Gonzaga women land UConn guard Ines Bettencourt in portal, first transfer of offseason

In need of guards, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team picked up its first transfer commitment from Connecticut on Monday, Talia Goodman of TheNextHoops posted on X.

Junior-to-be Ines Bettencourt, a 5-foot-9 guard from Sao Miguel, Portugal, played two seasons at UConn, which went 33-6 this season and advanced to the Final Four where its season ended in a 71-69 loss to Iowa.

Bettencourt played in 28 games this year, averaging 5.6 minutes. She was 0 for 7 from 3-point range. She finished with 18 points, 21 rebounds and 16 assists.

As a freshman, Bettencourt appeared in 25 games and made one start. She averaged 1.4 points and 1.2 assists.

Bettencourt was the first player UConn has had from Portugal. She was the second-youngest player on the roster at the 2023 U20 European Championship. She represented Portugal at the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship, Division B.

Gonzaga’s biggest area of need is at point guard where it loses twins Kaylynne and Kayleigh Truong.

The Zags lost three players to the portal – Calli Stokes, Payton Muma and Naya Ojukwu.

The Zags have at least three more scholarships to fill.