COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Truong, Kempton help Zags win tourney

From news services

Abby O’Connor and Kaylynne Truong each scored 14 points as Gonzaga (6-1) defeated Hawaii (2-5) 68-49 in the championship game of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown on Sunday.

Truong, a junior, was named the tournament Most Valuable Player, and Melody Kempton, a senior from Post Falls High who scored 13 points, was named to the all-tournament team.

Truong came off the bench to start for Gonzaga as her sister Kayleigh Truong did not play due to an injury from Saturday’s game against Eastern Illinois.

In the first quarter, Kempton led the Zags with nine points in only eight minutes of play. She went 4-for-4 from the field and 1-for-2 from the charity stripe to give Gonzaga an 18-16 lead after one quarter. Eight points came from inside the paint.

Gonzaga plays host to Wyoming on Friday.

Drake 83, Idaho 66: At Reno, the Vandals kept pace for three quarters before falling to the Bulldogs (4-2) at the Nugget Classic at the Lawlor Events Center.

Sydney Gandy led Idaho (1-5) with 13 points and Louise Forsyth tallied 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Allison Kirby (Timberlake High) had five points and six rebounds for Idaho.

Four of the Vandals’ five losses have come against teams that are currently in the top 100 on MasseyRatings.com, and the fifth was Saturday’s one-point loss in a true road game at Nevada.

Idaho opens Big Sky play at Southern Utah on Saturday in Cedar City, Utah. The Thunderbirds (2-4) play host to Eastern Washington on Thursday in their Big Sky opener.