Gonzaga ran away with wins over Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount to become the first team in the nation to 20 wins while extending the nation's best win streak to 18 games.
Ranked 12th in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll, the Bulldogs improved to 20-1 overall and 9-0 in the West Coast Conference, following a 78-52 thrashing of visiting Loyola Marymount in front of a sold out McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday.
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Gonzaga was led by a career-high 28 points from Jill Townsend, smashing her previous career high of 19 points. Townsend drained a career-high six treys in the win, finishing 6-of-8 from long range. Jenn Wirth added her second-straight double-double with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, along with a career-high tying four assists. Jessie Loera dished out a game-high five assists to move into fifth place all-time in career assists, with 403 career assists.
Gonzaga connected on a season-high 11 three-pointers in the win, finishing 11-of-19 from long range.
Earlier in the week on Jan. 23, Gonzaga’s defense limited Pepperdine to 36 points, the fewest points they have allowed this season and the fifth opponent that the Bulldogs have held to 45 points or fewer this season as Gonzaga rolled to a 70-36 win. The Zags defensive intensity limited Pepperdine to more than 30 points below its season average of 66.4 points per game. The Bulldogs finished with four players in double figures including three players notching double-doubles. Townsend led all scorers with 18 points and 10 rebounds for her second career double-double, Katie Campbell finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double while Wirth added 10 points and 10 boards.
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Gonzaga’s lone setback this season came on Nov. 17 at Stanford, where the Zags lost 76-70 in overtime, despite holding the Cardinal to 17 points below its season average of points at the time. Included in the Bulldogs’ 11 non-conference wins this season are wins over Dayton, Purdue, Montana State, Washington State, Wyoming and Missouri State. Featuring a balanced attack and a strong defense, Gonzaga has outscored opponents by an average of 18.5 points per game this season.
The Bulldogs will next welcome San Diego to Spokane on Jan. 30.
