In Spokane, Washington, Kayleigh Truong got 21 points, Yvonne Ejim got 17 points and 13 rebounds, and fourth-seeded Gonzaga got to the Sweet 16 for the first time in almost 10 years by defeating No. 5 seed Utah 77-66 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night.
The Zags used a lot of 3-point shooting in the second and third quarters to come back from an early deficit and reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 2015. Gonzaga (32-3) won its 36th consecutive home game and will face top-seeded Texas in the Portland 4 Regional semifinal on Friday in Portland, Oregon.
Gonzaga's players from different positions made valuable contributions. Truong and her twin sister, Kaylynne, were accurate from the 3-point line as the Bulldogs made 12 3-pointers in the first three quarters and had a lead as big as 21.
Kaylynne Truong scored 14 points and Elisa Hollingsworth scored 13. The Bulldogs made 12 of 22 shots from beyond the 3-point line and celebrated with the Kennel Club student section after the win.
Alissa Pili led Utah (23-11) with 35 points, her fifth 30-point game of the season, in her final game for the Utes. Pili scored the first 10 points of the game for the Utes and finished her career with a 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining before sharing a long hug with Utah coach Lynne Roberts.
Utah wanted to return to the regional semifinals after last year when the Utes lost 66-63 to eventual national champion LSU.
Gonzaga was behind by as much as seven early in the second quarter before they started making shots.
Gonzaga made seven of its next eight shots, including five 3-pointers by five different players as part of a 19-3 run. Dasia Young scored on a driving layup with six seconds left in the half to finally end Utah’s drought, but the deficit was 10 at the break.
Gonzaga's good performance continued after halftime. The Bulldogs scored the first 11 points of the second half, including Kaylynne Truong's tough 3-pointer as the shot clock expired and a 3-point play from Hollingsworth to extend the lead to 55-34.
Utah fought back and got within 67-61 with 4:49 left after scoring six consecutive points with Pili's help. But that was as close as the Utes got. Utah missed its next five shots, Gonzaga made five of six free throws and Ejim's rebound basket with 1:50 remaining gave the Bulldogs a 74-61 lead.
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Gonzaga made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2015 season. The Zags were defeated in the second round in 2022 and 2019 and will play in the regional semifinals for the fifth time in school history. Gonzaga lost to Tennessee in overtime in 2015 in coach Lisa Fortier’s first season.
