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Las Vegas • For the teams that advance, most college basketball tournaments are a test in endurance and stamina.
The West Coast Conference women's basketball tournament is obviously a bit different. Case in point: the journey of coach Jeff Judkins' BYU Cougars.
Having defeated Saint Mary's 65-64 on Thursday in a WCC quarterfinal game, the fifth-seeded Cougars will finally get back on the court Monday afternoon, tangling with top-seeded Gonzaga in a semifinal contest at 1 p.m. MST at Orleans Arena.
Gonzaga advanced by crushing Loyola Marymount 70-50 on Friday afternoon.
Because the Zags (24-6) are much deeper than the Cougars (21-9), Judkins says the long break is welcomed by his team, which has been riddled with injuries.
"They are deeper, so to have more rest and be able to prepare for it is a better opportunity for us," Judkins said.
Gonzaga swept BYU in the regular season, winning easily in Spokane, 78-62, and holding off a late Cougar rally in Provo, 73-66. The Zags will have a huge advantage inside with senior forward Sunny Greinacher and junior center Shelby Cheslek.
"They are going to go high-low, and try to pound it inside with their height," Judkins said. "We are going to try to do a good job changing defenses on them and taking them out of sync."
BYU has struggled to match its opponents' height and rebounding since scrappy senior Ashley Garfield suffered a season-ending ACL injury in mid-January. Compounding Judkins' problems is the fact that Morgan Bailey, the WCC Player of the Year, is playing through a variety of injuries.
In Thursday's win, Bailey was 2-for-11 from the field, but still grabbed nine rebounds in 33 minutes.
Lexi Eaton, an all-conference pick, had to take over down the stretch, and she did.
The junior said she is eager to make amends for a subpar performance in the loss to the Zags on Feb. 28. Gonzaga unleashed a wicked press to force some quick turnovers and pull ahead.
"We can't get out of rhythm, or get flustered," Eaton said. "I think that's what they did with their press; they kind of turned up the intensity and the pressure. We can't get rattled and we have to realize the games are up and down, and we just have to shorten their runs."
The Cougars got a big lift Thursday from Cassie Broadhead, a freshman from Glenville, N.Y. Broadhead had 10 points off the bench, including a four-point play.
"I think we just have to play our game, play tough, physical, just how we know how," Broadhead said. "We know we can beat them if we just play our game, if we are just patient and take what their defense gives to us. We have a great shot."
The Cougars probably need to win the WCC Tournament to make the NCAA field, adding to their sense of urgency.
"We know that these are must-wins for us," Eaton said. "But that's how you should play, anyways, so we are ready to come out, play tough, and just leave it all out there."
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU vs. Gonzaga
P WCC semifinal game
At the Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
Tipoff • Monday, 1 p.m. MDT
TV • BYUtv
Radio • None
Records • BYU 21-9, Gonzaga 24-6
Series history • Gonzaga leads, 11-6
Last meeting • Gonzaga 73, BYU 66 (Feb. 28, 2015)
About the Bulldogs • They advanced to the semifinals with a 70-50 win over Loyola Marymount on Friday. … They are 9-2 this season in games decided by 10 points or fewer. … They are 21-0 when they score at least 70 points.
About the Cougars • They advanced to the semifinals with a 65-64 win over Saint Mary's when Lexi Eaton made a baseline jumper with two seconds remaining. … Eaton had 30 points against the Gaels, but the only other player in double figures was Cassie Broadhead, who added 10.