Women's Basketball Falls 65-54 At Saint Mary's

Women's Basketball Falls 65-54 At Saint Mary's

Feb. 9, 2008

Final Stats

MORAGA, Calif. - Redshirt junior Sara Majors tallied a career-high 18 points as the Santa Clara women's basketball team fell 65-54 to Saint Mary's Saturday night at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif. With the loss, the Broncos dropped to 5-3 in West Coast Conference action and are now 16-7 on the season, while the Gaels improved to 3-5 in league play and 11-13 overall.

Junior Elizabeth Doran added 15 points and five rebounds for the Broncos, while senior Tracey Walker chipped in with 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

Both teams struggled to take control of the first half as the score was tied and the lead changed six times. The Broncos gained a two-point edge over the Gaels on a layup from Maggie Goldenberger with 12:46 left to play. But Saint Mary's Lindsay Ellis knotted the score for the final time in the half, 16-16. The Gaels produced a 12-point gap, 28-16, with 6:47 remaining but their run was stopped a minute later on a layup from Majors. The Broncos then compiled a 7-1 run on a three-pointer from Doran and back-to-back deuces from Majors to bring SCU within four points, 29-25. Kira Kojola halted the Broncos rally with a three-pointer but Doran responded a trey of her own and Walker added a layup to make the score 32-30. Yet, Saint Mary's had the final say with a trey from Jontelle Smith to end the first half, 35-30.

Santa Clara began the second half strong with a layup from Jen Gottschalk and a trey from Doran to tie the score, 35-35, but a jumper from Serena Benavente gave Saint Mary's another five point advantage, 40-35. Majors posted a three-point play to bring the Broncos within two points, 40-38. Yet, the Gaels went on a 14-2 run to make the score, 54-40, with 12:46 to play. Two straight Bronco layups from Majors and Walker brought the Broncos within 10 points, 54-44, before a timeout was called on the floor. A layup from Smith gave the Saint Mary's a 14-point lead with 8:25 left, but Santa Clara responded with a six point effort to bring the Broncos within eight points, 60-52. Doran was the last to score the Broncos with a jumper with 48 seconds left and series of free throws from Lauren Shaughnessy and Louella Tomlinson gave the Gales a 65-54 win.

For Saint Mary's, Sierra Chambers registered a game-high 19 points, while Tomlinson had 11 points and Smith added 10 points. Shaughnessy recorded a game-high 10 rebounds for the Gaels.

The Broncos return to action on Thursday, Feb. 14 against the Waves of Pepperdine. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Leavey Center.