Kaylynne Truong nails seven 3

Kaylynne Truong is shooting 42.6% from 3-point range this season, the 18th-best mark in women's college basketball.

The No. 20 Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-3, 14-1 WCC) faced off against Pacific and came away with a 69-58 victory in a game in which the Zags never trailed.

The Zags were led by 3-point shooting as they shot 52.2% from beyond the arc led by Kaylynne Truong who was 7-for-10 from 3 herself.

Pacific came into Spokane having not yet lost in February. Gonzaga was looking to pick up momentum after taking over sole possession of first place in the West Coast Conference.

And the Zags did not hesitate to gain that momentum. GU won the tip and did not look back. Truong knocked down a 3 as the shot clock expired to extend the Zags’ lead to 14-3 which forced a Pacific timeout.

Brynna Maxwell added her own clock-beating shot, knocking down a contested 3 as time expired in the first quarter, bringing the Zags’ lead to 20-7.

Redshirt junior forward Eliza Hollingsworth's return from injury appeared to bring a spark to the Zags, especially as she was a consistent force as a rebounder. She finished with eight points, six rebounds, and three assists for a well-rounded welcome back.

Hollingsworth was not the only player to return from injury as Maud Huijbens saw the court for the first time since November.

"Playing at their place, we didn't defend as well," Huijbens said. "I think our focus was to defend them, execute our plays, focus on the details, and just play together."

Pacific would not go down without a fight, scoring the first five points to begin the second quarter. A Maxwell 3 helped slow the run, but the Tigers still would not back down.

The Zags ended the half with a strong defensive possession, forcing an airball as time expired preserving their 11-point lead at 35-24.

Coming out of halftime, the Zags were once again on fire. They began the second half with a 9-3 run forcing yet another timeout by Pacific to attempt to stop the bleeding.

Fortunately for the Zags, it was not very successful. Esther Little made a pass to McKayla Williams who drilled a 3 to give the Zags a 22-point lead, their largest of the night to that point.

"I’m always looking for my teammates," Little said. "And I have confidence in them that they’re going to knock it down."

Just in case the crowd wanted to see yet another 3 to beat the clock, Pacific hit one to end the third quarter, but the Zags still led 59-38.

"We wanted to let them know that we were a different team than they played at their place," Huijbens said. "I think we did that. It helps when your point guard's on fire like that."

The fourth quarter started with more of the same, the Zags’ dominance was not continued, but the team was able to hold its lead. However, with 5 minutes remaining, Pacific began to put together a run, cutting the Zags’ lead all the way down to 12 and forcing a timeout from head coach Lisa Fortier.

The run was caused by an uncharacteristic cold streak on offense from the Zags after 3 dominant offensive quarters.

Despite the late fourth quarter surge, this was a game where GU took control and never let go, as they led by double digits the entire second half. A resounding win late in the season against a red-hot opponent gives the Zags even more reason to be hopeful for the rest of their season.

The Zags now look ahead to Senior Night against rival Saint Mary's on Saturday, hoping to finish the season undefeated at home in conference play.