SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Coming off a road win down the coast, Santa Clara women's basketball travels to Puerto Vallarta, Mex. to take part in the Hardwood Tournament of Hope against some tough competition. The Broncos will face LSU Tues., Nov. 25 at 12:30 p.m., Kansas State Wed., Nov. 26 at 3 p.m., and UTEP at 12:30 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 27 at 12:30 p.m. Last week Santa Clara took down UC Santa Barbara on the road to move to 2-1 on the young season.
"We are excited about the opportunity to play some of the top programs in the country," said Santa Clara head coach JR Payne. " Playing the likes of LSU, Kansas State and UTEP will certainly prepare us for WCC play.
Santa Clara has outscored its opponents by an average of 67.7-51.3 this season and outrebounded teams 49.3-33.0. The Broncos are shooting 43.4% (76-175) from the field, 22.9% (8-35) from deep, and 72.9% (43-59) from the free throw line.
Nici Gilday leads the team with 11.0 points per game and 27.7 minute per game. Gilday has added 2.7 rebounds per game to go with 1.3 assists per game and 1.0 steals per game. Vanessa Leo is second on the team with 10.0 ppg and is shooting 60.0% (9-15) from the floor. Leo leads the team with 9.5 rpg as well. Marie Bertholdt is scoring 9.3 ppg to go with 9.0 rpg and is shooting 56.3% (9-16) from the field. Raquel Avila leads the team with 4.0 apg and is scoring 2.7 ppg.
Santa Clara is 0-1 all-time vs. LSU with the only meeting coming in the 2002 NCAA Tournament First Round. The Broncos lost that matchup 84-78 in Boulder, Colo.
LSU enters the week with a 2-3 overall record with all five games coming at home. The Tigers have outscored opponents 55.8-54.8 and outrebounded teams 41.4-35.6. They are shooting 34.8% (101-290) from the field, 27.9% (12-43) from three, and 67.0% (65-97) from the free throw line.
Raigyne Moncrief leads the team with 10.0 ppg on 25.5% (14-55) shooting from the floor. She leads the team with 7.0 rpg and has shot a team-high 29 free throws while making a team-high 22. She also leads the team with five blocks and has six steals. Anne Pedersen is tops on the team with 1.8 apg and is scoring 5.6 ppg with 1.2 rpg. Akilah Bethel and DaShawn Harden are tied for the team-lead with 2.4 spg. Bethel is scoring 8.2 ppg to go with 4.0 rpg while Harden averages 8.0 ppg and 2.6 rpg. Harden also leads the team with seven three-pointers made.
Santa Clara is 0-3 all-time vs. Kansas State with the first meeting coming in 1998-99. The last meeting was a 76-52 loss at Kansas State in 2006-07.
Kansas State is 3-0 on the season with all three games coming at home. The Wildcats have outscored opponents 70.7-45.7 and outrebounded them 41.7-34.3. They are shooting 45.2% (84-186) from the field, 31.35 (20-64) from three, and 51.1% (24-47) from the free throw line.
Breanna Lewis leads the team with 11.7 ppg on 55.6% (15-27) shooting. She is second on the team with 6.3 rpg while leading with 13 blocks and tying for the team lead with nine steals. Shaelyn Martin is tops on the team with 6.7 rpg and is scoring 4.3 ppg. Kindred Wesemann and Martin are tied for the team-lead with 4.0 apg. Wesemann is scoring 7.3 ppg and is 5-16 from three.
This will be the first meeting between Santa Clara and UTEP.
UTEP is 2-1 this season and 0-1 away from home. The Miners have outscored opponents 73.0-64.7 and outrebounded teams 41.3-38.7. They are shooting 40.3% (75-186) from the field, 35.2% (25-71) from three, and 61.1% (44-72) from the free throw line.
Cameasha Turner leads the team with 18.0 ppg on 48.6% (18-37) shooting and 35.7 (5-14) from deep. She is also tops on the team with 4.7 rpg and 3.0 spg. Stacie Telles scores 10.7 ppg and is shooting 61.5% (8-13) from deep. Telles is second on the team with 3.7 apg and adds 2.7 rpg. Lulu McKinney is leads the team with with 4.0 apg and is scoring 6.3 ppg. She is averaging 1.0 spg and 2.3 rpg. Daeshiann McCants leads the Wildcats with 2.0 bpg and is scoring 4.3 ppg to go with 4.0 rpg.
