Dec. 22, 2009
Final Stats |
Action Photos 
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - All-Big West forward Kristina Santiago overcame early foul trouble to score 21 points and lead visiting Cal Poly SLO to a 63-55 victory over Santa Clara.
Brittany Lange's 3 with 39 seconds left extended a tentative one-point advantage to four and Cal Poly (6-4) made the necessary free throws in the closing seconds to win on the road.
In a game that was close throughout, Santa Clara (2-10) erased an eight-point deficit in the final 2:24 to pull within one, 56-55, on Kathy Willinsky' layup with 1:06 remaining.
SCU's Lena Gipson - one of the nation's top rebounders - registered 14 boards and freshman guard Meagan Fulps scored 16 points.
Cal Poly led 27-26 at halftime despite Santiago picking up three early fouls and playing just nine minutes in the first half.
Fulps caught fire after the break, making a pair of 3s to keep the game knotted at 39 with 10 minutes to play. A driving basket by Fulps put the Broncos up 41-40 at the 9:06 mark.
Overcoming 13 lead changes, Cal Poly had gone ahead by four with 3:24 left. Then Santiago scored, was fouled and converted the 3-point play following an SCU lane violation.
Despite a late rally, sparked by an Alyssa Shoji triple and offensive put-back by Gipson, Santa Clara would lose its fifth game of the year by eight points or less.
It marked the first time Cal Poly has beat Santa Clara since 1981-82.