SAN DIEGO -- San Diego women's basketball (8-7, 2-2 WCC) forced 23 turnovers and held No. 17 Gonzaga (14-1, 3-0 WCC) below its average points per game (71.2), but fell 57-42 at home on Saturday afternoon.
San Diego's defense was efficient in the contest, turning the 23 takeaways into 15 points on the offensive end of the floor.
Myah Pace led the way individually for the Toreros forcing 4 steals on the afternoon. The defense also held the Zags to only 8 points off of turnovers, below Gonzaga's season average.
While the defense shined in Saturday's contest, the offense struggled to find its rhythm. Senior
Madison Pollock and junior
Sydney Hunter were the bright spots for the Toreros with 11 and 10 points respectively. This marks Pollock's fifth consecutive game in double figures as she leads San Diego in points per game (12.3).
San Diego was able to keep pace with the Zags in the first quarter, entering the second frame down by only two, 12-10. The Toreros were potent near the glass scoring 6 out of 10 points near the basket.
Gonzaga widened the gap in the second, creating a 13-point advantage with under a minute remaining the quarter. The Zags outshot USD 15-6 in the second to create a 27-16 halftime deficit.
San Diego fought back after the half as
Jordyn Edwards quickly drew a foul inside the paint and hit both from the line. Hunter, Pollock and Pace worked to keep the Zags within striking distance to pull San Diego within 11 with two minutes to go in the third.
The Toreros faced a 43-30 disadvantage headed into the fourth quarter after forcing six Gonzaga turnovers.
San Diego couldn't pull any closer in the fourth despite limiting Gonzaga to 30.8 percent from the field in the fourth, losing by a final of 57-42. San Diego took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 12 points in the paint.
The Toreros are back in action on Saturday, January 11 for the beginning of a three-game road streak to take on BYU in Provo. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. (MT).
This article was created with the help of technology provided by Data Skrive.
