Feb. 13, 2001
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This Week
Santa Clara's women's basketball (17-5, 8-2 WCC), now in sole possession of first place in the WCC, hosts its final two games of the regular season. But the regular season league title is still up for grabs as Thursday night's guest, San Francisco, is only three games back, while Saturday night's opponent, Saint Mary's, is one game behind in a three-way tie for second place. Both games will begin at 7 p.m. in the Leavey Center. Santa Clara athletics will sponsor promotions at both contests. On Thursday, it's "Bay Area Fitness Night" and fans with any fitness membership card will receive admission for only $1. On Saturday night, the first 200 kids will receive a free school pack giveaway as part of SCU's "Read to Exceed" celebration. During a pregame ceremony, the Broncos will also honor its four seniors, who will be playing in their last home game at Leavey: Kristin Franklin, Annie Garrison, Jennifer Glysson and Kim Sorenson. After the game, the entire team will be available for an autograph session.
History of Success
With its eighth conference win of the season, Santa Clara has clinched a winning record in conference play for the eleventh consecutive year. That's the longest streak in the 16-year history of West Coast Conference basketball. In perspective, no other school has had more than four consecutive seasons over .500.
Scouting the San Francisco Dons
Series Record: Santa Clara leads 29-28
First Meeting: 1965 - Santa Clara won (47-23) date and place not available
Last Meeting: 2001 - Santa Clara won (69-64) Jan. 20 in San Francisco
SCU Largest Margin of Victory: 27, on Feb. 3, 1999 (91-64) in San Francisco
San Francisco Largest Margin of Victory: 37 on Dec. 1, 1979 (74-37) in San Francisco
Notable: USF's victory against Gonzaga last Saturday marked head coach's Mary Hile-Nepfel's 100th WCC win... the Dons search for their first victory against SCU since the 1996-97 season, when USF swept the two-game series... the Broncos won the earlier game this season with a 69-64 victory for their eighth consecutive win over San Francisco.
Scouting the Saint Mary's Gaels
Series Record: Santa Clara leads 23-14
First Meeting: 1979- Santa Clara won (75-32) Jan. 6 in Santa Clara
Last Meeting: 2001 - Saint Mary's won (79-76) Jan. 19 in Moraga
SCU Largest Margin of Victory: 43 on Jan. 6, 1979 (70-49) in Santa Clara
Saint Mary's Largest Margin of Victory: 26 on Jan. 20, 1989 (90-64) in Moraga
Notable: Despite leading by five points with 1:35 left on the clock, the Broncos lost to Saint Mary's by three in their meeting last month... Jermisha Dosty recorded her league-leading 10th double-double of the year with 15 points and 14 rebounds against Gonzaga last week... Katie Davis is ranked third nationally in three-point shooting percentage.
Bronco Probable Starting Lineup
No. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. PPG RPG
32 F Jennifer Glysson Sr. 6-0 8.8 7.0
14 C Annie Garrison Sr. 6-3 12.7 7.9
3 G Becki Ashbaugh Jr. 5-5 8.9 5.3 apg
11 G Caroline Gruening Jr. 5-7 10.2 2.4
23 G Kim Sorenson Sr. 5-9 7.1 2.9
Broncos Secure 11th Straight Win Season
With six regular season games left, the Broncos clinched the 11th-straight winning season for the program and 17th overall in 37 years. With three more victories, the Broncos will have reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth straight season and seventh time overall.
Broncos Break Pepperdine Home WCC Streak
With its 63-61 victory at Pepperdine on Feb. 10, Santa Clara broke the Waves' 14-game home win streak vs. WCC opponents. It was a string of victories dating back two years.
Broncos Receive Seven Votes in AP, ESPN Rankings
Although Santa Clara remains unranked in both major polls, the Broncos received a season-high seven votes in this week's edition of the Associated Press' Top 25. An upset of then-No. 10 Texas Tech earned the Broncos votes in the AP and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls for the first time this season. Santa Clara received four votes in the AP listing while gaining one vote in the ESPN poll that week. In a Women'sCollegeHoops.com poll, the Broncos are ranked 44th.
Coming From Behind
Santa Clara's win over Pepperdine marked the fifth come-from-behind victory for the Broncos in a 10-game conference stretch. Down by 15 at one point and nine at the half, SCU rallied in the second period for a two-point win. The night before saw the Broncos down by seven to LMU at intermission, before outscoring the Lions 44-31 in the second half for a 69-63 victory. Santa Clara began conference play overcoming an eight-point halftime deficit vs. Pepperdine and have also recorded rallies at San Francisco and against Portland. On the other hand, the only lead the Broncos didn't protect was Feb. 3 at San Diego, where SCU held a four-point advantage but lost by one.
Ashbaugh Charity Stripe Streak Ends at 24
Although Becki Ashbaugh made her first three attempts from the charity stripe against LMU on Feb. 9, she missed her final two, ending a streak of 24 straight points from the free throw line. After opening the league season against Pepperdine with two missed free throws, Ashbaugh was perfect for nearly eight games. She made both free throw attempts against Loyola Marymount and at Saint Mary's, while going 10-10 at San Francisco, including eight consecutive scores in the game's final 30 seconds. She then went 4-4 against Portland, 1-1 vs. San Diego and 2-2 at San Diego and is shooting 76.7 percent on the season.
Protecting the Home Court
In eight conference matches played on opening 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 visiting school. And, with two weeks left in the conference season, SCU is the only team that has not lost a home WCC game this season.
The WCC Tournament
The Broncos will have to travel for the chance at the league title this season, as the league is leaving the mission campus for the first time in three years to host its annual basketball showcase. The 2001 WCC women's basketball championships is scheduled to take place March 1-5 at San Diego's new Jenny Craig Pavilion. Renovations to the Leavey Center prompted the change in venue. Please call 408-554-4660 for tickets.
