Lady Zags Finish What Lady Griz Started

Last night in Spokane, the women's basketball team from Gonzaga did what Montana couldn't just two days prior: upset the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Griz certainly came close, falling 55-47. But Montana exposed some flaws in the 3rd seeded Bruins' game, and Gonzaga took advantage of those weaknesses last night in an 89-75 victory.

For starters, UCLA doesn't take care of the ball. The Bruins turned the ball over 19 times against the Lady Griz, and 15 times against the Zags.

In order to overcome the turnovers, UCLA needed to shoot well from 3-point range, but failed to do so in both games. The Bruins shot just 5 of 21 from downtown at the tournament.

Finally, the main reason why Gonzaga pulled off the win and Montana didn't: field goal percentage. The Lady Griz shot just 32.7% from the floor, while Gonzaga sank a blistering 55.8% of their shots.

Also of note: Bulldog senior point guard Courtney Vandersloot is one of the best players I've seen in a long time. I had the chance to watch Vandersloot in person when Gonzaga visited the Lady Griz in a non-conference game back in December. Last night, she finished with 29 points and 17 assists. In the process, Vandersloot became the first player in NCAA history, male or female, to amass 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in a single career.