Dec. 8, 2007
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team compiled a 71-64 victory over Pacific Saturday night at the Spanos Center. With the win the Broncos improved to 6-3 on the season, while the Tigers dropped to 3-5 overall.
Redshirt junior Sara Majors led all players with 17 points and led the Broncos with five rebounds. Senior Jen Gottschalk registered 15 points and three assists, while junior Elizabeth Doran recorded 11 points and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Senior Chandice Cronk also led all players with three steals.
The score was kept extremely tight for the entire first half. Pacific was first to break away on free throws from Andrea Swanson, 6-4. Santa Clara tried to tie the score, but Pacific held onto its slight lead. With 13:02 remaining, Maggie Goldenberger knotted the score 8-8 with a free throw and the two teams battle shot-for-shot once again. A nailed jumper from Tracey Walker with 10:40 left gave SCU its first lead of the game, 12-10. Yet, the Tigers tied the score and a three-point goal from Jake Kelly put UOP up, 15-12.
Santa Clara rallied back to tie the score and take a one-point lead, 23-22, on free throws from Majors, while a deuce from Walker and a three-point goal from Doran gave Santa Clara the largest lead of the half, 28-22. However, Pacific was not prepared to back down and with 2:00 remaining brought the score within one, 28-27. Doran answered quickly for the Broncos, adding three points to their lead, 31-27. A layup from Claire Goins with 0:48 left gave Santa Clara a narrow 33-29 score going into halftime.
The Broncos held control of the scoreboard in the beginning of the second half as points from Majors, Walker and Gottschalk made the score 46-40. Yet, a 6-0 run fueled by baskets from Karen Dawkins and Jake Kelly tied the score, 46-46, with 12:48 remaining. Santa Clara bounced back and kept control pushing to a 50-46 lead on back-to-back layups from Gottschalk, but UOP knotted the score again, 50-50.
After three and half minutes of scoreless action Majors ended the rut with a free throw and Gottschalk added four points with back-to-back layups to give SCU a 57-50 advantage with 6:24 remaining in regulation. Santa Clara continued to widen the gap, earning the game's largest lead, 63-50, on a made jumper from Majors with 3:30 left. SCU held Pacific scoreless for eight and a half minutes until free throws from Jennifer Fath made the score 63-52. A three-point goal shortly after from Kelly brought the Tigers within 10-points, 65-55. Free throws from Cronk, Majors and Walker kept the Broncos alive as the Tigers tried to chip away at the lead.
The Broncos return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 12 against the Mustangs of Cal Poly. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in San Luis Obispo, Calif.