Basketball makes WCC run

USD women’s basketball advances to WCC final, but loses to Gonzaga

Anderson Haigler | Sports Editor | The USD Vista

Following the Toreros’ final home game of the season, the University of San Diego’s women’s basketball head coach Cindy Fisher placed an emphasis on success in the West Coast Conference (WCC) Championship. 

“It’s just about getting better every game we can until that conference tournament gets here and then going in there to win that thing,” Fisher said. 

Three weeks later, USD found themselves right where Fisher said they would be — playing the championship game of the WCC tournament. Tuesday, they took on top seed Gonzaga University at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Toreros battled to the end of their championship game against the Bulldogs, but in the end, Gonzaga won.

The Toreros got off to a hot start against the Bulldogs, hitting seven of their first 11 shots  early before getting out to a 25-20 lead to end the first quarter. Senior forward Sydney Williams got USD started on offense with nine points. Sixth-year Maya Hood also grabbed four rebounds to open the game. 

As the second quarter of play went on, Williams stepped up for the Toreros, scoring seven of her team-high 23 points as the Toreros marched closer to halftime. However, the Toreros were unable to hold onto their lead.  After eight points from Gonzaga forward Jill Barta, as well as a 13-0 run on offense, the Bulldogs came back to take a 37-30 lead. 

USD was able to climb their way back into a 40-39 lead following a 7-0 run, but they wouldn’t be able to maintain it.

Going into halftime, the Bulldogs led 45-40. Following halftime, Gonzaga only extended their lead. Poor shooting in the third quarter led to the Toreros having a four-and-a-half-minute scoring drought, which brought the score to 61-50 in favor of the Bulldogs going into the final quarter of play.

As the time ticked away on what may have been USD’s final game of the season, the Toreros were unable to close the deficit. Though they would pull within six points following a layup from redshirt senior forward Alexandria Young with 25 seconds to play, the Bulldogs finished strong, and won the game, 79-71.

Head coach Cindy Fisher said that Gonzaga’s Jill Barta and her performance in the game contributed to their loss. Barta scored 32 total points in the game.

“For us, you know, we had a little bit of time there that we let Barta get away from us, unfortunately,” Fisher said. “And (Zykera) Rice hit some big shots that we were able to keep at bay during (the Toreros’ previous game against Gonzaga), and they hit those shots tonight.”

Following the game, Hood, who concluded with 23 points and 11 rebounds, was named to the All-WCC Tournament Team. Coach Fisher spoke about Hood’s performance in what may have been her last game in a Toreros uniform. 

“(Maya Hood) has meant so much to this program,” Fisher said. “I mean, Maya Hood is just a soldier. She is a warrior that keeps fighting, keeps fighting. I’m very, very proud and glad that they acknowledged her on that all-tournament team, because she truly is a warrior, and she is everything that USD basketball stands for.”

Hood described the Toreros’ loss following the game.

“I think that we started off the game really strong,” Hood said. “And in that second quarter we just had a little bit of a lapse. They got a lot of confidence, we became a little more timid, not really shooting with confidence, and obviously not really rebounding as well, giving our shooters more confidence to keep shooting. So, I think that was one of the biggest things, and we got ourselves in a little too much of a hole in there, and then just Jill Barta really got away from us like Coach Fisher just said.”

Hood, a veteran and leader on the team, said that she was proud of the way her team fought at the end of the game. 

“At the end we had a really, really great fight,” Hood said. “If we had a little more time I think that we definitely would’ve came back and got right back in that game. But I’m really, really proud of this team.”

The Toreros began WCC Championship play with a game last Thursday against three seed Brigham Young University. They came into the game looking to continue their momentum against the Cougars, as they had won their last matchup 66-60. Redshirt junior forward Caroline Buhr got the scoring started early for USD, scoring six of her 15 total points in the first period of play. The game began like it would finish — close. Both teams battled back and forth in the first period, ending up with a score of 13-13 as it wound down. The second period saw USD take a one-point, 26-25 lead over BYU, behind three rebounds and five points from redshirt senior forward Alexandria Young. 

As the Toreros returned from halftime, their offense came alive. Six points from senior guard Aubrey Ward-El and senior forward Sydney Williams extended the USD lead to 48-40 as they entered the third period, tying their largest lead of the game. That lead, however, would not hold up for USD. As the final 10 minutes of the contest ticked away, the Cougars brought the score to 50-49. The game stayed close into the last two minutes of the game, and with a minute to play the score was 56-53 in favor of the Toreros. With just 24 seconds remaining in the game, forward Maya Hood put the Cougars away for good. 

The sixth-year veteran drained a jump shot to put the Toreros up 58-53 and the game out of reach for BYU. Free throws by Buhr and junior guard Alexandra Hagen in the final seconds brought the game to a final score of 61-56. The victory over the Cougars avenged USD’s 76-66 overtime loss against BYU just a year earlier in the conference tournament, as well as earning USD a season sweep of BYU. 

Following their first-round win, the Toreros enjoyed four days off before they took on seven seed University of the Pacific. Unlike their games against BYU, USD lost both matchups against Pacific during the regular season. That, however, didn’t appear to matter to the Toreros this past Monday afternoon. Sydney Williams led the way for USD early on, posting six points in the first period leading the Toreros on a 12-2 run to open the game. Caroline Buhr and Aubrey Ward-El also chipped in with four rebounds each. USD quickly jumped out to a 14-6 lead by the end of the first period. Pacific bounced back in the second period, however, sending the game to halftime with a score of 29-28 Toreros. Following halftime,  Williams took charge on offense once again, posting 10 of her 20 total points in the third period of play. By the beginning of the fourth period, USD had extended their lead back to a 10-point margin with a score of 56-46. Once again the Toreros would have to turn to their defense to attempt to preserve their lead. With 4:55 left to play in the game, the Tigers cut USD’s lead to just five points, making it a 58-53 game. True to form, though, they were able to hang on for a 66-56 lead, finishing on a 7-3 run.  Coach Fisher said she was happy with how her team performed, especially the veteran leaders. 

“I’m just very, very happy for this team,” Fisher said. “I’m happy for all five of our seniors who have put so much time and effort into this program. It’s been a really, really special tournament for us, and I’m just really proud of them, so I’m looking forward to (the game against Gonzaga).”

Though the Toreros came up short in the final round of the tournament, they recorded two impressive wins to begin it. As USD was the number six seed in the tournament, their run deep into the bracket represented an impressive step for the program.  Their appearance in the WCC Championship against Gonzaga was the fourth in program history, and the team’s first since 2013, when they also lost to the Bulldogs. Next season, the Toreros will return 10 players. According to Fisher, a run like the one they just made will have a positive impact on both those players, and the program itself. 

“When you make a run like this, the culture that it brings, the feeling that it brings, the chemistry that it brings to your team — all of those young players now know what it feels like to make it to a championship game,” Fisher said. 

Fisher also stated that she will be excited to get injured sophomore players Kat Olczak and Madison Pollock back for next season.

“You get those two kids healthy and you get us back with the experience that the young ones have and I think that we will be right there again next year,” Fisher said.

For now, the Toreros can only wait and hope for an invite to a postseason tournament as the week continues.