Final Stats

SPOKANE, Wash. - Despite leading 30-27 at the half, the LMU women's basketball was overmatched by Gonzaga in the second half as it fell, 73-61, Thursday night at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

LMU (11-13, 6-7 WCC) held Gonzaga (20-4, 10-2 WCC) to shoot just 32.1 percent (9-for-28) from the floor and 16.7 percent (1-for-6) from deep in the opening half, while the Lions battled through seven score ties and three lead changes to come away with a three-point lead at the break.

The Zags outscored the Lions 23-5 in the third quarter as the Lions went cold, connecting on just one basket in the frame, while Gonzaga shot 55.6 percent and added 11 points from the free throw line.

Leslie Lopez-Wood finished with a game-high 17 points, with nine coming from beyond-the-arc to go with five rebounds. Jackie Johnson contributed 13 points, while Andee Velasco notched eight points and a game-high seven assists.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

• Johnson slipped in LMU's opening basket before back-to-back triples from Cheyanne Wallace and Cierra Belvin pushed the lead to 8-4 midway through the first. The Zags tied it up at 12-12 with just under two minutes left before Johnson connected on a jumper in the paint to put the Lions back on top, though the score held at 14-14 at the end of the first.

• Gonzaga took a three-point lead to start the second quarter before Belvin and Velasco netted back-to-back layups to knot it at 18-18 with six minutes to go before the break. From there, the Lions and Zags tied it up three times down the stretch before Makenzie Cast connected from beyond-the-arc with three seconds left in the half, sending LMU to the locker room with a 30-27 edge.

• The Bulldogs saw eight of their first half points come from the free throw line, while the Lions tallied all 30 of their points from the floor and did not attempt a single shot from the charity stripe.

• Gonzaga opened the second half with a 5-0 run until Raychel Stanley converted on an and-1 to put the Lions back in command, 33-32. However, that would be the lone field goal for the Lions in the quarter the Zags reeled off an 18-2 run, taking a 50-35 hold on the scoreboard heading into the final frame.

• Lopez-Wood poured in 12 points in the final frame as the Lions adjusted defensively, scoring 19 of its 26 points in the fourth off turnovers, but the third quarter proved costly as the deficit was too much for the Lions to overcome.

UP NEXT

The Lions will close out their two-game road swing at Portland on Saturday, Feb. 11. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and can be seen live on TheW.tv.

TICKETS

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