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3 keys in BYU’s 71-59 loss to Gonzaga in the women’s WCC championship

SHARE 3 keys in BYU’s 71-59 loss to Gonzaga in the women’s WCC championship
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BYU Cougars guard Shaylee Gonzales (2) shoots as Gonzaga Bulldogs forwards Anamaria Virjoghe (1) and Yvonne Ejim (15) defend in the 2022 WCC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

No. 2 seed Gonzaga upset No. 15 ranked BYU (26-3), the No. 1 seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament, 71-59 Tuesday afternoon at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas in the conference title game.

The Zags claimed WCC Tournament title and earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Here are three keys from the game.

  • BYU went up 2-0 to start the game and never led again. Gonzaga led by as many as eight in the first quarter and 10 in the second quarter. 
  • In the decisive fourth quarter, Gonzaga made 6 of 8 field goals and 13 of 16 from the free throw line, while the Cougars hit just 6 of 18 shots in the fourth quarter.
  • Gonzaga’s Melody Kempton scored a team-high 15 points while Kaylynne Truong added 14.