Major news on the women’s side in the ongoing 5-in-5 college eligibility cases against the NCAA.
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ines Bettencourt, who graduated this past May, has entered the California lawsuit seeking a fifth year of college eligibility, according to Spokesman-Review’s Greg Lee. She played for the Zags over the past two seasons from 2024 to 2026. Bettencourt competed for coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies during her first two seasons of college basketball.
In her senior campaign, the 5-9 native of Sao Miguel, Portugal, averaged 6.3 points on a shooting split of 34.4 field goal percentage/31.8 three-point percentage/71.1 free throw percentage, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals in 33 starts.
Coach Lisa Fortier’s 2026-27 roster currently has 12 of its 15 available spots filled in August, so there’s room for additions in her backcourt as they enter the first season in the deep Pac-12 Conference. This group is deep across the board and has championship aspirations after retaining ten of the 13 players from last year, but would always welcome the return of a veteran like Bettencourt.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho