March 7, 2008
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team will face host San Diego Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the 2008 West Coast Conference Championship. The Broncos and Toreros tip off at Noon at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Last Time Out For The Broncos
SCU advanced to the second round of the WCC Tournament with a come-from-behind victory over USF Thursday afternoon at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. Jen Gottschalk led all players with a career-high 31 points and eight rebounds. Three other Broncos scored in double-figures to continue the team's balanced offense approach. Santa Clara trailed the entire game and finally knotted the score late in the second half. However, it wasn't until 1:32 remained on the clock that SCU gained its first lead of the contest and held on for the win.
On The Season
The Broncos enter round two of the conference tournament with a 20-10 overall record. The Broncos finished second in the league, earning the No. 2 seed in the field. Gottschalk continues to lead the active players with 16.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. She is also the team's steals leader with a tally of 54. Tracey Walker is second on the squad with 12.3 points and 4.5 assists per game.
Live Internet Coverage
Every live moment of Santa Clara basketball games will be covered live via the official athletic website at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. In addition to live audio broadcasts featuring play-by-play from Grant McHill nearly every game will feature a live video stream and a live GameTracker with statistical and play-by-play coverage.
SCU In the WCC Tournament
•The Broncos improved their all-time record in WCC Tournament play to 20-13 with Thursday's victory over USF.
•Santa Clara has claimed three WCC Tournament titles, tied for most among conference teams along with Pepperdine and San Francisco.
•Santa Clara holds or shares 13 individual and 15 team records in WCC Tournament play, and broke 15 records alone in its 2005 championship run.
•The Broncos had four players take home Tournament MVP honors, as Melissa King was named MVP in the first WCC Tournament in 1992, Lisa Sacco took home the honor in 1998, Kendra Rhea was named MVP in 2003, and Michelle Cozad earned the honor in 2005.
9's The Magic Number
Walker's performance against USF in the first round of the WCC Tournament pushed her in striking distance of SCU history. The San Jose native played in her 119th career game against the Dons, which places her on top of that all-time list, but with her 12 points in Thursday's game, Walker is now nine points shy of her career 1,000. The feat is extremely doable for the Bronco, who averages 12.3 points per game. She will become the 18th player to reach the milestone.
Scouting San Diego
The Toreros defeated the Pilots of Portland to advance to the second round of the WCC Tournament. The final score was 61-57. USD is led by Amber Sprague who averages 15.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
This Season vs. USD
The Broncos and Toreros split regular season play as each team won on their respective home courts. In late January, SCU won a tough battle against USD that came down to the final three seconds and free throws by Chandice Cronk after a technical foul was issued to the Toreros after calling for a timeout when none remained. SCU won 66-64. When Santa Clara travels to San Diego just two weeks ago, the Toreros defeated the Broncos 66-53.
All-Time vs. USD
Santa Clara and USD will meet for the 52nd time on Saturday in a series that dates back to the 1984-85 season. The Broncos own a 30-21 all-time record over the Toreros.
WCC Tourney vs. USD
Santa Clara has faced USD in the tournament four times. The Broncos are 1-3 in against the Toreros. The two teams last played each other in the WCC Tournament in 2002, when the Broncos defeated the Toreros 82-52 in the first round.
