Dec. 28, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team returns to the court to host Northern Arizona and CS Fullerton in its final two game of the 2007 calendar year. The Broncos and Lumberjacks face off on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 2 p.m., while SCU and the Titans battle on Monday, Dec. 31 at 5 p.m.
Santa Clara posted its fourth consecutive win Friday night against San Jose State in the annual Rivalry Series contest. The Broncos topped the Spartans 78-58 with Chandice Cronk leading all players with 21 points and Sara Majors registering a game- and career-high 14 rebounds. Majors also had 13 points in the victory.
The Broncos are currently riding a four game win streak and own an 8-3 overall record. Senior Jen Gottschalk leads the team in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. She is also first on the team in steals. Senior Cronk is second on the team in scoring, while redshirt junior Majors is second on the team in rebounding and assists.
The Lumberjacks enter Saturday's contest with a 4-8 overall record and a 10 days off from games. NAU will look to break its four game losing streak against the Broncos. In its last contest, NAU fell 76-53 to Kent State on Dec. 18. The Lumberjacks were led by Janelle Matthews, who scored 20 points and dished out seven assists. She was the only member of the squad to post double-figure points. Meanwhile, Laura Dinkins pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds and tallied three steals.
On the season, Dinkins leads NAU in scoring as she averages 14.3 points per game, while Ashley Ingle is second on the squad averaging 12.2 points per game. Ingle is also first on the team in rebounding as she averages 8.8 boards per game.
Saturday's game is the first meeting in the all-time series.
The Titans enter Monday's contest with a 1-8 overall record and will face the Gaels of Saint Mary's on Dec. 28 before taking on the Broncos on New Year's Eve. In their last outing, Fullerton lost its seventh straight contest with a 74-43 decision to San Diego at home. Lauren Chow led the Titans with 12 points and a game-high five steals, while Toni Thomas added 10 points and tied the game-high eight rebounds.
On the season, Thomas averages a team-best 18.0 points per game and also leads Fullerton with 6.9 boards per game. Chow is second on the squad with 14.2 points per game and leads the Titans with 32 assists and 27 steals.
The Titans lead the all-time series against the Broncos with a 4-2 record. Fullerton was off to a 4-0 start in the series that began in the 1978-79 season, but Santa Clara halted the run as it won the last two meetings in 1998-99 and 1999-00. In their last meeting, on Dec. 12, 1999, the Broncos compiled a 94-70 triumph over the Titans on the road. SCU made 35 free throws as a team, which ranks second on the all-time team top game performances list.
The Broncos begin the New Year with one more non-conference match against the Roadrunners of CS Bakersfield on Friday, Jan. 4. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. at the Leavey Center.
Santa Clara University and San Jose State University have teamed up with Second Harvest Food Bank to create the first ever Rivalry Series Food Drive. The holiday food drive runs from Dec. 8-Jan. 7 in conjunction with the home-and-home series between the universities' men's basketball teams.
Food collection bins and coin jars will be available at all Santa Clara men's and women's home basketball games from Wednesday, Dec. 8-Monday, Jan. 7 to collect donations. The Broncos play at San Jose State on Dec. 8 and then host the Spartans at the Leavey Center on Jan. 7. Fans donating at least six dollars or two (full serving) canned good items will be given a 2-for-1 coupon to purchase general admission tickets for the Jan. 7 game. For more information, click here.
Seniors Cronk, Gottschalk and Tracey Walker are no strangers to the Santa Clara career records lists as each are ranked in one or more categories. After last week's rebounding performances by Gottschalk, she moved into the all-time rebound average list. She is tied for 10th place with Laura Hughes (1991-92) pulling down 5.7 boards per game.
Cronk's name is listed in six categories and patiently waits entering three more categories this season. In the beginning of the year, she became the 17th Bronco to net 1,000 career points and has steadily moved up the list and currently owns the No. 6 spot. Cronk is just 14 field goals and 31 field goal attempts away from taking over tenth place on both lists. She is also just 25 minutes away from entering the all-time minutes played list. Meanwhile, Walker is 21 assists away from claiming the No. 10 spot on the career assists list.
In The WCC:
As of Dec. 22, Santa Clara holds onto the No.1 spot in the conference with an 8-3 overall record. As a team, the Broncos continue to hold first place in three-point field goal percentage, while being ranked second in scoring defense and field goal percentage, and third in free throw percentage. The Broncos are also third in assists and steals per game.
Individually, six players are ranked in 10 different statistical categories. The majority of the Broncos held on to their rankings for the previous week, while a few entered the top-10 in three categories. Cronk moved up to the No. 5 spot in scoring this week, while rounding out the free throw percentage category. She also claims the No. 6 spot in three-point field goal percentage this week. Gottschalk moved into the top 10 in defensive rebounds this week and rebounding as she is ranked eighth in both categories.
The Broncos hold an all-time mark of 261-140 (.651) in games held at the Leavey Center, dating back to the Toso Pavilion days in 1979-80. Since going 6-8 at home in the 1995-96 season, the Broncos have only had one sub-.500 season at home since then, when the injury-ravaged 2003-04 team went 3-13. Last year's Broncos went 7-7 at the Leavey Center, and three times in program history SCU has posted unblemished marks at home, going 17-0 in 1990-91, 15-0 in 1997-98, and 12-0 in 2001-02.