Women's Basketball | 11/6/2010 6:38:19 PM

SPOKANE, Wash. – Despite scoring the most points against Gonzaga in an exhibition game since the 2005-06 season, the Western Oregon women's basketball team fell to the nationally-ranked Bulldogs 115-51 Saturday.

The Wolves were paced by their two seniors, guard Sara Zahler (Newberg, Ore./Newberg) and forward Danielle Bellando (Eugene, Ore./Willamette), who both contributed 11 points and two steals. Freshman forward Melissa Fowler (Canby, Ore./Canby) led WOU with five rebounds, and sophomore guard Lorrie Clifford (Eagle River, Alaska/Chugiak) added a team-high three assists.

“I thought Melissa was our MVP today,” said Western Oregon head coach Greg Bruce. “She played as well as you could expect a freshman to play in an atmosphere like this. She played extremely hard, and only had one turnover in 21 minutes.

“Sara and Danielle also played well,” Bruce continued. “I've come to expect performances like this from Sara, and Danielle really reverted to what gave her success last season, which was taking what the defense gave her and not forcing things. I thought Lorrie really improved her play, as well. She took much better care of the ball.”

Bright spots for Western included 30 bench points and a second-half effort that left Bruce pleased. The Wolves forced nine second-half turnovers, which it turned into 11 points. They also improved their field goal percentage by 14 percentage points and lowered Gonzaga's by almost ten percentage points.

“I was glad we came out and finished the game on a high note,” noted Bruce. “We could have hung our heads after the rough first half, but the girls battled and were determined to leave the game on a good note.”

Bruce noted that turnovers were the team's Achilles heel; they committed 25 throughout the game, which led to 34 Bulldog points. The Wolves also struggled on the glass, getting outrebounded 50-19 and surrendering 22 second-chance points.

Gonzaga had five players in double figures, and pre-season All-American point guard Courtney Vandersloot recorded 13 points and seven assists.

Western Oregon will conclude the exhibition portion of its schedule Tuesday, Nov. 9, with a game at Linfield College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.