Dec. 31, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Kayla Huss wanted to make just one more instant classic memory before the clock struck midnight and the year 2005 came to an end.
So, with the her team down by one point with :04 seconds remaining in overtime, the Santa Clara University senior guard took an inbounds pass, dribbled the length of the floor and tossed in the winning shot from 18 feet out as time expired to give the Broncos a dramatic 70-69 victory over Ball State tonight in the Leavey Center.
With the victory, Santa Clara evened its record to 6-6 on the season, while Ball State fell to 7-4. The Broncos conclude their non-conference schedule Monday with a 7 p.m. contest at Fresno State.
SCU's Michelle Cozad led all scorers in the game with 23 points and played all 45 minutes in the contest. The Stockton, Calif. native also grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists and made all nine of her free throw attempts. Sophomore Chandice Cronk chipped-in 16 points and went 4-of-8 from behind the three-point arc for SCU.
Ball State forward Julie Demuth led four Cardinals in double-figures with 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
The entire game was a see-saw affair with Ball State controlling a narrow lead throughout most of the contest. Following a 30 percent shooting performance in the first half, which included an 18 percent effort from beyond the three-point stripe, the Broncos outscored Ball State by a 36-29 margin in the second half and connected on 6-of-9 three-point attempts. The Broncos also maintained a stifling defense throughout the game and limited the Cardinals to just 35 percent shooting in the second period and 0-for-5 from the three-point line.
Ball State's Kelsey Corbin scored on a layup just :11 seconds into the game to open the scoring and the visitors led for nearly 30 minutes of the contest, extending their lead to a game-high 11 points with 17:25 remaining in the second half.
With 10:21 left in the game, Cronk connected on a three-pointer midway through a 16-2 run to give the Broncos their first lead of the contest. Ashley Graham added a layup then Cronk registered a steal and jumper to give SCU a six-point, 49-45 lead with 8:25 remaining. The two teams played fairly even throughout the remainder of the period with BSU gradually pulling back into the game, tying the score at 58-58 with 1:52 left on the clock.
After Cozad completed a three-point play after making a layup as she was fouled by Corbin with 1:01 remaining, the Broncos had a 62-58 lead. However, a jumper by Corbin pulled BSU to within two points and, after consecutive 30-second timeouts, Cardinals guard Raechelle Hampton connected on a jumper in the lane with just :01 second left to send the game into overtime.
BSU grabbed a four-point lead in the overtime period on a three-pointer by Tina Bolte with 2:38 remaining. Just one minute later, Demuth committed a foul then was called for a technical, giving the Broncos four-consecutive free throws and possession with 1:27 left. Cozad made two charity shots and Ashley Gonnerman connected on one of two to pull the Broncos to within one point.
Neither team was able to score in the final minute until SCU inbound the ball with :04 seconds and Huss raced down the right side of the court and connected on the game-winner.
