Back home for March Madness, No. 4 seed Gonzaga rolls past No. 13 seed UC Irvine 75-56

Yvonne Ejim had 25 factors and 14 rebounds and No. 4 seed Gonzaga overcame a sluggish begin to roll previous UC Irvine 75-56 within the first spherical of the ladies’s NCAA Match on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (31-3) rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit and led by as many as 26 factors within the fourth quarter. Kayleigh Truong added 16 factors and the Zags shot 62% and scored 45 factors within the second half.

Gonzaga will face No. 5 seed Utah or No. 12 seed South Dakota State within the second spherical on Monday.

“I like that our staff struggled and we discovered a option to overcome somewhat little bit of battle within the first quarter,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier mentioned. “We weren’t at our greatest in that quarter, however whenever you might be not at your finest and go and put consecutively 20 factors every quarter (after that), we’re simply powerful.”

The Bulldogs began 0-for-10 from the 3-point line and managed simply 10 factors within the first quarter, their lowest output in any quarter this season.

Brynna Maxwell, the Zags’ high exterior shooter, shook off a sluggish begin and sank two 3s and an extended jumper to gas a 21-2 run to finish the primary half and begin the third quarter.

Kayleigh Truong and twin sister Kaylynne every had 5 assists for the Zags, who’re of their seventh straight NCAA Match and are one win away from their first Candy Sixteen look since 2015.

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It was the primary time Gonzaga hosted NCAA Match video games on its residence flooring since 2013.

“Our Zags followers carry numerous power, however right now particularly with the coed part simply being crammed,” Ejim mentioned of the sellout crowd of 6,000. “I feel particularly after we went on our runs, we felt the power, particularly after we come again on protection. Everyone seems to be cheering, everyone seems to be clapping, not solely round us however on our staff, too, and I feel that actually fed into the depth that we stored up all through the sport.”

Nevaeh Parkinson scored 18 factors and Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba added 15 for UC Irvine.

The Anteaters (23-9) have been of their first NCAA Match since 1995 and raced out to a 17-6 lead. Parkinson hit back-to-back buckets through the stretch, and UC Irvine’s bodily protection flustered the Zags early.

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The Bulldogs mounted a 10-0 run to sluggish the Anteaters’ early momentum and took their first lead halfway by means of the second quarter.

UC Irvine coach Tamara Inoue was happy with her staff’s begin and the way the Anteaters hung with Gonzaga greater than the final time they performed right here – a 102-38 loss in 2016, her first season on the job.

“I feel we’re on somewhat little bit of an enchancment from that to this recreation right now,” Inoue mentioned.

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The Zags will get both one other check from a Pac-12 faculty within the Utes or face the Jackrabbits for the second time this season. Gonzaga beat SDSU by 25 in December.

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AP March Insanity bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness