Jan. 2, 2003
YPSILANTI, Mich. - The Santa Clara University women's basketball defeated Eastern Michigan University 73-49 this evening at the Convocation Center. The Broncos' Quinn Thomas hit five three-pointers to lead all scorers with 15 points as the team improves to 8-4 on the season. The Eagles fall to 3-8.
Santa Clara shot over. 500 for the fourth time this season, hitting 50.9 percent of its shots, including 11 of 19 from behind the arc. Senior Tammy Annas added 13 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Kim Butler added 10 points.
Santa Clara made four of its first five baskets while holding Eastern Michigan without a field goal for the contest's first six minutes. However, the Broncos lead was only 11-9, as the Eagles made six of seven from the charity stripe to start the contest.
Back-to-back three pointers by Annas put the Broncos up 20-13 midway through the half. A three by sophomore Kayla Huss, followed by a steal and a baseline jumper from Whitney Sutak capped a modest run to put Santa Clara ahead 31-18, with 6:47 remaining.
The Eagles' Ryan Coleman kept the home team in the contest, with 10 first-half points. Marion Crandall entered the contest late in the half and hit a long distance shot with six seconds on the clock to make the Broncos' lead 40-27 at intermission.
"I thought the game started slow, flat and dull, on both ends of the court," SCU head coach Michelle Bento said. "We tried to pick up the intensity by playing our style and we started to do that in the second half. We did an excellent job of finishing the game."
EMU opened the second half with two straight scores, reducing the lead to nine. Annas remained on fire, hitting a three to start the Broncos' second half. A Thomas three returned the lead to 13, at 48-35, at the 12:37 mark. Santa Clara went scoreless over the next two minutes as EMU's Nikki Knapp hit a lay-in, followed by two free throws and a drive by Erika Ford to reduce the Eagles' deficit to seven.
A three by Bronco reserve Megan Nelson made the lead 10, at 53-43, with 7:24 left in the contest. She hit another on SCU's next possession to put the game out of reach. SCU followed with a post score each from Kim and Julie Butler to push the lead to 16. Santa Clara continued the 19-3 run with six more points from Kim Butler and Thomas' fifth three pointer of the night.
The Broncos return to the mission campus for a four-game homestand at the Leavey Center. Santa Clara will host TCU on Monday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m., to close out the non-conference schedule, and follow with the West Coast Conference opener, against San Diego, on Saturday, Jan. 11, also at 7 p.m.
