SPOKANE — Jill Barta had game highs of 21 points and seven rebounds to help the Gonzaga women’s basketball team to a 75-36 win over Portland at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Thursday.
Barta, the former Fairfield High School star who has made Spokane her second home, filled the stat sheet as the Bulldogs won their 11th consecutive game. They’re now 9-0 in West Coast Conference play after Thursday’s dominant win.
Gonzaga jumped out to a 37-18 halftime lead and poured it on in the third quarter, growing the lead to 58-24 entering the fourth. The Zags limited Portland to just 14-of-59 shooting (23.7 percent), including a 1-for-17 mark from 3-point range. Portland also turned the ball over 19 times compared to just nine turnovers for the Bulldogs.
Barta scored her 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and a 4-of-5 night at the free throw line. She added four assists and block.
Zykera Rice added 13 points and Jessie Loera chipped in 10 for Gonzaga, which finished the game making 30 of 63 field goal attempts. During their 47-16 run that spanned the second and third quarters, the Zags made 18 of 30 field goal attempts, including eight of 15 from behind the arc.
Gonzaga (16-4 overall, 9-0 conference) begins a three-game road trip on Saturday at San Franciso. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. (MT).
