Women’s basketball: Struggling Gonzaga, EWU set to meet Saturday, with each looking for a spark

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Dec. 10—A third of the women’s basketball season is over and what have area teams learned?

They have much work to do — some more than others.

Two of those teams, Gonzaga and Eastern Washington, meet at 2 p.m. Saturday at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Gonzaga is off to its worst start under 11-year coach Lisa Fortier at 4-6, including four consecutive losses. EWU is 2-7, equaling its worst start under coach Joddie Gleason. The Eagles started 2-11 in her first season.

A year ago, Gonzaga and EWU engaged in a back-and-forth game the Zags won 82-80.

Both teams have changed considerably since last season. EWU has five new starters and Gonzaga replaced four. The lone returning starter for the Zags is fifth-year forward Yvonne Ejim, the reigning West Coast Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Ejim scored a game-high 23 points and had 10 rebounds in the matchup last year.

Gonzaga senior forward Maud Huijbens is coming off her best game of the season at Colorado State. She match a career-high 15 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. She’s looking forward to playing EWU, the Zags’ first game at home since Nov. 21.

“I hope we can end (nonconference) on Saturday in a good note and go into conference with a lot of confidence,” Huijbens said. “Eastern always gives us a good game.”

EWU redshirt sophomore forward Bella Hays and senior guard Alexis Pettis are the lone Eagles to have played in the game last year. Hays, who is starting this season, had two points and Pettis, who is averaging 21 minutes off the bench, was scoreless.

It’s a challenging game for Fortier because she’s playing a team coached by a friend and former coach. She played for Gleason at Butte College in Oroville, California.

“It’s more fun before the game than it is during the game,” Fortier said of facing off against Gleason. “I don’t enjoy playing against her. It’s stressful. Playing against your friends isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. It’s fun when we get to play, but neither one of us enjoys it. I bet…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-basketball-struggling-gonzaga-ewu-030200956.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-12-11 03:02:00

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