two games this week against, first against SMC then USF
With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs prepare for their first of two home games against two of conference’s Bay Area contingent. The first is set to tip at 6pm PST tonight against St. Mary’s and the second is against USF on Saturday at 12pm PST.
In the first matchup between the Gaels and Zags just two weeks ago, Gonzaga went on the road and secured a victory 69-58 and the fans got to watch Yvonne Ejim become the all-time career points leader for GU.
In the three games since, the Bulldogs have been victorious and currently sit with a 19-8 (14-2) record that has them firmly in the driver’s seat to take home the WCC regular season championship while the Gaels have won two and lost one that has them sitting fourth in the conference with a 13-12 (9-7) record.
The Zags will need to be prepared for a St. Mary’s team that plays a fairly slow pace with good defensive energy and will go deep into their bench to keep things fresh. As it currently stands, Head Coach Cameron has 10 players averaging 12 or minutes per game and those players coming off the bench are contributing well with per-40 minute numbers hovering around 7-9 points, 4-7 rebounds, and 2-3 assists.
In the contest two weeks ago, Yvonne Ejim carried this team to the finish line with her 27 point and 11 rebound performance with only Allie Turner posting double digit scoring as she finished with 13 points. Of the other six players that got any true floor action, we only saw 28 points. Now, this was one the games that Maud Huijbens missed and not everything was bad as we saw Esther Little go off with her 8 points and 12 rebounds, Ines Bettencourt reign her flare in as she dished out 6 assists with just 2 turnovers, and Bree Salenbien contributed 8 points in her 6th woman role.
With the return of Maud Huijbens and Claire O’Connor in recent games, one or both of whom may be on a minute restriction, I’m hoping to see more cohesion and focus from the gang than we’ve seen in recent matches. Last time out against LMU, something felt, I’m not sure, off? Things seemed a bit casual and the killer edge didn’t really seem to be flowing throughout the team.
This manifested in multiple ways, but a big one, and something that has been an issue across the year at various points is turnovers. Against the Lions, the Zags coughed up 16 turnovers after committing just 11 and 12 in the two previous contests. In the previous game against St. Mary’s, the Bulldogs gave up 18 turnovers, which were thankfully only turned into 18 points by the Gaels. While it’s clear this team can make-up for such mistakes against WCC opposition, I feel that this area must improve heading into tournament time in order to maximize this year’s, and particularly Yvonne’s, talent ceiling.
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