Gonzaga women's basketball moves into AP Top 25 poll after upset of Stanford (12/4/2023)

The Zags handed Stanford its most lopsided loss in nearly four years

After pulling off a 96-78 upset win over then-No. 3 Stanford, the Gonzaga women's basketball team debuted at No. 23 in Monday's Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The Zags (8-2) increased their vote count from seven to 104 this week, entering the national rankings for the first time since finishing 16th in last season's final poll. 

“I think we should have been ranked before,” said Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier after her team defeated the Cardinal on Sunday. “It doesn’t mean that much, but if (voters) are paying attention, if they really know the teams that they’re voting for, I don’t know how they would not vote for us.”

Gonzaga earned an 82-80 road victory against Eastern Washington (5-2) on Wednesday prior to its historic win over Stanford (8-1). The Cardinal tumbled down to ninth in the poll.

“Our players played really hard, but Gonzaga was clearly the better team,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game. “They have very experienced players and we can learn from this.”

Brynna Maxwell scored a season-high 27 points against Stanford, while Yvonne Ejim added 25 points and 12 rebounds. Gonzaga's 96 points were the most the Cardinal had allowed since giving up 102 in an overtime loss to Oklahoma State in 2000. 

Ejim was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game across Gonzaga's two victories. This is the second straight week that Ejim has received this honor. 

Gonzaga will go on the road to face Cal on Thursday and Rice on Saturday. The Zags return home on Dec. 17 to host South Dakota State. 

Here’s the full AP Top 25 poll for Week five of the 2023-24 season:

AP TOP 25 POLL

1. South Carolina (35)

2. UCLA 

3. North Carolina State 

4. Iowa 

5. Texas 

6. USC 

7. LSU 

8. Colorado 

9. Stanford 

10. Baylor 

11. Utah 

12. Ohio State 

13. Kansas State 

14. Notre Dame 

15. Virginia Tech 

16. Indiana 

17. UConn 

18. Louisville 

19. Marquette 

20. Florida State 

21. Washington State 

22. Creighton 

23. Gonzaga 

24. North Carolina 

25. Penn State

Others receiving votes: Miami 40, UNLV 25, Oklahoma 21, Tennessee 20, Arkansas 18, Mississippi St. 12, Mississippi 8, TCU 7, Michigan St. 7, Texas A&M 4, Texas Tech 4, Green Bay 4, Florida Gulf Coast 4, Syracuse 2, Southern Miss 2, Davidson 2, West Virginia 1.