SAN BRUNO, Calif. – There is a five-way tie for first place in the West Coast Conference women's basketball standings with Gonzaga, Portland, San Francisco, Saint Mary's and Washington State all sitting at 5-2 in conference action. Oregon State is just behind the leaders at 4-2.

Key matchups this week feature first-place teams Washington State at San Francisco and Portland at Gonzaga. Pepperdine and LMU will also be back in action after their games last week were postponed due to fires in Southern California. Week five features five games each on Thursday and Saturday, all available on ESPN+.

WCC POINTS IN THE PAINT PODCAST
The WCC POINTS IN THE PAINT women’s basketball podcast, hosted by Ann Schatz and Mary Murphy, breaks down the previous week’s action, provides in-depth analysis of the games ahead and features a guest each week. Full episodes are available on the WCC’s YouTube channel (YouTube.com/WCCsports), as well as Apple and Spotify podcasts. New episodes come out each Wednesday.

Fast Facts
1- Portland’s McKelle Meek leads the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 4.11. She has 12 games this season with a single turnover or less.

6- Gonzaga's Yvonne Ejim now has 2,020 career points. She is sixth all-time in career scoring in WCC history.

10 - Washington State has recorded ten games this season with seven or more blocks.

NOTES

Gonzaga won its only matchup of the week, taking down Washington State in a regional matchup in the Palouse. The Bulldogs have now won four straight games to set themselves into being part of the five-way-tie at the top. Allie Turner earned Heluva Good Dip WCC Freshman of the Week for her efforts against Washington State as she matched her career high with 20 points and added six rebounds and five assists. Turner is one of only nine freshmen in the country this season to post 20-plus points, five-plus rebounds, and five-plus assists in a game. Yvonne Ejim, recently named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List, reached double figures for the 60th-straight game in the win against Washington State. She is third all-time at GU in scoring with 2,020 points (146 points from passing Heather Bowman for first and is now sixth all time in WCC scoring history. Ejim is now second all-time in rebounds with 964 (20 from passing Kay Koppelman for first).

San Francisco dropped its two matchups against Oregon State and Portland. Freja Werth led San Francisco in scoring in both games, averaging 19 points per game over the two contests. Emma Trawally Porta posted her third double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while Cami Fulcher scored in double figures for the first time this season with 17 points at Oregon State. The Dons lead the league in total rebounding (40.1 per game) and are second in the conference in scoring defense (64.3 points per game) and field goal percentage defense (opponents are shooting 37.7% from the floor).

Washington State split its matchups, taking down Saint Mary’s in Moraga before falling to Gonzaga at home. The Cougars +16 rebounding margin (42-26) against Saint Mary’s was the largest for the team since posting a +26 (46-20) margin last season against Houston on Dec. 17, 2023. Against Gonzaga, Eleonora Villa posted career highs of 24 points and five 3's. Alex Covill recorded 12 points, her fifth-straight game in double figures. Covill is two blocks away from entering the WSU all-time top-10 list. Tara Wallack is now at 137 career blocks, fifth all-time at WSU. The Cougars had seven blocks against Gonzaga, the team's 10th game this season with seven-plus blocks.

Portland won its only game of the week after its road tilt at Pepperdine was postponed. The Pilots outlasted San Francisco, 74-60, after outscoring the Dons 19-8 in the fourth quarter. Portland had eight blocks as Trista Hull's six rejections led the way individually. Hull also added a game-high 10 rebounds. Maisie Burnham led four players in double figures with 18 points. The Pilots' 16-2 start is their best since the 1996-97 season.

Saint Mary’s split its two home matchups, dropping one to Washington State before rebounding against Pacific. The Gaels' defense held the Tigers to a season-low 44 points on 35 percent shooting. The Gaels also forced 22 turnovers on the night, the fourth time this season they've forced 20+ turnovers in a game. Emily Foy dropped a career-high 18 points in the win.

Oregon State won its only game of the week, handing San Francisco its first loss in conference play. The Beavers held San Francisco scoreless for nearly 10 minutes of game time in the second half which led to a 16-0 run to give them a lead they would not relinquish. Oregon State leads the league in defensive rebounding (29.1 per contest) and free throw percentage (77% as a team).

Pacific split its two matchups, taking down Santa Clara before losing to Saint Mary’s. Marina Radocaj nearly doubled her previous career high, putting up 19 points against the Broncos. The Tigers shot 51.9 percent from the field, the first time Pacific has shot 50 percent or better against a Division I opponent since last season's regular season finale against Santa Clara. Anaya James has scored in double figures in eight of nine games since the start of December. Pacific is second in the WCC in steals per game, nabbing 10.2 per game.

Santa Clara split its two games last week, falling to Pacific before closing out San Diego. Olivia Pollerd earned Heluva Good Dip WCC Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.5 points per game on the week. Pollerd tallied a double-double against San Diego, putting up 20 points and 10 rebounds. Pollerd now has 1,064 career points at Santa Clara (1,071 in her career). That puts her 24th in Santa Clara history. Santa Clara shot 50.0-precent from the field against the Toreros, with Malia Latu also putting up 19 points, her fourth straight game in double figures. The Broncos now lead the conference in field goal percentage defense (opponents are shooting 37.6% from the floor).

San Diego dropped its only game of the week against Santa Clara after a postponement against LMU. Truitt Reilly scored a team-high 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out a trio of assists against the Broncos. Making her first collegiate start in Saturday's game, Dresha Moore scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds. The Toreros as a team gobbled up 20 offensive rebounds against the Broncos.