LAS VEGAS — For the second straight season, Gonzaga’s Jill Barta scored 30-plus points in the West Coast Conference championship game to lead the Zags (27-5, 17-1 WCC) to the NCAA tournament. In Tuesday afternoon’s championship matchup against the Toreros of San Diego (17-15, 8-10 WCC), Barta’s 32 points and eight rebounds propelled GU to a 79-71 victory.
“She is a big-game player,” head coach Lisa Fortier said. “She is hyper-competitive and wants to win … Her best competitive nature comes out in big games.”
Barta was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, but her efforts in the first quarter did not indicate that.