Women's Basketball Narrow Escapes LMU, 49-48

Women's Basketball Narrow Escapes LMU, 49-48

Feb. 16, 2008

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - With :23 seconds to play, senior Tracey Walker finished a layup to give the Santa Clara women's basketball team a 49-48 victory over Loyola Marymount Saturday afternoon at the Leavey Center. The narrow and hard-fought victory improved the Broncos to 7-3 in West Coast Conference action and 18-7 on the season, while the Lions fell to 6-5 in league play and 14-12 overall.

Redshirt junior Sara Majors tallied her third double-double of the season with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Jen Gottschalk added 15 points for the Broncos. Both Gottschalk and Walker pulled down eight rebounds each.

LMU jumped to an 8-4 lead with 16:23 to play on a three-pointer from Kavita Goss. Yet, SCU rallied to knot the score just three minutes last on a layup from Walker, 8-8. The Broncos then took control of the scoreboard, claiming a five point edge on a trey from Gottschalk, 15-10, and then again on made free shots by Majors, 17-12. However, the Lions did not back down a knotted the score, 17-17, on a three point play by Amanda DeCoud with 9:10 left in the half.

The Lions claimed a seven point advantage, 28-21, with 3:22 remaining, but five straight points from Gottschalk brought the Broncos within two points, 28-26, going into half time.

The start to the second half was tight, as the score was tied three times in the first eight minutes. LMU tied the score, 34-34, on a made jumper by Jenna Sybesma with 12:36 to play. The Lions then widened their lead to five points on two made free throws by DeCoud. Yet, Majors' layup with 6:06 left tied the score, 46-46. Possessions were then traded but neither team was able to score for the next three minutes.

Sybesma ended the drought for the Lions with a jumper with 3:08 to play, yet a foul by Lisa Helmers sent Majors to the foul line. Majors made one of her two shots to bring the Broncos within one, 48-47, with 2:48 left. The Broncos made two attempts to take control of the scoreboard, but it wasn't until a layup by Walker sealed the win for SCU with :23 seconds to play.

For the Lions, Goss registered 13 points, while DeCoud and Sybesma tallied 11 points each.

The Broncos take to the road for their final away contests of the regular season. Santa Clara travels to San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 21 and then returns to the Bay Area for a Saturday, Feb. 23 contest against San Francisco. Tip off for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.