It was a beatdown by the Gonzaga Bulldogs (17-7-7, 9-2 WCC) in the second round of the rivalry matchup with the Oregon State Beavers (17-7-7, 9-2 WCC) in Spokane, Washington, 67-37. A much different story from the 92-87 overtime loss in Corvallis, Oregon, just two weeks ago.
Senior guard Ines Bettencourt put together her best personal performance of the season with 15 points on 5-for-9 three-pointers, five rebounds, five assists/zero turnovers, and two steals. Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier leaned on the Portuguese guard’s college basketball experience from her UConn Huskies days, and it paid off in the biggest game of 2025-26 up until now.
The Zags were locked in on the perimeter defense, forcing the Beavers to shoot 1-for-21 from beyond the arc (five percent) while also grabbing ten steals. That frustrated Beavers coach Scott Rueck so much that he got his second technical foul in the series this season.
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Gonzaga’s primary ball-handlers took care of the rock with the best of care, with only seven turnovers, the fewest of the season. Oregon State, on the other hand, turned it over a staggering 20 times in the rocking McCarthey Athletic Center environment, turning into 20 points on the other end.
After being one rebound shy of a triple-double in the first matchup (17 points, tied program record of 10 steals, nine rebounds), Oregon State junior guard Kennedie Shuler struggled to make any sort of impact. She only finished two points, two rebounds, and one assist to six turnovers.
Despite the Beavers being picked to win the West Coast Conference this offseason, the Zags have found a way to play the spoilers and potentially receive a No. 1 seed for the conference tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Seven games remain in the regular season, and all are very winnable games with this group’s capabilities behind the leadership of the National Freshman of the Year candidate in redshirt forward Lauren Whittaker (tied for 14th in the country with 11 double-doubles) and sophomore guard Allie Turner, who has had her ups and downs this season. The recent bench production from true freshman guard Paige Lofing has brought a new energy to this team heading into the home stretch.
In support of breast cancer awareness, Gonzaga will be painting the Kennel pink with their fresh jerseys against the Pacific Tigers (9-13, 4-7 WCC) on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 2 p.m. PT on ESPN+. The first 200 students in attendance will take home a free pink t-shirt.
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Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
