Gonzaga women look to limit turnovers in WCC Tournament

Zags face Santa Clara in semifinals after loss in regular-season finale

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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The Gonzaga women's basketball team is focused on limiting turnovers as they head into the West Coast Conference Tournament. The Zags committed a season-high 26 turnovers in their regular-season finale loss to Portland, leading to 35 points for the Pilots. Gonzaga has played well coming off previous conference losses this season, and they will face third-seeded Santa Clara in the semifinals on Monday. The Bulldogs lost to the Broncos 77-73 in the regular season, with Santa Clara capitalizing on Gonzaga's 20 turnovers.

Why it matters

Gonzaga is the second seed in the WCC Tournament and is looking to bounce back from their regular-season finale loss. The Zags have shown the ability to rebound from previous conference losses, and limiting turnovers will be key to their success against a tough Santa Clara team that was able to capitalize on Gonzaga's mistakes in their earlier matchup.

The details

In the regular-season loss to Portland, Gonzaga tied a season-high with 26 turnovers, which led to 35 points for the Pilots. Gonzaga redshirt freshman forward Lauren Whittaker, who was named WCC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, said turnovers have been an issue for the team all season and they need to "reset" and stay connected defensively. Gonzaga's lone senior starter, guard Ines Bettencourt, spent much of the Portland game on the bench due to foul trouble, which hurt the Zags' execution and defense.

  • Gonzaga lost 92-91 in overtime to Portland in their regular-season finale last week.
  • The WCC Tournament semifinals between Gonzaga and Santa Clara will tip off on Monday, March 9th at 2:30 PM.

The players

Lisa Fortier

Gonzaga's head coach who is focused on the task at hand rather than dwelling on past losses.

Lauren Whittaker

Gonzaga's redshirt freshman forward who was named WCC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

Ines Bettencourt

Gonzaga's lone senior starter and starting guard who spent much of the Portland game on the bench due to foul trouble.

Allie Turner

Gonzaga's two-year starting guard who was named to the All-WCC First Team for a second straight year.

Santa Clara

Gonzaga's opponent in the WCC Tournament semifinals, who beat the Zags 77-73 in the regular season by capitalizing on their 20 turnovers.

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What they’re saying

“For the whole season turnovers has probably been something that our team needs to focus on, and we were really exploited in that game. Just resetting, especially after every loss we've had (where) turnovers have let us down and just not staying connected.”

— Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga redshirt freshman forward (The Spokesman-Review)

“Like I've told the team, it (the loss to Portland) is not the end of the world. These next two games are the ones that matter for the rest of our season and we've just gotta attack this week to accomplish that.”

— Ines Bettencourt, Gonzaga's lone senior starting guard (The Spokesman-Review)

“We weren't all on the same page that game. We got really sped up, which Portland does, and we let it get to us. And once we start turning it over it's hard to stop.”

— Allie Turner, Gonzaga's two-year starting guard (The Spokesman-Review)

What’s next

The winner of the Gonzaga-Santa Clara semifinal will advance to the WCC Tournament championship game on Tuesday, March 10th.

The takeaway

Gonzaga's ability to limit turnovers will be crucial in their rematch with Santa Clara in the WCC Tournament semifinals. If the Zags can avoid the mistakes that plagued them in the regular-season loss to the Broncos, they will be in a strong position to advance to the championship game and potentially earn an NCAA Tournament berth.