Dec. 4, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After last Thursday night's tough one-point loss at Portland State, the Santa Clara women's basketball team had a lot of frustration to burn. Sunday afternoon they got their opportunity as they blitzed the UC Irvine Anteaters from the opening whistle, dominating the full 40 minutes of action in a 99-71 victory at the Leavey Center.
Five Broncos scored in double-figures in the victory, paced by Michelle Cozad's 23 points. Cozad turned in another solid all-around performance, adding nine rebounds, four steals and three assists to her line. Chandice Cronk scored 16 and made a career-high six steals to lead the team. Tracey Walker and Kasey Monteith each netted 13 points and pulled down five boards while Ashley Graham added 11 points.
Santa Clara raced out to a 9-0 lead right away thanks to a Cozad three to start the game and two steals which led to another two points in transition. The Anteaters (0-6) struggled to get into their offense with multiple Broncos in their faces each time down the court, as SCU made 13 thefts on the night.
With 3:30 remaining in the half, UC Irvine managed to pull the contest within four at 34-30, but that was as close as things got the rest of the way. The Broncos then went on a 15-4 run to end the half, a stretch highlighted by Cronk nailing a buzzer-beater from just past mid-court to end the first 20 minutes of action.
Santa Clara continued to pour it on in the second half, never letting the lead get under ten points at any point. Monteith scored eight of her points in the second half and grabbed all five of her rebounds on the night, while Cozad drained a couple of threes as she totaled 13 points in the second half.
The Broncos (2-4) will return to action Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Leavey Center as they say "Aloha" to the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and tickets are available by calling (408) 554-4660.
