Kingston, Rhode Island was the last stop on the five month journey the Gonzaga women’s basketball team completed this season. Beginning the year with a home game November 11^thagainst Hofstra, the Zags were determined to pick up where they left off the 2010-2011 season, and they did. It was a great season that included a conference title and a trip the Sweet Sixteen—incredible accomplishments for an incredible group.

Gonzaga's road to the Final Four ended in Rhode Island Sunday

Unfortunately, after winning the first two games of the NCAA tournament, the third round was not so kind to the Bulldogs as Kentucky knocked off GU 79-62. It was quite a game to begin with, as it remained close for much of the first half. The Wildcats were going wild from the three, as they ended the game with 12 treys. Nearly half of their scoring came from outside, and they could hardly miss (they ended 12-21); and when your opponent is draining threes, it’s hard to stay in the game.

It’s even harder when you can’t answer with threes. Although the Lady Zags had the height and interior presence advantage, they were only 1-6 from beyond the arc, and quickly caught on that they were not going to be able to trade threes with UK. While the paint was where the Bulldogs could do the damage, the tenacity and feisty defense the Wildcats played on the perimeter was extremely productive, and preventative of allowing GU to pound the ball inside.

In many ways, the fact that the 11^th seeded Bulldogs even made it to the Sweet Sixteen was incredible. Kentucky, the two seed, definitely had their work cut out for them, as GU had already upset Rutgers (6) and Miami (3) to make it to Rhode Island. Yet going into the Elite Eight as a tournament, only the one and two seeds remain—indicating the selection committee was right on par with their rankings. For the Lady Zags to have won the first regional game would not have only been an upset, but it would have defied all other statistics, this just wasn’t the year for Cinderella to make a deep run.

It is only appropriate that the three starting seniors of the Bulldogs ended their careers with the double digit scoring. Kayla Standish provided the main offense for GU with 25 points. Kelly Bowen added 11 points and Katelan Redmon finished with ten. All three women had incredible careers at GU, and will leave some big shoes to fill next year.

Kentucky will face top seeded UCONN for a bid to the Final Four Tuesday, while Gonzaga ends the year with a 28-6 mark.

Gonzaga faces Kentucky in Kingston on the "Rhode to the Championships"

Over 2,700 miles, but they are finally there. The Lady Zags are ready to play in the Sweet Sixteen for the third straight year, but this time it’s a little different. Last year, the Bulldogs landed what was arguably the best possible seeding ever, as they played the first two rounds in their home gym, and the next two a mile down the road at the Spokane Arena.

The year before, the regional round was held in Sacramento, after the first two games had been played in Seattle—not exactly home games, but at least in the same time zone. But this year, after winning twice in the MAC to earn a trip to the round of sixteen, the Zags are across the country in Kingston, Rhode Island—waiting for the Kentucky Wildcats.

GU made it to the Sweet Sixteen as an 11 seed; UK is the second seed team in the bracket. The Wildcats are 27-6 for the year, with some strong wins over several tough teams. Kentucky even beat perennial power Tennessee for the SEC regular season title. To reach the round of 16, UK beat 15^th seeded McNeese State, and seventh ranked Green Bay in very close games to advance.

The Zags are 28-5 this year and knocked off sixth seeded Rutgers and third seeded Miami to make it to the Sweet 16. After capturing the regular season WCC crown, the Bulldogs are ready to fight for another magical run into the Big Dance. With Tennessee knocking off Kansas early Saturday, GU remains the only double digit seed in the tournament.

Both teams like to run in transition, so for the typically slower paced women’s game, this looks to be an exception. Expect both teams to play fast, tough, and determined basketball. The game will be the final matchup of the third round, played Sunday at 3:30 (PST) on ESPN2.

Home court advantage.

That was one of the biggest assets to the Gonzaga (11) upset over Miami (3) Monday night in Spokane. The Lady Zags are still dancing as they swing into the Sweet 16 for the third straight year, while the team from the Sunshine State is headed home.

It was a physical and hard-earned 65-54 victory for GU. While it was probably unfair seeding by the selection committee to ship both Rutgers and Miami to the freezing Northwest to play Gonzaga on their home court in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, it is also the return the Bulldogs get for consistently making and winning in the Big Dance. A cold Eastern Washington and a trip to the Sweet 16 is better than South Beach any day of the week.

For Miami, Shenise Johnson racked up 20 points and 13 rebounds to earn a double-double. Her teammate, 6’6” center Shawnice Wilson, also scored in double figures with 12 points—she was one board shy of a double-double.

Gonzaga’s seniors led the way, with Kayla Standish dropping 19 points for the night with eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Katelan Redmon knocked in 16 points with eight boards as well. Likewise, sophomore Haiden Palmer grabbed eight rebounds and was in double figures scoring wise with 15.

While the Hurricanes will return to Miami to soak up the sun and mourn the loss, the Zags will pack up for a cross country trip of their own and visit Kingston, Rhode Island. The girls are slated to face second seeded Kentucky in the round of 16 next Sunday. The time has yet to be determined.

Gonzaga's bench celebrates Monday after beating Miami and earning a spot in the Sweet 16. (Photo courtesy of @ZagWBB)

The Good: Gonzaga’s women upset Rutgers to advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bad: The men fell to Ohio State in the round of 32, ending their season at 26-7.

The Ugly: Whatever that stuff growing on the faces of the men’s team is.

THE GOOD: Lady Zags' bench celebrates

Zags don’t lose in the McCarthey Athletic Center, and that fact remained true as the 11^th seeded Lady Bulldogs took down No. 6 Rutgers 86-73. It was all blue as the Zags wore their dark uniforms as the away team, despite playing in their home gym. The Scarlet Knights never really had a chance, they trailed from the first basket and no way were the Zags or the crowd going to let them back in.

GU held a 20-4 advantage 10 minutes into the game, and kept that 15+ point lead most of the game. Kayla Standish led the team in scoring with 23 points. Kelly Bowen earned a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Also in double figures was Haiden Palmer with 21 and Taelor Karr who chipped in 14 points.

For Rutgers, Erica Wheeler took over the scoring with 28 point. Khadijah Rushdan grabbed a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. In all fairness, it was rather rude for the selection committee to send a six seed to an 11 seed’s home gym across the country. In the words of the Scarlet Knight’s head coach C. Vivian Stringer; however, “it’s the arena we play in,” indicating that wherever her game is scheduled is where her team needs to play, no matter any other circumstances, they need to step up.

Gonzaga advances to the second round of the Big Dance to face third seeded Miami. The Hurricanes defeated No. 14 Idaho State Saturday. Game time is set for 6:30pm (PST) in Spokane.

THE BAD: GU's bench as the loss sets in

In Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon, Gonzaga came out playing tough as the men took on second seeded Ohio State. Until the last few seconds of the half, GU made a statement leading the Buckeyes. OSU took a two point advantage into the locker room at the half—they never looked back.

The Zags remained in the game, even after trailing by as much as ten in the second half, but in the end OSU avoided the huge upset with a 73-66 win. The Zags fought for the Sweet Sixteen, and brought it to a three point game with one minute to go, but things just didn’t fall their way.

By the looks of the box score, OSU should have dominated GU, as four of their starters were in double figures; however, their bench had no points. The Bulldogs added ten from the bench, keeping them that much closer—three starters were in double digits for GU.

Gary Bell Jr. led the Zags with 18 points and five assists. Elias Harris chipped in 16 points, while Kevin Pangos added 10. The Buckeye’s two big men, Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas each racked up 18 points, while Aaron Craft contributed with 17 and William Buford tossed in 13.

GU played three Big Ten teams this season, and lost all three of those games. I guess that conference just had the Zags’ number. And if nothing else comes from the loss, the nasty facial hair can disappear off the boys’ faces now that they lost.

THE UGLY: Gross facial hair growing on Rob Sacre and Elias Harris' faces during the tournament

One year after completing in the Elite Eight as an eleven seed, the Gonzaga Women’s Basketball team is back at it. The Lady Zags were seeded No. 11 for the second straight year in the NCAA Tournament, and are set to play in their home gym—The McCarthey Athletic Center—for the second year in a row too.

Gonzaga's home court in the McCarthey Athletic Center

GU will face the No. 6 seed, Rutgers, out of the Big East. The Scarlet Knights were seventh at the end of the season in their conference standings, while the Bulldogs were the regular season champions of the WCC. However, the only losses Rutgers faced were to teams that finished ahead of them in conference (including two No. 1 seeds in UConn and Notre Dame) and two top ten teams, Miami and Tennessee.

The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season with a 22-9 overall record, while Gonzaga ended the season at 26-5. RU may have the higher seed, but as 2011 indicated, playing the Bulldogs in the Kennel is no joke, and an upset is fully possible. In fact, in the eyes of many GU fans, for the Lady Zags not to win at home would be an upset.

Don’t expect the Bulldogs to feel like underdogs when 1:15pm Saturday rolls around.

It was a career high and a career must, Kayla Standish scored 31 points on the way to a Gonzaga victory over arch rival St. Mary’s in the semi-finals of the West Coast Conference Tournament. The game was back and forth and extremely tight the entire way, but the Bulldogs prevailed 83-78 in Las Vegas.

Kayla Standish was a scoring machine on the court Saturday

Standish racked up 20 points in the first half, but the Zags trailed 49-47 at the break—it was one of the best shooting performances by two teams in a half, as both teams were right around 60% from the field. Three other Zags finished the afternoon with double figure scoring performances. Katelan Redmon had 20 for the day and Taelor Karr finished with 11 points and seven assists. Off the bench, Haiden Palmer netted 14 points.

The Gaels were a tough match for Gonzaga, as the teams split wins, both winning on the road, during the regular season. GU’s depth and height proved to be the deciding factors in the hard fought conference tournament victory.

The Lady Zags will face the winner of the BYU-San Diego game Sunday for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

So much has happened in Gonzaga Athletics in [roughly] the last 48 hours. The Lady Zags’ basketball team avenged a 30 point loss to BYU with a 17 point victory and their eighth straight WCC regular season title; GU’s men had a nail-biter game in San Diego—in which the Bulldogs got the win; the baseball team won four games to capture a 7-0 start to the season; all of which were positives. Yet, the one thing that no Zag was involved in was the most devastating to the school—St. Mary’s beat San Francisco in men’s basketball to earn the outright regular season West Coast Conference title.

It had been 11 straight years of success. The only program with a longer streak in NCAA men’s basketball: UCLA with 13 straight league championships under the legendary coach, John Wooden. We were so close, yet it doesn’t really matter now because as soon as you let go of controlling your own destiny, there is no hand in the outcome, which is likely to be detrimental.

Some may want to blame USF for not pulling through with an upset over the Gaels Saturday night, but the reality is, if Gonzaga had taken care of the ball better and beat the Dons last week, none of it would have mattered. The sudden emotion of the streak ending is challenging to deal with—for as long as I can remember Gonzaga controlled the WCC—now that era is over.

There are two ways to deal with the outcome of the regular season; first is to be completely angry and make excuses for failing to execute when needed during conference play. The second approach is to reflect on having one of the most remarkable runs in college basketball and be grateful to have been a part and a witness to the mark in history Zags Basketball has made. It truly is impressive to see where Gonzaga, the West Coast Conference, and the basketball program have progressed to over the last 12 years all because of that first championship that started a decade of excellence.

It may take a while to move to that second phase, but by the time the post season ends, I have a feeling the devastating state of ending the streak will fade and appreciation will remain for a lifetime. I hope anyway.

Winning is what it means to be a Zag

However, while one run ended, another remained intact. The women have continued the trend of capturing conference titles in Spokane, and did it for the eighth straight time Saturday afternoon. As the Kennel said goodbye to five seniors in their final regular season game, the Zags said goodbye to BYU and their aspirations of taking the crown from the queens of Spokane and the WCC.

Katelan Redmon showed she was going to be the hometown hero in her final home game at the MAC (if the team makes the NCAA tournament she will have a shot a few more, however). Redmon racked up 28 points for the Bulldogs. Fellow senior Kayla Standish tallied 15 points—all of which came in the second half. Standish sat the majority of the first half due to two early fouls; yet she took control of the paint when she started the second.

Underclassmen may not have been glorified, but junior point guard Taelor Karr scored in double digits with 11 points and dished out six assists. Sophomore guard, Jazmine Redmon, who comes off the bench, gave out seven assists and scored five. GU won the game 77-60.

On the men’s side, a fiery San Diego squad hosted the Zags and made it interesting, and nerve wrecking for the Zag fans. No one, except for Guy Landry Edi had a good game. Edi capitalized on great shooting with a perfect 4-4 from the field; six of those points came from behind the arc. He also was 3-5 from the free throw lined to end the night with 13 points and no turnovers.

Unlike Edi, the rest of the team combined for 13 turnovers (unfortunately that is significantly lower than most recent games for this team) and struggled to shoot well. Rob Sacre and Kevin Pangos each grabbed 11 points; seven of those for Sacre were from the line. Pangos had a decent night from the three, netting three of four attempts—yet that is where nine of his points came from—the other two were free throws. The common theme: not much inside from either of them. They also turned the ball over three times each.

Elias Harris, who was by far the most athletic and explosive athlete on the court, only managed seven points; however he did grab 12 boards. He needs to take over games and teams like the Toreros, not allow them to control his play. Gonzaga pulled it out 65-57, despite trailing the majority of the second half.

On the baseball field in little Beaumont, Texas, the Zags played host school Lamar and fellow visitor Illinois in two double headers; one on Friday and the other on Saturday. All four games ended in the Bulldogs’ favor, including the final game of the weekend that stretched to 12 innings. Gonzaga is now 7-0 for the year and is looking like a solid team.

In the first game Friday, GU knocked off Illinois 13-3 with Marco Gonzales tossing eight innings with seven K’s and only giving up one run. Offensively, seniors Eric Lane and Andy Hunter drove in two runs a piece, as did junior transfer Alex Bonczyk.

Game two on Friday was a 6-1 W over Lamar with junior Billy Moon pitching eight solid innings for GU. He too had seven strikeouts and gave up one earned run. Senior outfielder Royce Bolinger collected three RBI’s, while junior short-stop Steven Halcomb knocked in two runs.

Saturday’s noon game against the Illini was a 7-3 win, as Andy Hunter pitched a complete game for the Bulldogs. Once again, seven strikeouts were recorded and only one earned run was given up. Junior designated hitter Clayton Eslick batted in two teammates, while Gonzales played first and drove in two runs as well.

After a long and condensed weekend of baseball, GU was set to face Lamar again Saturday evening. The Bulldogs gave up an early lead, but fought back to tie the game. After 12 innings of baseball it was Halcomb who brought home the winning run in the 6-5 victory. Tyler Olson started on the mound and through six and a third innings recorded, what do you know, seven K’s. Gonzales brought his offense for the second straight game collecting two more RBI’s for Gonzaga.

It was a weekend of winning for the Bulldogs. It is pretty impressive at how successful the Zags were this weekend all around the nation. Let the victorious attitude prevail in the next week as basketball heads to Vegas for the conference tournament and the baseball team returns to Texas for three games in San Antonio.

There are seven NCAA Division I schools that have both their men’s and women’s teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. Gonzaga is one of them.

After losing to St. Mary’s on January 12^th, the men dropped out of the rankings, but have finally returned this week at No. 24. The Zags have rallied together four straight wins to rank among the elite teams in the nation.

The women continue to climb the polls as they remain tied with BYU at the top of the WCC and earned a spot at No. 20 in the AP standings. BYU sits at 22 in the polls. The two teams face off on February 9^th in Provo for the first time this season to potentially determine the conference leader.

Both the men’s and women’s teams have several similarities in their success this season. Each team has a 17-3 record for the season and one conference loss to St. Mary’s. The talent level on both teams is very broad and there isn’t one superstar that really controls the game like both programs have had in the past.

However, the height and depth in the post position, along with very gifted guards, has enabled both teams to grab victories on the court.

Kayla Standish, Kelly Bowen, and Katelan Redmon are the Big Three for the ladies, as they are all over six feet tall. Freshman Sunny Greinacher stands atop all of them at 6’4” and brings great height off the bench.

The guys have a similar situation, with Elias Harris, Rob Sacre, and Sam Dower bringing size and experience to the post. Ryan Spangler is the freshman coming off the bench and producing good minutes.

The men's basketball team

The Lady Zags

At guard for the women, Haiden Palmer, Taelor Karr, and Jazmine Redmon have contributed in various roles with much success. Two first year Zags (Palmer and Karr both transferred) and a sophomore make up the trio who rotate constantly throughout the game. Both Karr and Palmer are shooting very well from the perimeter.

On the men’s side, Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell Jr., and David Stockton share the most minutes on the court for the one and two positions. Pangos and Bell are first year players at GU and Stockton is a sophomore. Bell Jr. and Pangos are also incredible three point shooters.

It is interesting to see the parallels between the two squads. They are both very talented teams with a diverse array of players in various positions. Look out for both the men and women to make a run come March.

Several colleges around the nation have the duplicate mascots. It is not often that opponents face each other with the same one however; and it is even rarer that the men’s and women’s teams face different schools and all four teams are the Bulldogs.

With the same nickname for all four teams, it may be a curious question as to who the top dogs are. Well, the answer is clear—the Gonzaga Bulldogs are the best in the nation.

Monday night Gonzaga’s ladies played the Georgia Bulldogs in Vegas at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. It was the No. 12 Georgia team that controlled the majority of the game, leading by 10-15 points throughout.

With less than five minutes to go, the Zags began to fight a little harder and close the gap—at the 4:55 mark it was an eight point game. It was a crazy final stretch, and with three seconds left on the clock, Haiden Palmer nailed a three pointer to seal a 71-68 win for Gonzaga.

It was an epic comeback of the underdog—literally. The Lady Zags were ranked 25^th in the polls. Georgia continues to be a dominant presence in the women’s college basketball scene; Gonzaga has only recently emerged as a nationally recognized program.

Lots of Bulldogs, but only one school is the best

Tuesday night, more Bulldogs battling continued as it was a highly touted contest even before tipoff. National runner up for the past two seasons, Butler, travelled to Spokane to take on GU in the Kennel. The story line of Gonzaga and Butler is very similar.

The two teams broke into the NCAA tournament as unsuspecting mid-major basketball programs and developed into national powers through their consistent dominance. Their head coaches are extremely well-known and reputable in the world of NCAA athletics. Mark few has a .792 winning percentage at Gonzaga in 12 years at the helm, while the young Brad Stevens has accumulated a .797 success rate at Butler as the leader over the past five years.

Both teams have been considered Cinderella stories; rising up against the major powers in college basketball and beating them. When Butler entered the MAC Tuesday, it was a fight for top dog. Which Bulldog, mid-major program would emerge as the best in the country this year? Butler’s recent trips to the NCAA title have made them the superior team at the Big Dance, but Gonzaga has been a power for a much longer time.

The Zags held and edge of roughly ten points for most of the 40 minutes. Butler made a few surges to close it within single digits, but in the end, Gonzaga sealed a 71-55 win.

As a team, GU rallied for nine three pointers. Kevin Pangos produced one of his best games in a while, contributing 19 points. Elias Harris had his second game in a row with a dominating performance, scoring 19 as well. Both Pangos and Harris had three treys as the team shot 50% from behind the arc.

No other Zag reached double digit scoring figures. Harris tallied a team high nine rebounds—demonstrating the lack of presence the big guys are having inside; granted Gonzaga did a lot of successful shooting from the perimeter.

After the past two nights, it is obvious Gonzaga basketball doesn’t need rankings or past NCAA tournament wins to determine the best Bulldog squad around, because the Zags men’s and women’s programs proved they are the top Bulldogs this year.

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team has played three games in the last week, none of which were blowouts—a nice change from the big wins they had experienced earlier this season.

Against the local rival Washington State, the Cougars used their home court to keep the game close and the Zags barely squeaked out a 71-69 win.

Two days later the ladies travelled to Southern California for a matchup against Cal State Fullerton. While the Bulldogs took care of business, the 13 point victory was not an easy won.  CSUF kept it close throughout the game, allowing the Zags to only pull away in the final minutes to capture a 73-60 win.

Then just with one day rest, the Bulldogs hosted another PAC-12 school in USC. The Trojans are good, and took advantage of GU playing several games close together. It was back and forth the entire time, and in the end, the University of Southern California edged Gonzaga 58-51.

The Zags not only had some tougher competition over the last seven days, but they were not as efficient or high scoring as their past games demonstrated. In the prior five games to this three match stint, the only contest in which the Bulldogs did not tally at least 80 points was in their loss to Stanford. In this three game stretch, not once did GU score 75 points.

Hopefully this week was just a bump in the road for the ladies as they face local competition again at home in Eastern Washington Friday evening.