WBB Travels to Hawaii for the Rainbow Wahine Showdown

[ZagDad84]

From GoZags:

WBB Travels to Hawaii for the Rainbow Wahine Showdown
The Zags will play three different teams between Nov. 26-28

RV/RV Gonzaga (3-1, 0-0 WCC) at Rainbow Wahine Showdown
NOV. 26-28 | STAN SHERIFF CENTER | HONOLULU, HI
LIVE VIDEO (ESPN+) | LIVE STATS: GAME 1, GAME 2, GAME 3 | 790 AM KJRB

THE TIP OFF
- The Gonzaga Bulldogs travel to Honolulu, HI to take on Utah, Eastern Illinois and Hawaii.
- The Zags are receiving votes in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll this week.
- Gonzaga is coming off a close 66-62 loss to No. 7/2 Stanford. Overall, Gonzaga had 26 points come from the bench and 22 in the paint. The Zags also forced 13 turnovers and scored 14 points off them.
- GU is forcing an average of 16 turnovers per game and a total of 60 so far this season.
- Utah is one of three Pac-12 teams the Bulldogs is scheduled to play. The other two include defending National Champion Stanford and Washington State University at home on Dec. 8.
- The meeting between the Bulldogs and Eastern Illinois will be the first meeting for the two teams.
- GU and Hawaii have met up three times in history with Hawaii winning all three. The Zags look to earn their first win over the Rainbow Warriors.
- In the fall tournament last season, the Zags traveled to South Dakota to compete against Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota. The game against OU got canceled as GU fell to USC 79-72 and defeated South Dakota 54-50. The tournament was the first games for the Gonzaga Bulldogs as the schedule was amended due to COVID.
- The Bulldogs are averaging 67.5 points a game and shooting a 44.9 percentage from the field. The Truongs lead the team in points with Kaylynne tallying 11.3 ppg and Kayleigh recording 10.7. Sophomore Yvonne Ejim is tied with Kaylylnne with 10.8 ppg.
- Gonzaga starts three of its four first games at home. The lone road game was Montana on Nov. 14 before the team traveled to the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Hawaii over Thanksgiving.
- The Bulldogs will face six teams that were part of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, including defending National Champions, Stanford.
- Last season, the Zags advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight year under head coach Lisa Fortier.
- Gonzaga returns two starters and seven letterwinners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' fifth consecutive West Coast Conference regular season title.

SERIES INFO: Utah: 8 all-time meetings; Utah leads 5-3. Eastern Illinois: First time meeting. Hawaii: 3 all-times meeting; Hawaii leads 3-0.
STREAK: Utah - 1. Hawaii - 3.
FIRST MEETING: Utah defeated GU 89-59 in 1996. Hawaii defeated Gonzaga in 1987 at home, 66-62.
LAST MEETING: Utah won in 2016, 77-92 in the WNIT Second Round in Spokane, Wash. Hawaii and Gonzaga met in the 2007 Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu in 2003 and 2007. Hawaii won 71-6 in 2003 and 68-57 in 2007.

SCOUTING THE UTES:
- Utah's offense is the second-best scoring offense in the nation. They are averaging 95.2 points per game. Besides scoring, Utah ranks fourth in the nation in made threes per game, as they average 12.2.
- Utah opened the season with back-to-back 100-point games. This was only the second time in program history that Utah scored 100 or more in back-to-back times. The first time this happened was during the 1978-79 season.
- Utah set a single-game school record against Lipscomb when they hit 19 threes. The previous record was 16 made three-pointers against Colorado on Jan. 17, 2020.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS:
- Senior Guard Kira Arthofer continues to demonstrate her prowess on both the offensive and defensive end, as she leads the OVC in both assists per game with 5.8 and steals per game with 4.3.
- The Panthers defeated the visiting Oakland City Mighty Oaks 79-60 on Monday, November 22. Lariah Washington led all scorers with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, while Julia Bengtson scored 13. Miah Monahan scored 7 points and dished out 5 assists in her first career start while Abby Wahl finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE RAINBOW WARRIORS:
- The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 71-68 final over Portland State on Sunday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
- Hawai'i is currently 1-3 as the team just hosted another tournament last week. Two of the three losses come from two other WCC teams, University of San Diego and the University of Portland.
- Three players average in double digits, including Amy Atwell (18.5), Kallin Spiller (13-3) and Daejah Phillips (12.0).

Link: https://gozags.com/news/2021/11/24/w...-showdown.aspx

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

From the Spokesman-Review:

Gonzaga women open Hawaii tournament against unbeaten Utah
By Jim Allen
[email protected]
(509) 459-5437

The Utah women’s basketball team has some gaudy stats to go along with its 4-0 record.

Going into Friday’s game against Gonzaga, the Utes are winning by an average of almost 40 points while outrebounding opponents by 20 per game and shooting almost 50% from the field.

Even more startling, Utah is averaging almost 23 assists a game, the top mark in the country.

The experts, however, aren’t impressed. For one thing, those wins – all at home – have come against Lipscomb, Xavier, Saint Mary’s and Cincinnati.

Also, the Utes are coming off another tough season (5-16 overall and 4-15 in the Pacific-12 Conference).

Utah has six players back from last year, but is picked for a 10th-place finish in the Pac-12.

Gonzaga will play the Utes at 2 p.m. in the first game of Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Manoa, Hawaii. The Zags will play Eastern Illinois (4-0) on Saturday and host Hawaii (2-2) on Sunday.

The Zags also had some good stats after sweeping Montana State, Montana and Idaho State; they’re 3-1 after a 66-62 home loss Sunday to seventh-ranked Stanford.

“It’s not the end of the world every time you lose a game,” GU coach Lisa Fortier said. “You can be mad and also learn from it.”

Fortier also said there could be “some things that will change” in upcoming games.

Through four games, the Zags are shooting 45% from the field and 34% from 3-point range. They’re also dominating on the boards with a plus-nine average.

They are holding opponents to 34% shooting and just 23% from beyond the arc. GU has 10 steals per game.

The Zags are showing remarkable balance, with four players averaging at least 10 points, but none more than Kaylynne Truong’s 11.3 per game.

Like Truong, second-leading scorer Yvonne Ejim (10.8 ppg) comes off the bench.

Senior starters Anamaria Virjoghe and Abby O’Connor are averaging a combined 6.5 ppg while playing the same minutes as Truong and Ejim.

With three games in three days, expect more minutes for the backups, including five-star recruit Bree Salenbien, who is averaging 2½ minutes backing up O’Connor.

Link: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/20...against-unbea/

ZagDad

[seacatfan]

That second article, the author kind of paints himself into a corner. While dissing all of Utah's opponents up to this point, he better hope the Zags don't struggle even the slightest bit against St. Mary's in any game they play against the Gaels this year.

He also completely ignores that Utah is going very deep into their bench every game, with only 2 players averaging over 20 mpg so far, and neither of those are among the 6 returners from last year. We haven't seen what the Utes will look like when they actually keep their starting unit on the floor for more than half of a game.

[upan8th]

As for playing time, I guess Kaylynne (14) is now playing more than Kaylee (11) after Coach Fortier somehow found out that Kaylynne, delivered five minutes before her sister, has more experience. Both will be needed on the court 30+ minutes, along with Yvonne, & hopefully Bree, to prevent a debilitating defeat at the hands of Utah. Fortier's comment, "some things will change", if past is prologue, probably means more minutes for the seniors in order to get their games straightened out.

[ZagDad84]

As for playing time, I guess Kaylynne (14) is now playing more than Kaylee (11) after Coach Fortier somehow found out that Kaylynne, delivered five minutes before her sister, has more experience. Both will be needed on the court 30+ minutes, along with Yvonne, & hopefully Bree, to prevent a debilitating defeat at the hands of Utah. Fortier's comment, "some things will change", if past is prologue, probably means more minutes for the seniors in order to get their games straightened out.

I hope your wrong, and I wish I could put together a solid argument for debate but........

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

From the Slipper Still Fits:

Rainbow Wahine Showdown Preview
The women head to sunny Hawaii for the long weekend.
By Peter Woodburn @wernies
Nov 25, 2021

The Gonzaga Bulldog’s women’s basketball team has gotten off to a strong start to open the season. The Zags stand at 3-1 with convincing wins over Montana State and Idaho State. The lone loss was a nail-biter in Spokane to the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal, hardly something to hang the head low over.

After nearly a week off, the Zags head to Honolulu to take part in the Rainbow Wahine Showcase, and will rattle off three games in three days over the weekend. Let’s take a quick look at their competition.

Utah Utes, 4-0
The Utes were picked to finished 10th in the Pac 12 preseason poll but have started off the season strong, with wins over Xavier, Saint Mary’s, and Cincinnati. They have a scorers mentality and will be a solid test for the Zags’ defense.

Junior guard Brynna Maxwell, from Gig Harbor, Washington, has been on an absolute tear, averaging 16.3 points per game in just under 20 minutes. She has re-discovered her three-point shot to start the season, shooting a lethal 50 percent (51.7 to be exact) from long range.

She is complimented down low by talented forward freshman Jenna Johnson from Minnesota. The 6’2 Johnson was ranked as the No. 42 player overall by ESPN and the seventh-best forward nationally. She has been everything as advertised for the Utes, averaging 14.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game (This skill set and ranking matchup almost perfectly with the Lady Zags Bree Salenbien, if she played a similar number of minutes).

Utah is a very efficient scoring team. They are ninth in the country in two-point percentage and effective field goal percentage. They’ve been attacking the offensive glass and passing the ball with the best of them. The Zags defense will have to be locked in to come away with a win over their first opponent.

Eastern Illinois, 2-0
The Zags’ next opponent is an exercise in contrasts. Eastern Illinois has some talented scorers in Lariah Washington, Abby Wahl, and Kira Arthofer, and in total have all five starters averaging double-digit points per game. Part of that is because the Panthers pretty much run a seven-women rotation. Each of the starters averages at least 31 minutes.

That might be problematic when you are playing in back-to-back games and then your opponent is the Zags, who empty out the bench with fresh legs multiple times throughout the game. Eastern Illinois will try and grind out a win. They are an aggressive squad on defense, and opponents are averaging 23.5 turnovers per game (albeit, small sample size).

Hawaii, 1-3
If things get rough for the Zags this tournament, they should be able to leave with a win. The hosting Rainbow Wahine are just not very good this season on both ends of the court. Opponents average 83.8 points per game vs. Hawaii, the eighth-worst mark in the country. In general, the team struggles to score and stop opponents from scoring. On the offensive end, Hawaii has shown adept at getting to the free throw line, but in general, this should not be a game the women drop. Luckily, it is the final of the three games.

Game information
As of now, according to GoZags.com, there is not an online stream available for these games, but perhaps that will change. In the meantime, the games will be broadcast over the radio on 790 AM KJRB.

vs. Utah: Friday, Nov. 26, 2:00 pm PT
vs. Eastern Illinois, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2:00 pm PT
vs. Hawaii, Sunday, Nov. 28, 4:30 pm PT

Link: https://www.slipperstillfits.com/202...gonzaga-hawaii

According to the Schedule, the Lady Zag game on Sunday vs Hawaii, is scheduled to be shown on ESPN+. None of the other Zag games are scheduled to be streamed from what I have seen.

ZagDad

[Section 116]

Zags shooting well in Hawaii: GU 73 Utah 52: End of 3rd Qtr

[seacatfan]

Hats off to GU. I thought this would be more competitive. Have shut down Utah's high scoring offense and Zags are bombing away from 3--9-18 so far.

[seacatfan]

Utah's leading scorer for the season has 1 point nearly midway thru Q4.

[seacatfan]

O'Connor w/ 21 on 9-10 shooting, Walker w/ 13 on 5-9. Getting big contributions from some unexpected sources today.

[Section 116]

Final GU 89-71: O'Conner with 21

Utah 30-42 from the stripe, Virjoghe, Williams foul out, Ejim, Kempton with 4

[ZagDad84]

Final GU 89-71: O'Conner with 21

Utah 30-42 from the stripe, Virjoghe, Williams foul out, Ejim, Kempton with 4

Thats interesting. In looking at the stats, Williams only played 5 minutes and had 5 fouls (including a "T"??). Did she really get 5 fouls in 5 minutes or did she get a double "T" and was disqualified?

ZagDad

[Section 116]

According to the playlog (bottom right): http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=378477 at the 5:11 mark of of the 4th qtr Williams was called for a foul and a technical

[ZagDad84]

I did not listen to the game today, but just looking at the stats, it appears to have been a very interesting game.

Team wise, GU held Utah to about 10-15% under their average shooting and 3-point shooting percentages. Utah had been outrebounding their opposition by double digit boards and GU dominated on the boards 43-21 overall and 14-5 on the Offensive boards. While both teams were essentially equal in turnovers (14-13) Gonzaga made the Utes pay by turning those turnovers into 19 points while Utah could only generate 11 points off the Zag turnovers. As Section 116 noted, Utah took 42 foul shots (Zags shot 20) and made 30 of them. Without all of the free throws, this game would have been a blowout. 12 Lady Zags played and 10 had double digit minutes. Only EL and MW played single digit minutes.

On an individual front, the Hawaiian air must be good for AO and CW. Abbey led the Zags with 21 points on 9-11 shooting, 3-4 from long range (she had not made a 3 all year), 4 rebounds, 2 assists and only 1 turnover in 23 minutes. Cierra, got 13 points on 5-9 shooting and 3-5 from 3 on 25 minutes. Finally, after 4 games, we have the senior leadership break out of the funk. Great job ladies, could not have happened at a better time.

Great job for the entire coaching staff and the lady zag team. Other than way too many fouls leading to 30 points, it appears by the stat sheet the most complete game of the season ending in a solid victory over an undefeated P-5 team.

One down and two more to go.

Let's go Zags, let's bring that trophy back to Spokane.

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

As for playing time, I guess Kaylynne (14) is now playing more than Kaylee (11) after Coach Fortier somehow found out that Kaylynne, delivered five minutes before her sister, has more experience. Both will be needed on the court 30+ minutes, along with Yvonne, & hopefully Bree, to prevent a debilitating defeat at the hands of Utah. Fortier's comment, "some things will change", if past is prologue, probably means more minutes for the seniors in order to get their games straightened out.

I guess Fortier had the answer for both of us.

Skip was right, at least for game one.

Game #2 tomorrow.

ZagDad