Lisa Fortier and the Gonzaga women’s basketball team head into the 2026-27 season boasting an insane level of roster retention, which should make them the favorites in the new-look Pac-12.
Fans hoping to get a look at this new but very familiar squad can do so on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the team’s annual FanFest, happening at the McCarthey Athletic Center at 2:00 PM PT.
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FanFest is essentially the equivalent of the men’s ‘Kraziness in the Kennel’ an annual event where fans can see the team in action for the first time. Like Kraziness, FanFest features player introductions, speeches from the coaching staff, and a variety of on-court events, including a three-point shootout, skill challenge, and concluding with an intrasquad scrimmage.
New conference, same Squad
Gonzaga women’s basketball guard Allie Turner (11). | Photo by Lane Mathews
Unlike the men’s team, which has 11 newcomers among its 15 players, coach Fortier’s team is returning nearly everyone from last year’s squad. Of the 13 players on last year’s roster, only three – senior Ines Bettencourt and transfers Paige Lofing and Vera Gunaydin – are no longer in the program, with Lofing returning home to Montana while Gunaydin is at North Alabama.
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Meanwhile, Bettencourt – who spent two years at Gonzaga after two years at UConn – has been granted a fifth year of eligibility via a lawsuit in California, and could return to Spokane for another year after starting all of last season. Bettencourt did enter the transfer portal, however, so whether she comes back or not – and whether her eligibility sticks – remains up in the air.
Bettencourt is the only starter who is not (yet) returning for coach Fortier, with guards Allie Turner and Zee Aokuso, and forwards Taylor Smith and WCC Player of the Year Lauren Whittaker all back in the mix – along with key reserves Jaiden Haile, Teryn Gardner, McKynnlie Dalan, and Julia Wilson.
Joining this roster is a pair of transfer guards in Emmy Roach and Jocelyn Medina from Rider and Denver, respectively, as well as freshman forward Abby Lusk from Pocatello, ID.
Pac-12 powers?
Gonzaga women’s basketball forward Lauren Whittaker (33). | Photo by Lane Mathews
Gonzaga got off to a slow start last year, going 6-5 through the first 11 games of the season before rattling off 18 wins in their next 22 games. That camaraderie should carry over into the new-look Pac-12, where the Zags will face a budding rival in Oregon State as well as routinely strong WBB programs at Colorado State and San Diego State.
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The Beavers are almost certainly the biggest threat to Gonzaga winning the first title in the rebuilt conference, but behind Whittaker and Turner, this Zags team has enough talent and familiarity to get back to the NCAA Tournament for a second year in a row and sixth time in the last seven years.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Gonzaga women’s basketball announces date for annual FanFest.
