Gonzaga Women’s Basketball 2026 NCAA Tournament Capsule
March 5, 2026 · CSM Staff
Gonzaga Bulldogs
West Coast (24-9, 14-4)
Big Wins: 11/7 at North Dakota State (81-66), 12/30 vs Marquette (65-61)
Bad Losses: 2/14 Loyola Marymount (63-72), 2/28 at Portland (91-92)
Coach: Lisa Fortier
Probable Starters:
Lauren Whittaker, Freshman, Forward, 19.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.2 apg
Taylor Smith, Junior, Forward, 5.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
Zeryhia Aokuso, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 2.3 apg, 2.6 rpg
Allie Turner, Sophomore, Guard, 14.4 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 rpg
Ines Bettencourt, Senior, Guard, 6.3 ppg, 3.0 apg, 3.3 rpg
Key Role Players:
Jaiden Haile, Freshman, Forward, 7.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 apg
Teryn Gardner, Sophomore, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 1.1 apg, 3.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.9 (54th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.6 (186, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.3 (35, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.2 (203, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.1 (102, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.4 (3, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.3 (39, 3)
Rebound Margin: 11.4 (6, 1)
Assists Per Game: 17.0 (30, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.4 (255, 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2025 | WBI | First Round win over UTSA |
| 2025 | WBI | Second Round win over Colorado |
| 2025 | WBI | Quarterfinal loss to Minnesota |
| 2024 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over UC Irvine |
| 2024 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Utah |
| 2024 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Texas |
| 2023 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Mississippi |
| 2022 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Nebraska |
| 2022 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Louisville |
| 2021 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Belmont |
| 2019 | NCAA | First Round win over Arkansas Little Rock |
| 2019 | NCAA | Second Round loss to Oregon State |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Stanford |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Oklahoma |
| 2016 | NIT | First Round win over UC-Riverside |
| 2016 | NIT | Second Round loss to Utah |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over George Washington |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Oregon State |
| 2015 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to James Madison |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Iowa State |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Rutgers |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Miami |
| 2012 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Iowa |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over UCLA |
| 2011 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Louisville |
| 2011 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Stanford |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over North Carolina |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Texas A&M |
| 2010 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Xavier |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Xavier |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Pittsburgh |
| 2008 | NIT | First Round win over Idaho State |
| 2008 | NIT | Second Round loss to Colorado |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Middle Tennessee State |
*all team stats through 3/5
