SPOKANE, Wash. — Lauren Whittaker scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Allie Turner added 25 points, and the Gonzaga women’s basketball team caught fire late to pull away from San Francisco on Thursday night for an 82-69 win.
Whittaker, the West Coast Conference’s leading scorer and rebounder, recorded her 10th double-double of the season — and her fourth straight — while going 10 of 13 from the field, 3 of 3 from beyond the arc and 3 of 3 from the free throw line. The performance marked her 15th consecutive game scoring in double figures.
Turner turned in the most well-rounded performance of her Gonzaga career. She scored a career-high 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and added five rebounds and five assists.
The duo accounted for 62% of Gonzaga’s scoring.
Despite the 13-point margin, the game was far from comfortable for the Zags. San Francisco trailed by just three points entering the fourth quarter and took a one-point lead with six minutes remaining.
Whittaker and Turner then combined for 14 points over the final 5 minutes, 40 seconds to lift Gonzaga to its seventh win in its last eight games.
Gonzaga shot 54% from the field and 55% from 3-point range but committed 19 turnovers, which led to 19 San Francisco points. The Zags improved to 13-6 overall and 5-1 in WCC play, good for third place in the conference standings.
The Dons, led by Candy Edokpaigbe’s 24 points, shot 43% from the field and just 20% from 3-point range in their second straight loss. San Francisco fell to 10-7 overall and 3-3 in WCC play.
Gonzaga returns home Saturday to host San Diego (7-12, 1-5) at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.