Smith, Rice Help No. 17 Gonzaga Win 10th Straight, 74-62
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Chandler Smith scored 17 points, Zykera Rice added 16 and No. 17 Gonzaga pulled away from Saint Mary's 74-62 on Thursday night for its 10th straight win.
Saint Mary's was within four midway through the fourth quarter but Jessie Loera turned her steal into a 3-point play at 3:37 and just over a minute later Smith hit a 3-pointer from the corner to help the Bulldogs pull away.
Gonzaga (14-1, 3-0 West Coast Conference) made its last six shots and the Gaels (7-6, 0-2) had six turnovers in the fourth quarter. Gonzaga point guards Laura Stockton and Loera combined for 14 points, 10 assists, seven steals and five rebounds, with five of the steals in the fourth quarter. Jill Townsend added 10 points.
Megan McKay scored 28 points for Saint Mary's on 11 of 14 shooting but her teammates were 13 of 45 (29 percent). Sam Simons had 14 points.