Jan. 26, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Led by Jen Gottschalk's eighth double-double of the season the Santa Clara women's basketball team defeated the Dons of San Francisco, 57-50, Saturday night at the Leavey Center. Gottschalk registered a team-best 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Broncos improved to 15-4 on the season and 4-1 in West Coast Conference action. The Dons are know 12-8 overall and 3-2 in league play.
"I was very pleased with our efforts in the beginning of the first half," said head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "Our whole focus is defense and we set the tone defensively right from the tip. Of all the numbers, outside of having more points than them, I am most proud that we held USF to a low field goal percentage. Our goal is to keep our opponents below 36 percent. We did a pretty good job tonight of forcing them to make tough shots."
Chandice Cronk added 15 points for SCU while being the only player with a perfect in-game free throw percentage (4-for-4). Tracey Walker was also a huge help for the Broncos off the boards as she pulled down 10 rebounds.
Despite a scoreless first three minutes, the Broncos climbed to a 10-0 lead on a jumper from Maggie Goldenberger. It wasn't until the 11:38 mark that the Dons scored on a deuce from Dominique Cater to make the score 10-2. USF began to chip away at Santa Clara's lead but the Broncos remained on top. They created an 11-point game with 4:34 led on a three-point goal from Nicole Gall. SCU then claimed its largest lead of the first half on a layup from Gottschalk, 26-13. The Broncos closed out the first half on a trey from Cronk, 26-13, with five seconds left. Both Gottschalk (4-for-4) and Goldenberger (3-for-3) were perfect from the field in the first half.
Elizabeth Doran opened the second half for the Broncos with a three-pointer, 32-16. The 16-point lead was the largest of the game. However, the Dons' newfound energy from the break helped them bring the score within two-points, 36-34, on a jumper from Necolia Simmons. Yet, USF could not knot the score. With 7:58 remaining, Cronk dropped a three to give Santa Clara a six-point edge, 42-36. The Broncos continued to control the scoreboard with a series of layups and free throws from Cronk and Gottschalk. Two made free throws from Cronk with 15 seconds left were the last scoring efforts of the game and gave Santa Clara their fourth straight conference win.
For the Dons, Carter registered a game-high 21 points and four steals, while Heidi Heintz had 11 points.
The Broncos return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 30 against the Pilots of Portland. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore. Santa Clara then travels to Gonzaga for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday, Feb. 2.