Game Notes (PDF)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Thanksgiving week takes Santa Clara University's women's basketball team east, for a Tuesday night matchup with the University of the Pacific and to Reno for the weekend to play in the University of Nevada's John Ascuaga's Nugget Classic. After opening with five consecutive games at home (which included two exhibitions), Tuesday night's game at the Alex. G. Spanos Center will be the Broncos first road test of the 2012-13 campaign.

Game Notes - Nov. 19/26, 2012
SANTA CLARA (2-1) @ PACIFIC (3-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012 • 7 p.m.
Game #4 • Road Game #1 • Stockton, Calif.
Live stats | Video | Audio

SANTA CLARA @ JOHN ASCUAGA'S NUGGET CLASSIC
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 23-24, 2012
Games #5-6 • Road Games #2-3  • Reno, Nev.
Live stats | Video | Audio 

LIVE COVERAGE
A FREE live video broadcast of Tuesday night's game will be available on the BigWest.TV platform. For live links to the broadcast visit (BigWest.org/tv). Nevada will offer a PAY-PER-VIEW video stream of all games at its holiday tournament this week on (NevadaWolfPack.com). Additionally, Santa Clara's official athletics website (SantaClaraBroncos.com) will be providing live audio of all the games this week, with John Nash (play-by-play) calling the action courtside from Stockton and Reno.

WEEKLY NOTES
* Santa Clara is led by fifth-year head coach Jennifer Mountain
* The Broncos enter the week 2-1 and will play their first road games
* SCU was 12-18 last season (4-10 on road)
* All-WCC senior G Meagan Fulps (17.3 ppg) has paced SCU offensively
* F Lindsay Leo (10.7 ppg/6.0 rpg) and C Ruta Zurauskyte (12.7 ppg/7.7 rpg) have given SCU a formidable presence in the low post
* Meagan Fulps was named to the 2012-13 Preseason All-WCC team
* Fulps became the 21st Bronco to eclipse the 1,000-point mark Saturday
* Santa Clara boasts a team GPA of 3.1 and had a league-best three players named to the WCC All-Academic Team last spring
* Bronco senior Ashley Armstrong (pictured) is from Reno, Nev. and prepped at Bishop Manogue HS
* NEXT UP: Following Thanksgiving week, SCU will return home to host Cal State Northridge on Thursday, Nov. 29

HEAD COACH JENNIFER MOUNTAIN
Fifth-year Bronco head coach Jennifer Mountain has improved Santa Clara's win-total in each of her seasons on the Mission campus, while her student-athletes have garnered local, regional and national recognition stemming from their academic achievements and the program's commitment to community service. Mountain and her 2011-12 team won six of its first seven games, the program's best start in over 10 years. SCU finished with 12 wins, the team posted a collective GPA of 3.12 and a league-best three student-athletes were named to the 2012 West Coast Conference All-Academic Team. In her third season at SCU, 2010-11, Mountain led the Broncos to a top-tier finish in the WCC standings and for the third-straight year won at least one postseason game at the conference tournament. The team climbed up the league standings in 2010-11, finishing in a tie for fourth after winning 4 of 7 WCC games at home and winning 11 games overall. Mountain's team closed out the season with a 9-9 record in their last 18 games, including winning back-to-back WCC games twice and beating rival USF at the WCC tournament in March.

The Jen Mountain File:
• Head Coach - Santa Clara University (2008-pres.)
• Assistant Coach- Gonzaga University (2001-08)
• Boys Head Coach - St. George's School (1994-2001)
• Amateur Player - Gonzaga University (1987-91)

QUOTABLE
"We have a veteran group that has really come out and set the tone early," said Santa Clara head coach Jennifer Mountain about the team's preseason preparation. "I think our leadership has been great so far and I think we are ahead of where we were last year, especially in terms of executing defensively. We are really trying to emphasis the defensive side of the ball and they are buying in and doing a better job."

FULPS REACHES 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Meagan Fulps had a record day in Santa Clara's most recent win, 80-67 over Utah Valley  (Nov. 17), reaching the 1,000-point plateau for her career, making her the 21st Bronco to accomplish the feat. Her deep three with 15:12 in the first half gave the Broncos a 10-6 lead, one that they never relinquished. She ended the afternoon with 15 points, bringing her career total to 1,014.

"It feels good to accomplish something like that. Of course it's more about our team win today. It wasn't pretty at times but we were able to get it done," said Fulps.

ARMSTRONG ADJUSTING TO SIXTH-MAN ROLE
Senior Ashley Armstrong, a starter last year, is providing a spark off the bench as the SCU sixth-man this season. She collected a charge and eight rebounds - four of which came off the offensive glass - along with 13 points in 22 minutes against Utah Valley (Nov. 17). Her three-ball with 13:22 left in the second gave the Broncos a 55-38 lead.

"Ashley came in and did a great job for us," said Mountain. "She did the little things, getting points off put-backs. With size like Ruta underneath, they look to double-team and she capitalizes off of that."

MEAGAN FULPS, LINDSAY LEO NAMED AMONG WCC'S BEST PLAYERS
Santa Clara University seniors Meagan Fulps and Lindsay Leo both drew praise recently in preseason West Coast Conference women's basketball polls. Fulps was voted to the official WCC Preseason All-Conference Team by the league's coaches, while College Sports Madness named Leo to its preseason All-WCC First Team. Fulps, a 5-7 off-guard from Littleton, Colorado, enters her senior year ranked 11th all-time at SCU in career scoring ave. (11.3). She has totaled 962 career points and has twice earned both All-WCC postseason honors and WCC All-Academic accolades. Leo was terrific for the Broncos as a junior last season. The homegrown product of San Jose's Archbishop Mity High School was a 2011-12 All-WCC Honorable Mention pick after averaging 11.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per night in WCC play. Leo's 70 career blocks ranks 5th all-time at SCU.

RICH BROWN NAMED ASSISTANT COACH THIS OFFSEASON
Rich Brown '77, the director of Santa Clara University women's basketball development the past three years, has been hired by SCU Head Coach Jennifer Mountain as assistant coach. Brown will continue to have a major impact on the program, moving his focus to mentoring the post players, recruiting, scouting and practice planning.

A former Bronco student-athlete, Brown's coaching resume spans 30-plus years, most recently serving as head basketball coach at San Jose's Presentation High School (2001 through 2007).  During his tenure at Presentation, Brown consistently had the Panthers ranked among the region's Top 20 programs according to the San Francisco Chronicle, while competing in the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL), one of the state's top conferences.

EACH AND EVERY DAY! PHOTO ON INSTAGRAM (santaclarawbb)
The Bronco women's basketball program is on Instagram and will be posting a photo every day of the 2012-13 season. Log on to Instagram via your mobile device and follow santaclarawbb!

SANTA CLARA HAS ANNOUNCED ITS 2013-14 RECRUITING CLASS
One year removed from bringing in a recruiting class ranked among the nation's best by ESPN, the Santa Clara University women's basketball program and head coach Jennifer Mountain have received National Letters of Intent from five prep stars who will be attending the University and playing for the Broncos in 2013-14.

Taylor Williams – Forward, 5-foot-11 (Highlands Ranch, Colo./ThunderRidge HS)
USA Basketball U17 trials invitee; CHSAA Academic All-State honoree
Johanna Paine – Forward, 6-foot (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS)
2011-12 Gatorade State Girls Basketball Player of the Year candidate
Montana Walters – Guard, 5-foot-5 (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS)
2011-12 Three Rivers League co-MVP; 7.3 assists per game, 41% 3PT-FG
Marie Bertholdt – Forward, 6-foot-1 (Alameda, Calif./Alameda HS)
Led Alameda to a fourth-place finish in the 26-team NCS Div. II standings last year
Beth Carlson – Forward, 6-foot (Mill Creek, Wash./Archbishop Murphy HS)
Two-time Cascade Conference MVP; three-straight Cascade Conference titles
read more...

2012-13 PRESEASON ALL-WCC TEAM
Player School Yr. Pos.
Alex Cowling (LMU) RS-Sr. G/F
Lexi Eaton (BYU) So. G
Meagan Fulps (SCU) Sr. G
Jennifer Hamson (BYU) Jr. C
Amy Kame (USD) Jr. G
Taelor Karr (GU) Sr. G
Danielle Mauldin (SMC) Jr. F
Jackie Nared (SMC) Jr. G
Haiden Palmer (GU) Jr. G
Haley Steed (BYU) Sr. G

2012-13 WCC PRESEASON POLL
Team (First Place Votes)
BYU (5) 61
Gonzaga (4) 60
Saint Mary's 48
San Diego 36
Pepperdine 33
Santa Clara 27
Loyola Marymount 25
Portland 24
San Francisco 10

NEWCOMERS ADD DEPTH, SIZE TO SCU ROSTER
Fifth-year head coach Jennifer Mountain and the Santa Clara University Broncos continue to enhance an already deep roster, adding with four new players this offseason.

"This is a very exciting time for us. I am thrilled with the depth we have on our roster and with the people we are bringing into the program," says Mountain. "Our talent level continues to improve and our collective pool of recruits will help us to compete at a higher level. My assistants have done a great job of targeting student-athletes that fit with the school, our team and our program." read more...

BEST START IN OVER 10 YEARS
The Broncos are looking to repeat its 6-1 start to its season last fall. It was the program's best since SCU went 9-0 to open the 1999-2000 campaign. The team scored over 80 points per game during that stretch, which ranked among the NCAA's leading offenses. Five of those wins came on their home floor at Santa Clara's Leavey Center.

CREATING A CULTURE OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Santa Clara's work ethic on the basketball court has translated into success in the classroom. With a team GPA of 3.1, head coach Jennifer Mountain's emphasis on academic prowess continues to pay off, facilitating a culture that has allowed 10 of the team's 16 players to post GPA's above a 3.0 last spring. An array of majors, including Business, Biology, Engineering and Anthropology, make up a wide range of areas that comprise the team's academic pursuits.

"That's something we look for when we're recruiting," said Mountain, who is now in her fifth season at Santa Clara. "The kids that are excelling in the classroom generally are the kids that excel for me on the floor. I've been very blessed. I don't have to worry about them going to class, and worry about eligibility issues or anything like that."

2011-12 SANTA CLARA HIGHLIGHTS
* WCC Honorable Mention – Alyssa Shoji (Sr. G); Lindsay Leo (Jr. F)
* WCC All-Academic – Ashley Armstrong (Jr. G); Meagan Fulps (Jr. G), Ricki Radanovich (So. G) – SCU leads all schools with three honorees
* WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention – Ruta Zurauskyte (Jr. F)
* Broncos improve their win-total for fourth straight season
* SCU finishes regular season No. 10 in NCAA in 3PT shooting (7.6 pg) as a team
* Alyssa Shoji sets new WCC record for three-pointers made (99)
* Alyssa Shoji finishes as WCC's No. 2 all-time leader in 3PT FG (286)
* Alyssa Shoji finishes career No. 4 all-time at SCU in scoring (1,374)
* Alyssa Shoji also No. 1 all-time at SCU in minutes (3,928), No. 7 in assists (327) and No. 5 in FT% (82.2)
* Alyssa Shoji competes in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships live on ESPN at the Final Four
* Lindsay Leo's 36 blocked shots ranks No. 6 in single-season SCU history
* Lindsay Leo moves into No. 5 all-time at SCU in blocks (70)
* Meagan Fulps makes 17 free throws Nov. 11, 2011; breaking SCU record
* Ruta Zurauskyte named 'National Player of the Week' by Jesuit Basketball
* Santa Clara's 96 points at Sacramento State is 2nd-most in school history on road
* The team's 6-1 start was its best since the 1999-2000 season
* 10 of team's 16 players boast GPA's above 3.0