Gonzaga’s women gave fans a clear early look at what this group can do from the outside at FanFest, and the message was loud: this team can really shoot it.
The White Team came away with a 42-30 win over the Blue Team in the scrimmage, powered by a barrage of three-pointers that kept showing up from all over the floor. Redshirt sophomore forward Lauren Whittaker led the way with 12 points and sealed it with back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter. At 6-3, and with the kind of perimeter touch that can stretch a defense thin, she looks like a problem for whoever has to deal with her this season.
Whittaker wasn’t the only one lighting it up for the White Team. Fifth-year guard Ines Bettencourt finished with 10 points and went 4-for-4 from deep in her return to Spokane.
Her presence adds another experienced piece to a roster that brings back 10 scholarship players from the 2025-26 group. Bettencourt’s return also drew extra attention with former UConn teammate and No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fude, on hand to support her.
On the Blue Team side, junior guard Allie Turner won the three-point competition but didn’t score in the scrimmage and went 0-for-2 from beyond the arc. That’s not the kind of number that means much three weeks before the opener, especially for a player who posted the second-best three-point percentage among college basketball returners at 47.1.
The third-best mark belonged to junior guard Teryn Gardner at 46.0 percent, and she backed that up in the scrimmage. The Spokane native scored nine points for the Blue Team, hit 3-for-6 from three, and played the full 20-minute event without coming off the floor.
That kind of shooting is exactly why Gonzaga’s perimeter success should not surprise anyone, especially coach Lisa Fortier. The energy around FanFest may not have matched Kraziness in the Kennel from Oct. 3, but it still offered a strong preview of a team that looks poised for its first season in the Pac-12 Conference.
With 10 returnees and a veteran core, Gonzaga has a clear edge in experience that plenty of high-major programs would love to have. The Zags get one more tune-up first, hosting Division II Westmont College on Oct. 27 before opening the season against North Dakota State on Nov. 2.
In Other News...
Gonzagas 2027 Class Just Took A Hit At Guard
Gonzagas 2027 guard board took a turn this week when four-star Gene Roebuck made his college choice, leaving the Bulldogs to keep working deeper into the class. Roebuck had been one of the names in the mix after visiting Spokane and checking out other schools, but the decision now trims one of the more familiar guard options from Gonzagas early recruiting picture.
That leaves Gonzaga with a class that still centers on five-star guard Dooney Johnson, its lone commitment so far in 2027. The next big name to watch is five-star combo guard Jalen Davis, who is set to come to Spokane for a home game, giving the Bulldogs another swing at adding a headline guard to a class that could use one. [Read more 🡒]