Jan. 23, 2010

Angie Kiel's postgame interview with Coach Wilhoit from Podcast Center.
Audio highlights from Podcast Center.

Box Score

Los Angeles - Junior Renahy Young scored 24 points to move into ninth place on the LMU career scoring list but the Lions' valiant effort came up short against Gonzaga, 91-78 on Saturday afternoon in a West Coast Conference game in Gersten Pavilion. The Lions (9-10, 2-3 WCC) led at the half and with 10 minutes to go but the Bulldogs (16-4, 5-0 WCC) closed out the game with a 29-12 run.

Young had her second-highest scoring performance of the season, shooting 7-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-4 from three-point range to go along with a perfect 7-for-7 at the line. She moved past Marlee Webb (1993-96) on the scoring charts in the first half and now has 1,055 points for her career. She also passed Webb on the all-time free throws made list, moving into fourth with 297, and pulled level with Kate Murray (1999-2004) on the career three-pointers made list with 106.

For the second time this year, the Lions had two players top 20 points as sophomore Alex Cowling surpassed the 700-career point mark with 20. It was her second straight 20-point performance and third in the last four games as she also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Kavita Goss and sophomore Candice Nichols each added 11 points in the loss. With her three three-pointers on the night, Goss became the seventh player in LMU history to pass the 100 threes made mark.

LMU shot 41% (25-for-61) overall, and 40% (10-for-25) from three point range, the fourth time this season and second game in a row that the team had sunk double-digit threes.

Threes were key for the Bulldogs, as well, who entered the game shooting 28% from long-range. The Lions looked to exploit that statistic with a zone but Gonzaga connected on a season high 13-of-29 (44.8%). The Bulldogs shot 54.7% (35-for-64) overall and were a solid 88.9% (8-for-9) from the line to seal the win.

Courtney Vandersloot paced Gonzaga with 21 points, 15 assists, and seven rebounds despite eight turnovers. Tiffanie Shives added a season-high 20 points to go along with six assists and Heather Bowman chipped in a double-double of 13 points and nine rebounds. Vivian Frieson was also in double figures with 14 points, pulling down eight rebounds to help the Bulldogs to a 37-32 edge on the boards.

For the second straight game, LMU was hot early from the outside, with Goss' long three drawing the teams level at 12 with 13:50 remaining in the first. The Lion zone was being particularly effective, forcing the Bulldogs into six turnovers in the opening seven minutes.

After a Cowling free throw gave the Lions their first lead at 13-12, Gonzaga rattled off an 8-0 run with a Bowman layup bookended by threes from Vandersloot and Shives. That seemed to increase the pace and the Lions picked it up, roaring back with a 13-3 run, capped on either side with threes from Goss, who made three of her first four from long range.

Young continued to spur the Lions, connecting on her second from way deep to put the Lions ahead 33-28. It was her 13th point of the first half, moving her past Marlee Webb and into ninth place on the LMU career scoring list. All told, over a six-minute span, LMU rolled off a 25-13 run to turn the 20-13 deficit into a 38-30 advatange.

Gonzaga, who had trailed at the half only four times this season and not at all in conference play, shot 56% in the first half but the Lion defense hounded them into 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes to take a 40-38 lead at the break. Young was particularly impressive, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and 5-for-5 at the line for 15 points at the half, helped by nine points each from Cowling and Goss. Shives had 12 on 5-for-7 from the floor for Gonzaga.

Like two prize fighters going the distance, the first nine minutes of the second half was a classic back-and-forth affair. A fired-up Young came out of the locker room for five of LMU's first eight points but Shives matched her shot-for-shot, knocking down two more threes to put Gonzaga back on top, 50-48. But back-to-back steals by Nichols led to a Nichols layup and a Cowling three to hand the lead back to LMU. Freshman Monica DeAngelis came off the bench to provide a spark, hitting a pair of threes that gave LMU a 63-60 lead. Bowman responded with a jumper that kick-started an 11-2 run as the Lions went over three minutes without scoring.

The first 10 minutes of the second half featured seven ties and five lead changes but Gonzaga slowly began to pull away as the Lions went cold from the floor. Cowling's layup at 5:41 that cut it to 76-70 was the only LMU basket in an eight-minute span. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs increased their lead with a 7-0 run capped by Katelan Redmond's three from the corner that put them ahead 83-70 with 1:54 left. Although Nichols converted a three-point play on the other end, back-to-back offensive rebounds and tip-ins from Frieson and Redmon kept the Bulldog lead in double-digits.

LMU heads out on the road next week to close out the first round of conference play. The Lions journey south to San Diego on Thursday night before heading north to Saint Mary's on Saturday.