Jan. 19, 2008
MALIBU, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team won its second straight West Coast Conference game Saturday afternoon with a 71-66 victory over Pepperdine on the road. With the win, the Broncos improved to 13-4 on the season and 2-1 in league play, while the Waves dropped to 6-11 overall and 1-3 in WCC action.
Jen Gottschalk registered her sixth double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Tracey Walker recorded 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Elizabeth Doran added 13 points and Chandice Cronk chipped in with 12 points.
Both teams battled to gain control of the game. Santa Clara climbed to an 8-5 lead on three-pointers from Doran and Walker and a jumper from Gottschalk. However, a trey from Pepperdine's Shannon Johnson knotted the score, 8-8, just 14:52 into the game. The Broncos tied the score on a layup from Gottschalk, 10-10, but the Waves created an 8-0 run to distance themselves, 18-12. A set of made free throws from Taylor Snider gave Pepperdine its largest lead of the half, 20-12, with 7:53 remaining.
Yet, SCU produced a seven point rally to tie the game, 23-23, on a three-point goal from Sara Majors. The Broncos tied the score once more, 25-25, on a layup from Walker, before the Waves widened the score by four-points, 29-25, with 1:07 left. A layup from Teiosha George made the score 31-27 for Pepperdine. Santa Clara ended the half on a layup from Gottschalk, which brought the Broncos within two points, 31-29.
Gottschalk knotted things up for the Broncos in the second half, 34-34, with five straight points. Santa Clara tied the score five more times before gaining a 64-59 edge over Pepperdine on back-to-back three-pointers from Doran and Cronk with 1:56 left. The Waves brought the score within two points, 64-62, on a trey from Daphanie Kennedy, but Broncos were sent to the free throw line on three occasions within the final minute of play to sustain control of the game. A set of free throws from Gottschalk ended the game, 71-66, for the Broncos.
The Broncos return to the Leavey Center to host the Toreros of San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 24. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.