Ejim scores 28, No. 17 Gonzaga women win 20th straight, top Pacific 91-78 to clinch WCC title

Updated Feb. 17, 2024 7:26 p.m. ET

Associated Press

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Yvonne Ejim scored 13 of her season-high 28 points in the decisive third quarter and No. 17 Gonzaga won it's 20th-straight game and eighth-straight West Coast Conference title with a 91-78 victory over Pacific on Saturday.

The Bulldogs, two weeks after taking a 53-23 halftime lead en route to a record-breaking win over the Tigers, trailed by one at the break. Behind Ejim, the Zags outscored Pacific 30-14 in the third quarter. Gonzaga made 5 of 7 3-pointers and 12 of 18 overall while Pacific was 6 of 17.

The Bulldogs, who set program records of 19 3-pointers and a 65-point margin of victory over a Division 1 opponent in the first meeting, were 13 of 30 from distance and shot 52% overall (33 of 64) in their closest conference game of the season.

Kaylynne Truong made five 3-pointers and scored 15 points for the Bulldogs (26-2, 13-0), who are one win shy of the program's longest winning streak. Kayleigh Truong and Eliza Hollingsworth both added 12 points and Brynna Maxwell had 10. Ejim and Hollingsworth both had nine rebounds, Kayleigh Truong had 10 assists and Maxwell had a 3-pointer, giving her at least one in every game this season.

Elizabeth Elliott made all six of her field goals and scored 14 points to lead Pacific (14-11, 6-6), which has lost 15-straight in the series. Anaya James added 13 points with nine assists, Kadie Deaton had 12 points, Liz Smith 11 and Cecilia Holmberg 10.

When Pacific lost 104-39 at Gonzaga, reserve Lauren Glazier led the Tigers with 10 points. Pacific, which shot 26% (17 of 65) in the first meeting, went 11 of 14, making both 3’s, and led 27-21 after one quarter and finished the game at 52% (31 of 60).

Gonzaga shot 50% in the first half but Pacific shot 60% (18 of 30) and led 46-45 at the break. The Tigers went past their total from the first game with two minutes left in the first half when Smith's layup made it 41-35.

Elliott's layup coming out of halftime made it 48-45 for the Tigers, but Kaylynne Truong promptly hit a 3 that started a 17-0 run in just 3 1/2 minutes with Ejim scoring nine.

San Francisco is at Gonzaga on Thursday. The Bulldogs have the second-longest home winning streak at 32.

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