SPOKANE, Wash. - The Pacific women's basketball team handed Gonzaga its first home loss of the year, with a 65-63 win Saturday at the McCarthey Athletic Center behind 23 points from Desire Finnie.

Tylah King came off the bench for 12 points and Emily Simons' lay-up plus and-one free throw was the game-winner as Pacific stormed back from down nine with 12:26 to play.

The Tigers jumped all-over Gonzaga from the opening tip, held the Bulldogs to one field goal on their first 14 shots to build a 14-point lead at 21-7, and after Gonzaga answered with a 36-13 run before the Tigers closed with a 24-16 run. Down 60-57 with 2:11 to play, GeAnna Luaulu-Summers hit a game-tying three and after a Gonzaga bucket with 1:05 to go, Simons gave the Tigers the lead for good and Pacific posted two defensive stops to hold on for the win.

Pacific improves to 2-0 in WCC play, 6-7 overall, while Gonzaga falls to 9-4 overall, 0-2 in WCC action. The Bulldogs were picked to win the WCC in the preseason poll and are receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches Top 25.

Luaulu-Summers chipped in 11 points with five assists, while Simons, Chelsea Lidy and Najah Queenland each finished with five points.

The Tigers held Gonzaga to 36.5 percent shooting (23-of-63), while connecting at a 47 percent clip(26-of-55). Pacific survived a 21-7 Gonzaga advantage in free throw attempts, as Pacific hit 6-of-7 to Gonzaga's 15-of-21 from the stripe.

Gonzaga climbed back from a 14-point deficit by committing just two turnovers in the entire second half after Pacific forced 14 in the first two quarters.

Finnie and Luaulu-Summers tallied lay-ups as the Tigers opened to a 4-0 lead. Pacific forced a pair of Gonzaga turnovers and Finnie tallied an and-one and then finished off a steal and pull-up jumper for a 9-0 lead. The Tigers held Gonzaga scoreless for the first 4:19 before an inside bucket. Chelsea Lidy cut to the rim and scored off an inbound for an 11-2 lead. Gonzaga added four free throws before Finnie added another jumper from the baseline. The Bulldogs added a free throw to pull within 13-7 after the first quarter.

Pacific's defense - highlighted by Eli Lopez Sagrera's denials in the paint - held Gonzaga to 1-of-9 shooting and forced eight Bulldog turnovers for the lowest scoring quarter by Gonzaga this season.

The second quarter opened with a Finnie steal and run-out for a 15-7 lead. Tylah King added a three-pointer from the corner and after a Pacific steal, King connected again for a 21-7 advantage. After a pair of buckets by Gonzaga, King struck again from deep for a 26-16 lead before Lopez Sagrera finished inside. Simons picked up a backcourt steal and la-yup as Pacific led by 14. But Gonzaga closed on an 8-0 run to pull within six at the half.

The Bulldogs hit 8-of-11 from the free throw line to Pacific's one free throw attempt in the entire half. But Pacific held Gonzaga to 8-of-23 shooting, and turned 14 Gonzaga turnovers into 14 points.

In the third, Gonzaga scored the first five points before Finnie connected. The Bulldogs answered at the other end to pull within 32-31 with 7:19 to go in the quarter. Finnie hung and connected, but Gonzaga hit five of the first 10 attempts and stretched a 23-6 run across halftime for a 39-34 lead.

Luaulu-Summers drove and got a whistle and Chelsea Lidy added an and-one, but Chandler Smith hit a three for Gonzaga for a 46-38 Bulldog lead. After a pair of free throws, Finnie's jumper brought the Tigers within two, but Zhane Templeton hit a three for Gonzaga to restore a five-point margin at 50-45. Finnie completed a fast break lay-up as the Tigers closed with 52-50 with 6:52 to play. After a bucket by Gonzaga, King hit her fourth triple of the game. Finnie tallied again, but Gonzaga tallied inside after knocking down a Pacific player to get the ball back to lead 60-57 with 2:26 to go.
 
Luaulu-Summers canned a three from the wing to tie the game at 60-60, but Jill Barta gave Gonzaga a one-point lead from the line with 1:05 remaining, 61-60.

Queenland drove and finished off the glass before Gonzaga answered right back with a bucket from Laura Stockton. Simons took a pass from Luaulu-Summers and finished inside while being fouled. The Tigers posted a stop with 45 seconds left and ran the entire shot clock down, but a blocked shot gave the ball back to Gonzaga with 14.8 seconds remaining.

Gonzaga got off a lay-up attempt by Barta and missed on a desperation three as time expired.

The win was Pacific's second in Spokane since joining the West Coast Conference in 2013-14, the most by any visiting WCC member. The Tigers are one of just five programs with multiple road wins at the McCarthy Center since it opened in 2004-05 (Stanford 3, Pacific 2, Saint Mary's 2, USC 2, Washington State 2).

The Tigers will return home to face San Diego (Thursday) and BYU (Saturday at home next week in the Alex G. Spanos Center.