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.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Darren Krzesnik
- Kenneth Nash
- Felecity Wellis
2023-24 West Coast Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Gonzaga | 16-0 | - | 32-4 |
Santa Clara | 12-4 | 4 | 25-9 |
Portland | 10-6 | 6 | 21-13 |
San Francisco | 10-6 | 6 | 14-16 |
Pacific | 8-8 | 8 | 19-15 |
Saint Mary's | 6-10 | 10 | 13-18 |
Loyola Marymount | 5-11 | 11 | 11-19 |
San Diego | 4-12 | 12 | 9-22 |
Pepperdine | 1-15 | 15 | 5-25 |