2023–24 Gonzaga Bulldogs women's basketball team

2023–24 Gonzaga Bulldogs women's basketball
WCC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	West Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 13
AP	No. 14
Record	32–4 (16–0 WCC)
Head coach	Lisa Fortier (10th season)
Assistant coaches	Jordan Green Stacy Clinesmith Craig Fortier
Home arena	McCarthey Athletic Center

2023–24 West Coast Conference women's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 14 Gonzaga	16	–	0		1.000			32	–	4		.889
Santa Clara	12	–	4		.750			25	–	9		.735
Portland †	10	–	6		.625			21	–	13		.618
San Francisco	10	–	6		.625			14	–	16		.467
Pacific	8	–	8		.500			18	–	15		.545
Saint Mary's	6	–	10		.375			13	–	18		.419
Loyola Marymount	5	–	11		.313			11	–	19		.367
San Diego	4	–	12		.250			9	–	22		.290
Pepperdine	1	–	15		.063			5	–	25		.167
† 2024 WCC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2023–24 Gonzaga Bulldogs women's basketball team represented Gonzaga University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bulldogs (also informally referred to as the "Zags"), were members of the West Coast Conference. The Bulldogs, led by tenth year head coach Lisa Fortier, played their home games at the McCarthey Athletic Center on the university campus in Spokane, Washington.

Previous season

Main article: 2022–23 Gonzaga Bulldogs women's basketball team

The Bulldogs finished the season at 28–5 and 17–1 in WCC play to win the WCC regular season championship. They advanced to the WCC women's tournament championship game where they lost to Portland. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Women's Tournament as a 9th seed in Seattle region 4 where they lost in the first round to Ole Miss.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Due to COVID-19 disruptions throughout NCAA sports in 2020–21, the NCAA announced that the 2020–21 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any individual involved in an NCAA winter sport, including women's basketball. This meant that all seniors in 2020–21 had the option to return for 2021–22.

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Reason left
Giana Riley	2	G	5'8"	Freshman	Manteca, CA	Resume back to Gonzaga Bulldogs WSOC[2]
McKayla Williams	24	G	6'1"	Junior	Los Angeles, CA	Transferred to California[3]

Recruiting

There was no recruiting class of 2023.

Roster

2023–24 Gonzaga Bulldogs women's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Esther Little 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS Jr Ipswich Basketball Academy Ipswich, England F 1 Destiny Burton 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Sr Mansfield Timberview Panola College Wichita, KS F 3 Payton Muma 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) RS So Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch, CO G 4 Claire O'Connor 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr Lakeside Bellevue, WA G 5 Maud Huijbens 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Jr N/A Syracuse Hilversum, Netherlands F 10 Calli Stokes 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) RS So Redondo Redondo Beach, CA G 11 Kayleigh Truong 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) GS Jersey Village Houston, TX F 12 Eliza Hollingsworth 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS Sr St Leonard's College Melbourne, Australia F 13 Naya Ojukwu 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) RS Fr Mountain View Meridian, ID G 14 Kaylynne Truong 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) GS Jersey Village Houston, TX F 15 Yvonne Ejim 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Sr Edge School Calgary, AB G 22 Brynna Maxwell 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) GS Gig Harbor Utah Gig Harbor, WA F 31 Ella Hopkins 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Fr Lourdes Rochester, MN G 35 Bree Salenbien 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS So Lenawee Christian Adrian, MI	Head coach Lisa Fortier (Cal State Monterey Bay) Assistant coach(es) Jordan Green (George Fox) Stacy Clinesmith (UC Santa Barbara) Craig Fortier (Cal State Monterey Bay) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

[4]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2023* 6:00 p.m.		Warner Pacific	W 95–32		–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023* 6:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+		at Montana	W 83–70	1–0	19 – Kayly. Truong	9 – Hollingsworth	6 – Kayly. Truong	Dahlberg Arena (2,603) Missoula, MT
November 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m.		at No. 24 Washington State	L 72–77 ^OT	1–1	22 – Kayly. Truong	7 – Hollingsworth	6 – Kayly. Truong	Beasley Coliseum (1,587) Pullman, WA
November 12, 2023* 2:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+		Toledo	W 91–70	2–1	22 – Ejim	11 – Hollingsworth	4 – Tied	McCarthey Athletic Center (4,843) Spokane, WA
November 15, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		North Florida	W 83–55	3–1	21 – Kayle. Truong	8 – Ejim	8 – Kayly. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (4,845) Spokane, WA
November 18, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Wyoming	W 80–64	4–1	18 – Kayle. Truong	10 – Ejim	8 – Kayly. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,059) Spokane, WA
November 24, 2023* 11:15 a.m., ESPN+		vs. Liberty Betty Chancellor Classic	W 102–59	5–1	25 – Kayle. Truong	8 – Ejim	8 – Kayly. Truong	Merrell Center (215) Katy, TX
November 25, 2023* 11:15 a.m., ESPN+		vs. Alabama Betty Chancellor Classic	W 68–58	6–1	23 – Ejim	8 – Tied	7 – Kayle. Truong	Merrell Center (530) Katy, TX
November 26, 2023* 10:45 a.m., ESPN+		vs. No. 20 Louisville Betty Chancellor Classic	L 70–81	6–2	23 – Ejim	7 – Ejim	7 – Kayle. Truong	Merrell Center  Katy, TX
November 29, 2023* 6:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+		at Eastern Washington	W 82–80	7–2	23 – Ejim	14 – Hollingsworth	8 – Kayly. Truong	Reese Court (1,378) Cheney, WA
December 3, 2023* 1:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+		No. 3 Stanford	W 96–78	8–2	27 – Ejim	12 – Ejim	7 – Kayle. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
December 7, 2023* 7:00 p.m., P12N	No. 23	at California	W 78–70 ^OT	9–2	21 – Ejim	9 – Tied	12 – Kayly. Truong	Haas Pavilion (1,109) Berkeley, CA
December 9, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 23	at Rice	W 80–72	10–2	21 – Hollingsworth	10 – Ejim	5 – Kayle. Truong	Tudor Fieldhouse (1,367) Houston, TX
December 17, 2023* 2:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+	No. 21	South Dakota State	W 83–58	11–2	17 – Hollingsworth	12 – Hollingsworth	6 – Kayle. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,120) Spokane, WA
December 20, 2023* 1:30 p.m., P12N	No. 20	vs. Arizona Jerry Colangelo Classic	W 81–69	12–2	27 – Ejim	11 – Hollingsworth	6 – Kayly. Truong	Footprint Center  Phoenix, AZ
December 22, 2023* 1:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+	No. 20	New Mexico	W 67–56	13–2	22 – Ejim	6 – Huijbens	7 – Kayly. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,241) Spokane, WA
WCC regular season
January 4, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 18	at Portland	W 74–53	14–2 (1–0)	21 – Maxwell	11 – Hollingsworth	4 – Maxwell	Chiles Center (1,503) Portland, OR
January 11, 2024 6:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+	No. 16	Santa Clara	W 87–49	15–2 (2–0)	19 – Ejim	7 – Hollingsworth	4 – Tied	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,155) Spokane, WA
January 13, 2024 2:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+	No. 16	San Diego	W 85–67	16–2 (3–0)	25 – Ejim	10 – Ejim	7 – Kayle. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,303) Spokane, WA
January 18, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 17	at Loyola Marymount	W 72–48	17–2 (4–0)	24 – Ejim	12 – Ejim	10 – Kayly. Truong	Gersten Pavilion (356) Los Angeles, CA
January 20, 2024 2:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+	No. 17	Saint Mary's	W 89–60	18–2 (5–0)	25 – Kayly. Truong	9 – Hollingsworth	6 – Kayly. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,439) Spokane, WA
January 25, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 17	at Santa Clara	W 82–45	19–2 (6–0)	19 – Ejim	13 – Ejim	6 – Kayle. Truong	Leavey Center (337) Santa Clara, CA
January 27, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 17	at San Francisco	W 73–54	20–2 (7–0)	21 – Ejim	13 – Ejim	6 – Kayly. Truong	War Memorial Gymnasium  San Francisco, CA
February 1, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 19	at San Diego	W 80–52	21–2 (8–0)	19 – Maxwell	8 – Tied	12 – Kayly. Truong	Jenny Craig Pavilion (334) San Diego, CA
February 3, 2024 2:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+	No. 19	Pacific	W 104–39	22–2 (9–0)	21 – Ejim	11 – Ejim	9 – Kayly. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,633) Spokane, WA
February 8, 2024 6:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+	No. 19	Pepperdine	W 83–46	23–2 (10–0)	19 – Kayly. Truong	8 – Hollingsworth	3 – Tied	McCarthey Athletic Center (4,921) Spokane, WA
February 10, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 19	Loyola Marymount	W 71–47	24–2 (11–0)	13 – Kayly. Truong	7 – Stokes	8 – Kayly. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,442) Spokane, WA
February 15, 2024 4:30 p.m., ESPN+	No. 17	at Saint Mary's	W 96–68	25–2 (12–0)	20 – Tied	10 – Ejim	4 – Tied	University Credit Union Pavilion (441) Moraga, CA
February 17, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 17	at Pacific	W 91–78	26–2 (13–0)	28 – Ejim	9 – Tied	10 – Kayle. Truong	Alex G. Spanos Center (1,183) Stockton, CA
February 22, 2024 6:00 p.m., SWX/ESPN+	No. 16	San Francisco	W 74–48	27–2 (14–0)	20 – Ejim	6 – Tied	5 – Tied	McCarthey Athletic Center (5,415) Spokane, WA
February 24, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 16	at Pepperdine	W 75–41	28–2 (15–0)	18 – Maxwell	11 – Ejim	6 – Kayly. Truong	Firestone Fieldhouse (103) Malibu, CA
February 28, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 16	Portland	W 90–40	29–2 (16–0)	19 – Maxwell	10 – Hollingsworth	6 – Kayly. Truong	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
WCC women's tournament
March 11, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN+	(1) No. 14	vs. (5) Pacific Semifinals	W 72–61	30–2	20 – Hollingsworth	13 – Ejim	7 – Kayly. Truong	Orleans Arena  Paradise, NV
March 12, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPNU	(1) No. 14	vs. (3) Portland Championship	L 66–67	30–3	17 – Ejim	11 – Tied	5 – Kayle. Truong	Orleans Arena (2,594) Paradise, NV
NCAA Women's Tournament
March 23, 2024* 4:30 p.m., ESPN2	(4 P4) No. 16	(13 P4) UC Irvine First round	W 75–56	31–3	25 – Ejim	14 – Ejim	5 – Tied	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
March 25, 2024* 7:30 p.m., ESPN2	(4 P4) No. 16	(5 P4) No. 21 Utah Second round	W 77–66	32–3	21 – Kayle. Truong	13 – Ejim	5 – Tied	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
March 29, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN	(4 P4) No. 16	vs. (1 P4) No. 4 Texas Sweet Sixteen	L 47–69	32–4	14 – Ejim	5 – Tied	4 – Kayly. Truong	Moda Center (10,104) Portland, OR
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. P4=Portland 4. All times are in Pacific Time Zone.

Rankings

See also: 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	RV	—	—	RV	23	21	20	20	18	16	17	17	19	19	17	16	16	15	14	16	14
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	21	20	20	19	17	17	17	17	16	16	15	13	13	12	13	13

See also

• 2023–24 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

References

1. "Ole Miss women's basketball crushes Gonzaga, sets up March Madness clash with Stanford". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
2. "Gonzaga Women's Soccer Forward Giana Riley Stepped Up To Help WBB Team Last Season". NonStop Local KHQ. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
3. Curtis, Jake. "Cal Women's Basketball: Bears Add Gonzaga Transfer McKayla Williams". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
4. "2023–24 Women's Basketball Schedule - Gonzaga University Official Athletic Site - Women's Basketball". Gozags.com.