SPOKANE — In every game, it seems the Gonzaga women’s basketball team is finding new weapons — as if it didn’t have enough already.
On Saturday against Santa Clara, the 20th-ranked Zags opened by making their first five three-point shots. In the second half they thrived in transition, and all afternoon they dominated on the boards.
It added up to a comfortable 78-61 victory that kept the Zags (16-2, 6-0 West Coast Conference) atop the WCC standings going into a big game Saturday at Portland.
Gonzaga built a 21-4 lead and never led by less than a dozen in the second half.
“We had to work hard for our points after that start,” Zags coach Lisa Fortier said after the team’s ninth straight victory. “That was obviously a great way to start, but we had to execute and make some plays.”
Most of those came from the usual suspects — Brynna Maxwell scored 17 points, Yvonne Ejim had a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards, and Kaylynne Truong had 15 points and seven assists.
Tess Heal scored 14 points for the Broncos (10-8, 1-4).