 |
Bulldogs Firing On All Cylinders In Exhibition Victory
Nov. 6, 2009
Box Score |
Vandersloot Postgame
SPOKANE, Wash. - Junior Courtney Vandersloot led six Gonzaga University women's basketball players in double-figures with a game-high 18 points to help the Bulldogs cruise to a 100-42 victory over Warner Pacific College in an exhibition game Friday evening in front of 2,417 fans at the McCarthey Athletic Center. "I saw some good things and bad things tonight but overall it was a good start and was nice to get everybody in," stated head coach Kelly Graves, in his tenth year at the helm. "I thought in the second have, especially, we came out and did a tremendous job on defense." The game was never in doubt for the Zags as they built a double-digit lead before the Knights scored their first points. Gonzaga, who opened the game with 11-straight points and held the 50-29 advantage at halftime, shot an impressive 55.0 percent (22-of-40) in the opening half. Senior Tiffanie Shives scored the first five points of the contest, including an opening 3-pointer, while Vandersloot scored 12 of her 18 points before half and had seven of the Zags 16 assists. "It was very nice to see Tiff get off to good start tonight," explained Graves. "Courtney penetrated and kicked out to Tiff who knocked down her shots and got us going early." Besides Shives and Vandersloot, senior Heather Bowman and sophomore Katelan Redmon, playing her first game in a Gonzaga jersey, led the way in the beginning 20. Bowman scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and Redmon added eight points. It was the Zags defense that shined in the second half as they only allowed the Knights to hit one field goal over 19 minutes of action. Warner Pacific's lone field goal of the second half - before Cameryn Calhoun hit a jumper with 37 seconds remaining in the contest - came at the 13:59 mark on a Calhoun jumper. The Knights finished the half hitting just three shots from the field, their other seven points coming at the charity stripe. "Holding them to one field goal in 19 minutes or so in the second half was what I was the most proud of tonight," said Graves. "We have to hang our hat on defense, each night we will get tested. Tonight we definitely passed the test on defense in the second half." Gonzaga forced Warner Pacific to turn the ball over 18 times in the final half, with the Zags stealing it 12 times. A pair of underclassmen led the way for GU in the final half. Sophomore Kayla Standish scored 14 of her 16 points and freshman Meghan Winters added a double-figure performance of 10. The Zags shot 54.1 percent as a team in the final half, hitting 20-of-37 from the floor. For the game, Gonzaga shot 54.5 percent from the field, hitting 42-of-77. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Knights 42-35, including 18-14 at the offensive end. The Zags also had 28 assists, 23 steals and 10 blocks. Gonzaga's bench scored more points than Warner Pacific did overall as it tallied 44. Besides Vandersloot, Standish and Winters, Gonzaga was led by Bowman and Redmon, who both scored 14 points, Shives, who added 12. Vandersloot was credited with a double-double as she also dished out 11 assists in the victory. Warner Pacific was led by Calhoun with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs begin regular-season action next Friday (Nov. 13) when it travels to South Dakota State University. The Zags and Jackrabbits are both receiving votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and both made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a season ago. "Starting off at South Dakota State is going to be tough," stated Graves. "They are a tough team that won a lot of games last year. It will be quite a test."
|
|
