Well, this article is far overdue, but I want to take some time to discuss and celebrate the 23-24’ season the Women completed this past March.
By all accounts, this was one of the best teams the Zags have fielded in their 37 years of existence as the team achieved the highest NCAA Tournament seed (#4) while also setting a record with school’s highest win total (32). Looking beyond those impressive feats, this squad finished with the second lowest defeats (4), second highest points per game (80.0), and second highest position in the final AP Poll (14th).
While they couldn’t surpass the 10-11’ team that reached the Elite 8 (and also leads the school history with the most points per game at 85.3), I’m extremely proud of how this team performed across the season and I hope that all involved in this success will remember their time with fond memories.
When thinking about the possible moments that can encapsulate this season, I feel that there are too many to include, but I want to include my favorites. Please hit the comments below and share your favorite memories.
Zags Celebrate with the Crowd
Surreal scene here in the Kennel as the Zag women go into the crowd to celebrate with their fans! WOW! The Zags are headed to the Sweet 16!!! pic.twitter.com/jdn8QguVl4
— Andrew Quinn (@andrewquinny) March 26, 2024
This. This is pure beauty. I wasn’t even there, but watching this live still fills me with chills. Gonzaga Basketball strikes me as truly unique across the college landscape with how the players bond together to become more than just teammates and how a lot of players truly connect with the community that loves them. This moment almost perfectly encapsulates these traits.
Taking Down the Cardinal
While some might put an asterisk on this win because of star forward Cameron Brink only playing 10 minutes, I am not one of those people. I highlighted my reasons in the post-game article after the game so I won’t go into much here, but Gonzaga absolutely wrecked the Cardinal and achieved victory over the program’s highest ranked opponent with Stanford being #3 at that time.
Three Pointers Galore
We can discuss the pros/cons of basketball’s evolution towards favoring the three ball, but in my opinion, a three pointer just has certain spice to it that other baskets can’t quite reach. Whether it be the different celebrations, the possible game changing momentum a made shot can generate, or the beauty of watching someone’s shooting form, I love me a good three pointer. If you feel the same, then you’ll be happy to know that the Bulldogs dropped 336 such shots this year and converted their attempts 39.6% of the time. These numbers ranked as 5th and 2nd in the nation with the former coming in as the highest amount of made three pointers in Gonzaga Women’s Basketball history. Two times this year the Zags exceeded the previous records for three pointers made in a game with 17 drained against Liberty in November and 19 made against Pacific in February, a game which also featured the largest margin of victory over a D1 opponent. Lovely.
What were your favorite moments of this season?
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