WHAT A SEASON

FOR GONZAGA W0MEN’S BASKETBALL

The 2022-23 Gonzaga women’s basketball season was one to remember. The team had its ups and downs like any other year, but this time it just felt special.

The season started off with a bang. The Zags went to compete in a loaded Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas after starting the season 3-0.

In an overtime thriller, Gonzaga defeated No. 6 Louisville 79-67. It marked the highest-ranked win in Gonzaga women’s basketball history. The win came with a tough loss though, as starting point guard Kayleigh Truong sustained an injury in her foot. At the time, the team didn’t know the extent of it and she had to sit out the next game versus Marquette. In another backand-forth battle, the Bulldogs came up just short against Marquette, 70-66, the next day, without Truong.

Twenty-four hours later, Gonzaga played ranked Tennessee with Kayleigh Truong just being able to contribute six minutes.

The Zags won the game, 73-72, to secure third place in the Bahamas and its first win over the Lady Vols in Gonzaga women’s basketball history.

But the win came at another great cost. The team then went on to find out that Kayleigh Truong was out for 12 weeks with a torn ligament in her foot. Maud Huijbens, the first player off the bench, was concussed and ended up being out until Feb. 16. Then other injuries and sickness plagued the team, to the point that the Zags could only suit up seven players at No. 2 Stanford.

In most cases, having your starting point guard out and only seven, or eight, or nine players available to play would take a team down. But not this one.

The team finished 28-5 overall despite all the adversities and were crowned the 2022-2023 WCC Regular Season Champions for the seventh time in head coach Lisa Fortier’s nine seasons at the helm and 18th title overall. The team finished the season undefeated at home with a perfect 15-0 record and had a sold-out crowd to watch Courtney

Vandersloot’s jersey be recognized. Lisa Fortier was named the WCC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in her career along with being named a Naismith Coach of the Year Finalist. As a team, the Bulldogs made their sixth-straight NCAA Tournament Appearance and was ranked as high as No. 15 in the AP Poll.

Kaylynne Truong stepped up to be the leader of the team and ended up being named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. She now holds the record for the most made three-pointers in a season with 94 and she was tabbed with AP AllAmerican honors. Yvonne Ejim led the team with 16.8 points and eight rebounds a game. She was given All-WCC First Team honors and was named a Becky Hammon Player of the Year finalist for her efforts.

And the best part of it all could arguably be that all seniors decided to come back to Gonzaga, and we get to do it all over again next season.