't been reported. Truong had eight points and three assists with no turnovers in a career-high 28 minutes.

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