Jan. 16, 2001
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This Week Santa Clara's women's basketball (11-3) continues West Coast Conference play on the road this weekend. The Broncos will play at league-leading Saint Mary's on Friday at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Santa Clara will play at San Francisco in a game that will air live on local television, as BayTV will broadcast the contest, starting at 7 p.m.
Following a Pattern With wins over Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount to open West Coast Conference play, the Broncos have now opened league season 2-0 for the second straight year and third time in four seasons. The 1999-2000 squad topped Gonzaga and Portland on opening weekend while the 1997-98 Lady Broncos swept Saint Mary's and San Diego.
Follow the Broncos Live on the Internet Santa Clara now offers fans a live Internet audio broadcast on www.SantaClaraBroncos.com for all women's home games and this weekend's road contests at Saint Mary's and San Francisco. This new feature to the women's program began with the Jan. 2 game against Columbia. Dan Harrington is in his first season as the voice of the Lady Broncos. Additionally, the Broncos' game against Maryland on Dec. 27 marked the first time in the program's history that fans could follow the statistical action live on the Internet. The remaining seven home contests will offer live stats via the web.
Garrison Named WCC Player of the Week Senior Annie Garrison was named the West Coast Conference's Player of the Week for Jan. 15. She was an unstoppable force as the Broncos defeated Pepperdine and LMU at home to open conference play. The 6-3 center led the Broncos in scoring and rebounding both games. She had a near-perfect shooting night against the Waves, going 6-6 from the floor and 7-8 from the free throw line for 19 points, and added 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. In SCU's win over the Lions, Garrison recorded her fourth double-double of the year, tallying 16 points and 18 rebounds, and added four blocked shots. She averaged 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the floor and 13-14 from the foul line.
Protecting the Home Court In eight conference matches played this past weekend, Santa Clara was the only team to protect its home-court advantage, defeating Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. The other six contests were won by the home school.
Denker One of Three New WCC Faces Santa Clara first-year head coach Chris Denker is one of three new head coaches in West Coast Conference women's basketball this season. He will be facing Saint Mary's rookie coach Michelle Jacoby this Friday. The other new face to the conference this season is Kelly Graves at Gonzaga, who is no stranger to this league, as he was the head coach at Saint Mary's for the past three seasons.
Scouting the Opponents Saint Mary's is 13-2 on the season and, like the Broncos, 2-0 in WCC action. After losses to Pac-10 opponents Oregon State and Washington, the Gaels are on a seven-game win streak. Saint Mary's opened its season with an upset over then-ranked Stanford University. The team is led by twins Jerkisha and Jermisha Dosty, who are averaging 13.9 and 12.9 points per game respectively, and 8.3 and 10.8 rebounds. Santa Clara leads the all-time series 23-13. San Francisco is 9-6 overall and also undefeated in conference play at 2-0. The Dons have won four straight and have notched wins over Massachusetts, Maryland and league rivals Gonzaga and Portland. Led in scoring by Kim Whisler's 14.7 per-game average, the series between the two schools is deadlocked at 28 games apiece.
Last Time Against These Opponents The Broncos went a perfect 5-0 against both opponents last season, topping Saint Mary's twice, including a one-point home victory, and San Francisco three times.
WCC Tournament Information The 2001 West Coast Conference men's and women's basketball championships, scheduled to take place March 1-5, will set up shop at San Diego's newly constructed Jenny Craig Pavilion. The league is leaving the Bay Area for the first time in three years to host its annual basketball showcase. In recent years, the WCC Basketball Tournament was hosted by Santa Clara, but renovations to the Leavey Center prompted the change in venue. Please call 408-554-4660 for tickets.
