Nov. 16, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team lost a hard-fought battle 70-45 to Minnesota Sunday afternoon in non-conference action at the Leavey Center. With the loss the Broncos dropped to 0-2 on the season, while the Golden Gophers improved to 1-1.
"We struggled with taking care of the ball," said head coach Jennifer Mountain. "But I'm happy with the way we played today. We played better tonight, but we need to have a spark coming off the bench. We're playing so many young people, so we're making a lot of freshman mistakes."
Sophomore Lena Gipson and senior Sara Majors led with a game-high seven rebounds, while Gipson led the team with 13 points and Majors dished out a game-high six assists. Senior Elizabeth Doran went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
The Golden Gophers barely out-shot the Broncos, 44.1 to 43.9 percent, while the Broncos led in three-point shooting (38.5 to 31.3 percent) and free throws (80 to 68.4 percent).
Minnesota claimed an early 4-0 lead on free shots by Ashley Ellis-Milan and a jumper by Jackie Voigt. But, Santa Clara responded to take a one-point lead, 5-6, on a jumper by Gipson and a three-pointer by Alyssa Shoji. The Broncos kept the score tight and after a five-point, they tied the score, 13-13 on a layup by Kimee Goeggel. However, the Golden Gophers regained control of the scoreboard and, despite the Broncos' efforts, never relinquished the lead. Minnesota led by 11-points going into halftime, 33-22.
At 12:04 in the second half, the Golden Gophers led by 24-points, 55-31, on a three-pointer by Kiara Buford. With baskets by Gipson and Becky Goll, the Broncos tried to chip away at the lead. However, at 6:16, a made free throw by Emily Fox gave Minnesota its largest lead of the game, 63-37. A made jumper by Claire Goins made the gap 20-points, 63-43, but that was the closest Santa Clara would get.
For Minnesota, Fox and Katie Ohm led the game with 17 points, while Kay Sylva had a game-high five steals.
The Broncos return to action on Thursday, Nov. 20 against the Hornets of Sacramento State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Leavey Center.