LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hayden Mispley, the brother of Gonzaga women's basketball coach Lisa Fortier, died Wednesday of complications from muscular dystrophy, the school said in a statement.
Fortier had been with her brother since Tuesday when she left the bench in the fourth quarter of the Zags' loss to BYU in the West Coast Conference championship game. She remained in Las Vegas while the rest of the team flew back to Spokane on Wednesday.
Gonzaga's athletic director Mike Roth pulled the coach from a huddle and a few seconds later, she sprinted out a back tunnel to a car waiting in the parking lot. Roth said after the game Tuesday that school athletic officials had been made aware of the medical situation before the game started.
The Zags lost to BYU 82-68. Gonzaga was missing guards Laura Stockton and Jill Townsend, who suffered leg injuries in the team's semifinal win over Saint Mary's on Monday.
Gonzaga will find out its NCAA Tournament seed Monday.
