SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Coming off an exciting opening weekend of conference play, Santa Clara women's basketball hits the road to play at BYU on New Year's Day at 5 p.m. and at San Diego on Sat., Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. The game at BYU will be live on BYUtv. Last week Santa Clara fell at home to Saint Mary's and Pacific by a combined three points. The Broncos are 5-6 on the season and 0-2 in WCC action.
Santa Clara is outscoring opponents 69.1-67.0 and outrebounding teams 45.7-37.8. Their 69.1 ppg puts them second in the WCC in scoring and they are also grabbing the most rebounds per game in the WCC. The Broncos are shooting 39.6% (273-689) from the floor, 29.4% (45-153) from three, and 71.0% (169-238) from the free throw line. They have the best field goal defense in the conference, limiting opponents to a 35.9% shooting percentage. Santa Clara is second in the conference with 14.5 apg as well.
Nici Gilday leads the conference with 19.4 ppg and is shooting 43% (78-181) from the field and a WCC-best 91% (33-36) from the free throw line. She is adding 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, and 1.0 spg. Marie Berthold is second on the team with 9.6 ppg while shooting 42% (30-70) from the field. She leads the team with 8.1 rpg and 1.3 spg while adding 1.5 apg. Raquel Avila leads the Broncos and is third in the conference with 4.1 apg while scoring 4.3 ppg and grabbing 2.7 rpg. She is also second in the conference with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0. Maddison Allen is third in the WCC with 2.0 bpg while scoring 5.5 ppg and pulling down 4.9 rpg.
Santa Clara is 1-8 all-time vs. BYU with the first meeting coming in 1998-99. Last year the Cougars swept the season series. Santa Clara's lone win vs. BYU came on Dec. 5, 1998 76-64 in the programs' first meeting.
BYU is 9-4 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. They are 4-1 at home this season. The Cougars dropped their conference-opener at Gonzaga but bounced back with a win at Portland. After opening the season 0-2, BYU won eight of nine to finish the non-conference season.
The Cougars are outscoring opponents 67.3-63.5 and outrebounding teams 38.3-37.8. They are shooting 42.2% (317-751) from the field, second in the conference, a conference-best 35.1% (85-242) from three, while placing second in threes made, and 69.0% (156-226) from the free throw line. BYU leads the WCC with 15.9 apg and a 1.0 assist to turnover ratio.
The duo of Morgan Bailey and Lexi Eaton lead the offense for BYU as the second- and third-best scorers in the WCC. Bailey leads the team with 18.6 ppg on a team-high 51.5% (101-196) shooting. She also leads the team, and is second in the conference, with 10.0 rpg and adds 1.0 spg as well. Eaton scores 18.4 ppg and leads the Cougars from beyond the arc with 26 threes made. She adds 6.0 rpg, 2.6 apg and 1.0 spg. Kyle Maeda leads BYU and is second in the WCC with 4.3 apg and scores 6.2 ppg with 2.0 rpg. Her 2.5 assist to turnover ratio is tops in the conference. Makenie Morrison scores 8.2 ppg while leading the team with 1.5 spg and grabbing 1.8 rpg.
Santa Clara is 32-33 all-time vs. San Diego with the first meeting coming in 1984-85. Last year the Toreros swept the season series. Santa Clara's last win vs. San Diego came on Jan. 13, 2011 at the Leavey Center by a final of 62-57. The last road win was 67-63 on Jan. 28, 2006.
The Toreros enter the week 10-2 on the season and 1-1 in WCC action They are 5-1 at home on the season. Before falling at Gonzaga in their second game last week, San Diego had been on a six-game winning streak.
San Diego is outscoring teams 71.0-58.5 and outrebounding them 44.1-35.8. They are second in the WCC in scoring defense and first in scoring margin while placing third in rebounding margin. The Toreros are shooting 40.75 (317-778) from the field, 32.2% (55-171) from three, and 67.1% (163-243) from the free throw line. They are second in the WCC with 10.0 spg and third in turnover margin at +3.85.
The Toreros are led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Malina Hood, Maya Hood, and Sophia Ederaine. Mal. Hood leads the team with 15.8 ppg on a team-best 42.4% (36-85) shooting from three with her 36 threes made pacing the WCC. She adds 2.9 rpg and 1.9 spg. May. Hood scores 13.7 ppg while placing second in apg (1.9) and spg (1.7). Ederaine is tops in the conference with 3.8 bpg and scores 13.4 ppg. She also leads the team with 1.8 spg while shooting 50.4% (65-129) from the field and adding a team-high 9.9 rpg. She is third in the conference in rebounding. Cori Woodward is tops on the Toreros with 2.7 apg and scores 5.8 ppg.