Gonzaga women's basketball team enters March Madness with near-perfect record
SEATTLE - On Feb. 29, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team polished off their first undefeated conference season in 13 years.
"It’s been a surreal year, honestly. I’ve never been a part of a team like this where we’re all this close, and we all have so much joy for other people’s success," said guard Brynna Maxwell.
With more wins than any other team in the country, 29-2 is a Gonzaga women’s basketball program record in the regular season.
They can shoot it — third in the country in three-point percentage. And they can share it.
"You know, we’ve had unselfish groups. I don’t know if we’ve had any group that’s more unselfish than this group," remarked head coach Lisa Fortier.
"We are trying to be the most connected team in America," said Maxwell. "That was our goal from the start of the season."
The Bulldogs are third in the country, averaging 20 assists per game. Brynna Maxwell is their second-leading scorer. In 2022, the Gig Harbor native transferred from Utah to Gonzaga. It feels like home because, for part of her family, it is home.
"My grandma lives right down the street, she’s been a Gonzaga fan longer than I’ve been alive. My whole mom’s side of the family lives right by Whitworth, they’re a 20-minute drive away. My grandma comes to every single game, my parents have not missed one game this entire season," said Maxwell. "You know, you're never get too old to be excited to see your parents cheering you on."
The grad student is one of the best five sharpshooters in the nation, draining three-pointers at a 45% clip, and making one in every game this season. Her coach now, Lisa Fortier, would’ve loved to be her coach out of high school, but the second time around is the charm.
"We usually end up with the right ones. Sometimes you end up with them early on, and sometimes you end up with them a little bit later," said Fortier. "But you know, I’m obviously very happy that she ended up here, I think she is, too. She’s a really cool person who has a lot of depth to her."
"I’m kind of grateful I went through the transfer process, as hard as it was, just because it gave me a lot more grace toward people who have transferred. I used to be like ‘Why are people leaving, why aren’t you loyal?’ But you only get four or five years to play college basketball, and you’ve got to make the most of it," said Maxwell. "There are a lot of opinions on the transfer portal, but I think especially right now, when there’s a whole extra class of basketball players and not enough scholarships because of [the extra COVID season], it’s so critical to find that right team. I’m just blessed to have found another home in Gonzaga."
The Zags beat their WCC opponents by an average of 30.7 points this season, another program record. They also have wins over third-ranked Stanford, Arizona, and Alabama.
This 2023-24 team has a chance to go deeper in the NCAA tournament than the Gonzaga women have ever gone — which is the Elite Eight in 2011, behind Kent-native Courtney Vandersloot. The WCC conference tournament starts Thursday, March 7.