Nov. 28, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team will face UC Santa Barbara on Thursday as it continues their non-conference schedule. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Leavey Center. SCU will then travel to Sacramento to battle the Hornets on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 2:05 p.m.
Last Time Out For The Broncos
SCU returned to its winning ways last week after a minor bump in the road to post a 70-55 victory over Long Beach State at the Leavey Center. Senior Jen Gottschalk had another team-leading performance with 26 points, four steals and two blocks. Redshirt junior Sara Majors recorded double-figure points against the Beach, tallying 12 points and nearly executing a double-double with eight rebounds. Senior Tracey Walker also gave an all-around performance tallying seven assists, seven rebounds and nine points.
On The Season
Several Broncos have established themselves not only as top Bronco leaders, but on top of the conference standings as well.
Gottschalk leads the team in points, averaging 17.5 per game, and in rebounds, pulling down 6.2 per game. She is also first on the team in steals with 14. Gottschalk also leads the Broncos with a .542 field goal percentage (39-72) and is tied with Chandice Cronk for second on the team with a .750 free throw percentage (18-24). Meanwhile, Cronk is a close second in points, averaging 13.3 per game, while tying for third on the team with 10 assists. Majors is first on the squad with 21 assists and third in rebounds, averaging 4.2 per game.
Doran Dominates
Junior Elizabeth Doran has had an incredible start to her junior campaign. The Corvallis, Ore., native has made waves both in the Broncos standings and in the WCC standings.
She leads SCU with a nearly perfect .923 free throw percentage (12-13) and an even .500 three-point field goal percentage (13-26). She ranks fourth on the squad in rebounds as she's pulled down 24 thus far and is tied for first with six blocks. She is also tied for second on the team with eight steals.
Goldenberger's Career Day
Sophomore Maggie Goldenberger has seen action in four of the Broncos six contests this season and against Long Beach State, she registered key minutes and career statistics.
Against the 49ers, Goldenberger played in an integral 14 minutes and tallied six points as she went 3-for-5 from the field. All three stats are personal bests. The Olympia, Wash., native also recorded three rebounds to set a new career high. Her quickness and intensity kept the Broncos alive during important plays in the second half.
In the WCC
As of Nov. 26, Santa Clara is tied for second place in the conference with Portland, Saint Mary's and Loyola Marymount. All four teams have a 4-2 overall record. Statistically, the Broncos are ranked first in scoring offense, three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made. SCU is also second in defensive field goal percentage.
Individually, Gottschalk is ranked in nine different categories this week, while Cronk makes an appearance in three categories and Doran is ranked in five categories.
Gottschalk checks in this week at No. 3 in scoring, No. 4 in three-point field goal percentage, No. 5 in steals, No. 6 in field goal percentage, No. 10 in blocks, No. 13 in three-point field goals made, No. 14 in rebounding and No. 14 in free throw percentage.
Cronk is second in three-point field goals made, fifth in three-point field goal percentage and tied for sixth in scoring. Meanwhile, Doran ranks No. 2 in three-point field goal percentage, No. 4 in free throw percentage, No. 4 in three-point field goals made, tied for No. 10 in blocks and No. 12 in scoring. Rounding out the Broncos WCC leaders is Majors, she moves to No. 7 this week in assists.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
The Gauchos enter Thursday's game with a 2-3 overall record. UCSB is 1-1 on the road and in their last contest, faced a 75-71 heartbreaker to No. 3 Maryland. In that contest, Big West Player of the Week Chisa Onoiwu registered a team-best 20 points, while Jenna Green chipped in with 16 points. Onoiwu also led the Gauchos in rebounds, pulling down eight.
For the season, Green leads the team with 14.0 points per game average; meanwhile Sha'Rae Gibbons is second on the teams with 11.0 points per game. Jessica Wilson owns a team-best 5.8 rebounding average, while dishing out a team-best 15 assists.
All-Time vs. UC Santa Barbara
The Gauchos own a one game edge of the Broncos in the all-time series with a 3-2 record. The two teams have not met since the 1992-93 season, when the Broncos posted an 82-51 victory on the Mission Campus.
Scouting Sac State
The Hornets enter Saturday's game with a 1-4 overall record. Sac State registered its first win of the season Tuesday night against San Jose State. The Hornets posted a 60-57 win, with Atty Boyer scoring a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds.
For the season, Boyer leads the Hornets in points (13.0 ppg), rebounds (8.0 rpg) and blocks (5 total). Sami Field-Polisso is first on the team in assists, dishing out 14, while Erika Edwards leads the team in steals (5) and is second in rebounds (6.8 rpg).
All-Time vs. Sac State
SCU owns a 10-4 all-time record against Sacramento State. The two teams last met in the 2003-04 season, when the Broncos recorded a 79-69 triumph at home. SCU has won the last six meetings.
On Deck
The Broncos remain on the road until Dec. 21. In its next contest, SCU faces Pacific on Dec. 8 and Cal Poly on Dec. 12.