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SPOKANE, Wash. - The little elements of the game stacked up against the LMU women's basketball team Thursday night in the McCarthey Center as the Lions fell, 83-68, to Gonzaga.
Foul trouble, offensive boards, turnovers and a large free throw disparity all hurt the Lions (7-16, 3-9 WCC) in their seventh straight West Coast Conference setback.
LMU opened the game with three straight turnovers, but quickly righted the ship with back-to-back threes by Leslie Lopez-Wood and Sophie Taylor. The Lions went on to hit 6-for-12 from the field in the quarter while holding the Zags to just four field goals. But the Zags (15-9, 7-5 WCC) would stay close thanks to a 5-for-7 performance from the charity stripe and LMU would hold a slim 16-13 advantage through one quarter.
The trend continued through the first half as the Lions hit 44 percent from the field while holding Gonzaga to a 28-percent clip from the field, but 13-for-17 from the free-throw line for the 20-minute span. A 6-0 Zag run to open the second quarter put the home team on top, 19-16, and they would never relinquish the lead.
Lopez-Wood finished with 16 points to lead four Lions in double figures. Deanna Johnson finished with 14 points, including 12 in the second half after playing just eight minutes of the first due to foul trouble. Taylor had 12 points and Makenzie Cast chipped in 12 points off the bench.
Gonzaga got its offense going in the second half, hitting better than 48 percent from the field. Six of their 14 field goals came from beyond the arc. The Zags also continued to trek to the charity stripe, going 17-for-22 after the break.
Jill Barta led all scorers with 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Shaniqua Nilles had 15 points and Laura Stockton added 10 off the bench.
All told, the Lions surrendered 22 offensive boards for 15 Gonzaga second-chance points. The Zags also earned 39 total trips to the charity stripe, converting 30 of those opportunities. LMU was just 9-for-15, including 4-for-6 in the final quarter. The Zags also turned LMU's 16 giveaways into 22 points.
The Lions are back at it on Saturday afternoon, traveling to face Portland at the Chiles Center. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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