Dec. 12, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team won their third straight contest Wednesday night with its 79-72 triumph over Cal Poly on the road. With the win the Broncos improved to 7-3 on the season, while the Mustangs dropped to 3-7 overall.
Senior Jen Gottschalk (Littleton, Colo.) led all players with 25 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Senior guard Chandice Cronk (Wasilla, Alaska) registered 18 points, while Tracey Walker (San Jose, Calif.) added 15 points and a game-high five assists. Meanwhile, junior Elizabeth Doran chipped in with 14 points and three steals.
Walker registered the first points of the game for the Broncos, 2-0, but the Mustangs created a nine-point gap, 18-9, in the first half on points from Rebecca Tratter, Megan Harrison and Nicole Yarwasky. Yet, Santa Clara fought back to post a 15-2 run on points from Doran, Gottschalk and Walker to earn a 24-20 advantage with 8:14 remaining. However, Cal Poly rallied back five straight points from Sparkle Anderson to make the score, 27-26.
The two teams kept the score tight for the rest of the first half, tying the game three times. A made jumper from Doran with 3:14 left gave the Broncos control of the scoreboard again, 34-32, and even though the Mustangs would come within one-point twice, SCU held the lead going into halftime thanks to efforts from Majors, who netted two free throws and a jumper to make the score, 38-35.
Strong offensive efforts from Gottschalk pushed the Broncos through the opening four minutes of the second half. Santa Clara climbed to a 48-41 lead on a triplet of layups for Gottschalk and a solid jumper from Cronk. The Broncos continued to widen the gap with a 14-0 run that started with a three-point goal from Walker, 51-46, and was fueled on seven points from Gottschalk. A trey from Doran gave SCU a 62-46 lead.
Yet, Cal Poly began to chip away at Santa Clara's lead and brought the score within six points, 67-61, on a layup from Kristina Santiago. Back-to-back three-point goals from Cronk put the Broncos back up by 10-points, 75-65, with 1:45 remaining in regulation. Both Cronk and Walker were sent to the free throw line with less than a minute left, and their four made shots gave the Broncos their 79-72 victory.
For the Mustangs, Tratter and Anderson had 14 points, while Harrison tallied 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Broncos return to the Leavey Center for their first game in a five game home stand on Friday, Dec. 21. Santa Clara will host San Jose State in the annual Rivalry Series contest. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.