No. 13 Gonzaga women crush LMU 75-47 to clinch WCC title

Feb 21, 2020, 04:59 am

LOS ANGELES -- Jill Townsend scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half and No. 13 Gonzaga pulled away for a 75-47 win over Loyola Marymount on Thursday night to clinch the outright West Coast Conference championship.

Jenn Wirth and Kaylynne Truong added 11 points apiece for Gonzaga (26-2, 15-1), which won its third straight, and Kayleigh Truong had 10. It was a career-high for Kaylynne Truong.

LMU was 9-of-12 shooting in the first quarter with a pair of 3-pointers and with a 10-0 run led 21-17. The Lions went 3 of 10 in the second quarter but managed a 30-30 tie, were 2 of 11 in the third when Townsend took over and 3 of 11 in the fourth quarter.

Ciera Ellington and Raychel Stanley led Loyola Marymount (6-20, 3-11), which has lost seven straight, with nine points each.

Townsend scored six when the Bulldogs opened the second half with an 8-0 run. She finished with 12 points in the quarter when GU forged a 47-37 lead. She opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and let her teammates take over.

LMU shot 23% in the second half, were outrebounded 36-14 and had 25 turnovers that led to 23 Gonzaga points. The 17 points in the second half mark the fourth time this season the Zags have held a team below 20 in a half.

The Bulldogs have won or shared four straight WCC titles and 16 overall

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