Victories by a 21-point margin should appear easier than the one posted by the Gonzaga women’s basketball team Thursday.
In the end, though, No. 18 Gonzaga fought through some poor shooting, using a big rebounding advantage for a 74-53 win over Portland in a West Coast Conference opener at Chile Center in Portland.
The Zags outrebounded the Pilots 48-32, including 19 offensive rebounds. That translated into a decisive 20-7 edge in second-chance points.
“I told the team beforehand that that (rebounding) could be part of our DNA as we move forward,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said. “We’re growing in that area. That can be an equalizer against a team that plays as hard as Portland does. They don’t quit on plays.”
Playing in its first game in two weeks, Gonzaga used a fast start to open a 20-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Then it was Portland’s turn for an offensive surge. The Pilots outscored the Zags 12-0 to start the second quarter, pulling within 20-18 when former Liberty (Spangle) High standout Maisie Burnham buried a 3-pointer with 7:05 to go before halftime.
That’s as close as the Pilots would get. Still, Gonzaga’s 36-28 lead at halftime felt tenuous.
Gonzaga pushed the lead to double digits early in the third quarter, and the margin grew until the final horn.
The Zags extended their winning streak to eight to improve to 14-2. The Pilots, picked to finish a distant second behind Gonzaga, dropped to 8-7.
With BYU now in the Big 12, Portland may be Gonzaga’s chief WCC rival. The Pilots are the last WCC team to beat Gonzaga, knocking off the Zags 64-60 in the conference tournament title game last March.
Gonzaga senior Yvonne Ejim, who came into the game as WCC scoring leader at 20.3 points per game, was front and center in the Zags’ fast start. She had 11 points in the first quarter.
But two fouls in a matter of seconds sent her to the bench for the final 8 minutes, 35 seconds of the first half.
Foul trouble followed Ejim into the second half. She wasn’t off the bench more than 21 seconds in the fourth quarter when she fouled out, finishing with 18 points and five rebounds.
While most Zags struggled finding their range, graduate wing Brynna Maxwell was on target. She finished with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor (3 of 4 on 3-pointers), had seven rebounds and four assists.
Fouled shooting a 3-pointer, Maxwell made all three free throws to push Gonzaga’s lead to 69-53 with 2:04 remaining.
“We’re 1-0 in conference play and I’m super proud of this team,” Maxwell said. “We had a really good scout and we came really prepared. It’s a great first win and sort of sets the tone for the rest of the season.”
Hollingsworth and Maud Huijbens led the Zags’ dominance on the boards. Hollingsworth had 11 rebounds, nine offensive, and Huijbens had eight, seven offensive.
“Our team was pretty composed,” Fortier said. “… They pressed us pretty much the whole game. They trapped us … it’s not an easy defense to navigate. We didn’t get too rushed or sped up. We wanted to make sure we were never casual with the ball.”
Gonzaga made 25 of 67 shots from the field (37.3%) and 4 of 16 3-point attempts.
After having nearly a two-week break for the holidays, Gonzaga will have another week off before it returns Thursday for a home WCC opener against Santa Clara.
Burnham, a 6-foot junior wing, led Portland with 13 points, three rebounds and three steals.