SAN BRUNO, Calif. – A four-game slate of West Coast Conference women’s basketball games is set for Saturday, featuring surging LMU at San Diego, Saint Mary’s at Seattle U, Portland at Pepperdine and Pacific heading across the Bay to San Francisco as we come up on the halfway point of the conference schedule.
WILD THURSDAY OF CONFERENCE ACTION
Thursday’s West Coast Conference action featured an overtime thriller, a buzzer beater, several clutch shots and big comebacks. In a battle for sole possession of first place, Oregon State outlasted Gonzaga in overtime after a wild shot from the Zags forced the extra session. A buzzer beater from Abigail Shoff lifted Saint Mary’s to a two-point win over Pepperdine. San Diego erased a 12-point deficit to San Francisco and led by as many as four points in the fourth quarter before the Dons scored 13 of the final 18 points of the game to earn the come-from-behind win. LMU scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 77-68 win over Portland for its first win over the Pilots since 2022. Pacific powered past Washington State, 65-53 and Santa Clara had its balanced offensive attack on display in a 34-point win over Seattle U.
THURSDAY THRILLER IN CORVALLIS GIVES OSU SOLE POSSESION OF FIRST PLACE
A wild game between Gonzaga and Oregon State Thursday night in Corvallis that featured several lead changes ended with the Beavers winning, 92-87, in overtime. It was the third overtime game between the Pacific Northwest powers in their past four meetings. Kennedie Shuler was within one assist of a triple double, finishing with 17 points, 10 steals (program record), nine assists, five rebounds and three blocks for OSU. Teammate Jenna Villa scored 24 of her team-high 31 points after halftime. Lauren Whittaker was equally as impressive for Gonzaga, finishing with a career-high 37 points and 14 rebounds. With Gonzaga down by three in the closing seconds of regulation, Paige Lofing connected on a deep three-pointer to tie the game and send it to overtime. OSU took control in the extra session, led by seven points all on free throws from Villa, to earn the win.
LMU EXTENDS WINNING STREAK TO FOUR TO PULL WITHIN A GAME OF FIRST PLACE
LMU won its fourth straight contest and its sixth in its last seven games with a 77-68 victory over Portland Thursday and the Lions are now tied for third place at 6-2, within a game of Oregon State. LMU outscored Portland, 28-17, in the fourth quarter to earn the double-digit victory, its first win over the Pilots since Feb. 5, 2022. Maya Hernandez finished with a game-high 20 points for LMU. During the current four-game winning streak, Hernandez is averaging 16 points and six rebounds per contest.
BUZZER BEATER LIFTS GAELS
Each of the last four games for Saint Mary’s has been decided by five points or less as the Gaels played another nail biter on Thursday. Abigail Shoff connected on a mid-range jumper as time expired to lift Saint Mary’s to a 53-51 win. Edie Clarke poured in a game-high 16 points for SMC in the win. The defensive-minded Gaels held Pepperdine to its lowest point total of the season (also had 51 against San Diego). Saint Mary’s is the top defensive team in the West Coast Conference, holding its opponents to an average of 57.7 points.
THREE IN THE TOP 84 IN NET RANKINGS
Thursday’s action didn’t impact the NET rankings much as three West Coast Conference teams rank in the top 84. Santa Clara moved up to No. 63, Gonzaga is at No. 66, and Oregon State is at No. 84.
WHITTAKER POSTS 30-POINT DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOLLOWING PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST RECOGNITION
Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker, who was the lone freshman named to the midseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Wednesday, continued her stellar play Thursday with a career-high 37 points and 14 rebounds against Oregon State. The 37 points is tied for the 26th-best point total in a game in the country this season. It is the highest point total in a game by a West Coast Conference player since LMU’s Naudia Evans also had 37 in a win over Washington State on Jan. 25, 2025.
She leads the West Coast Conference in scoring (20.1 ppg), rebounding (10.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (.564) and leads all freshmen nationally with 11 double-doubles on the season. Whittaker is 12th nationally in total points (423) and 16th in the country in points per game (20.1). The forward is ninth nationally in total rebounds (217) and 20th in the country in rebounds per game (10.3). Whittaker also ranks seventh nationally in defensive rebounds per game (8.3).
ZAGS LEAD THE NATION IN THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Gonzaga leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc. The Zags, who are the only team shooting better than 40% in the country, have connected on 156 of 384 attempts. Sophomore Allie Turner is third in the nation, shooting 47.0% (55-of-117) from deep.
FOUR GUARDS AMONG TOP 26 NATIONALLY IN ASSISTS
Since West Coast Conference play began (Dec. 28), four players rank in the top 26 nationally in assists per game - Kennedie Shuler of Oregon State is ninth (6.4), Ashley Hawkins of Santa Clara is 11th (6.2), Rhyan Mogel of Portland is 14th (6.1), and Aina Cargol of San Francisco is 26th (5.8).
DALAN LEADS NATION IN BLOCKS
Portland freshman Julia Dalan leads the nation in blocks (65) and blocks per game (3.42). Dalan matched her career high with eight blocks, first recorded against No. 11 USC Nov. 18., in last week’s win at Santa Clara. The Portland freshman is the only player in the nation to have multiple games of at least eight blocks this season and one of just 11 freshmen to have recorded multiple games with at least eight blocks since 2009-10. Dalan has recorded multiple blocks in 15 of the 19 games she has played in. She was the fastest Pilot freshman to 50 blocks and is two shy of the Portland freshman record for blocks in a season.
SANTA CLARA MATCHES BEST START IN 25 YEARS
At 7-2, Santa Clara is right behind Oregon State in the conference standings. At 17-5 overall, the Broncos have matched their best 22-game start in 25 seasons. Thursday’s 35-point win over Seattle U marked the Broncos’ eighth win by at least 20 points this season. Their 81.5 points per game leads the conference in scoring. Santa