Kayleigh Truong scored 21 points and Yvonne Ejim racked up 17 points and 13 rebounds as fourth-seeded Gonzaga defeated fifth-seeded Utah 77-66 on Monday in a Women’s NCAA Tournament Portland 4 Region second-round game in Spokane, Wash.
The Bulldogs (32-3) advance to the Sweet 16 where they will face No. 1-seeded Texas on Friday in Portland, Ore. Gonzaga’s 32 wins are an all-time high for the program and it will make its first appearance in a regional semifinal since 2015.
Gonzaga led by 14 heading into the final period but just 67-61 after Utah’s Alissa Pili converted a layup with 4:50 remaining. But the Bulldogs scored the next seven points over the ensuing three minutes and had more than enough to hold on for the victory.
Kaylynne Truong added 14 points and Eliza Hollingsworth had 13 for Gonzaga.
Pili led all scorers with 35 points while Kennady McQueen added 12 off the bench and Dasia Young hit for 11 points for Utah (23-11).
The Bulldogs led 14-10 at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter before Utah ripped off a 13-3 run to end the period, with McQueen hitting a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer in the spurt. The Utes had a 23-17 lead after one period of play.
Gonzaga roared back to the front over the first four minutes of the second quarter, hitting the front when Kayleigh Truong canned a 3-pointer with 6:18 remaining in the period. The Utes scored just eight points in the period, making only three of their 12 shots while Gonzaga went 9-for-12 in the quarter — the result was a 41-31 Bulldogs’ lead at the break.
Pili led all scorers with 15 points before halftime. Kayleigh Truong’s 12 points paced the Bulldogs as Gonzaga outshot the Utes 57.7 percent to 44 percent in the half.
The Bulldogs began the third quarter with 11 consecutive points, going up 52-31 after Hollinsworth’s three-point play with 7:09 to play in the half. Utah fought back to within 62-48 heading into the final period.
–Field Level Media
