MORAGA, Calif. – Concluding a brutal four-game road trip that included games against the top three teams in the West Coast Conference, Santa Clara women's basketball fell to Saint Mary's 55-53 Saturday afternoon in a game that came down to the very end.

With 13.9 seconds on the clock, Santa Clara inbounded for the final possession of the game. After working the ball around, Emily Wolph took a 3-pointer to win it that was just off the mark. The ball bounced around with no one able to get a hold of it as the clock expired.

Santa Clara (9-12, 4-6 WCC) was 13 of 29 from beyond the arc to make up for the fact that Saint Mary's (12-9, 7-3 WCC) held a 48-29 edge on the glass and a 28-6 advantage in points in the paint. The Gaels were just 4 of 21 from 3-point land but hit 15 free throws to just six for the Broncos.

With the game tied at 53-all, a defensive breakdown by the Broncos let Danielle Mauldin get an easy bucket in the paint. Mauldin had the ball at the top of the key and started to dribble in. No one stopped her and she banked in her shot from five feet out.

Maudlin led Saint Mary's with 13 points and six rebounds. Sydney Raggio added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Carly Turner scored nine with nine boards while Megan McKay scored eight and had nine rebounds.

The Broncos went on a tear to close out the third quarter and take the lead for the first time. They used an 18-3 run over the final 7:19 of the period to take a 47-43 lead. Wolph scored the final eight points, and 10 overall during the run, on a pair of triples and a layup. Taylor Berry and Lori Parkinson also added 3-pointers to spark the offense.

Wolph led all scorers with 18 and knocked down four triples to stay atop the conference in that category. Berry scored 15 and was 5 of 7 from beyond the arc, setting a career-high in 3-pointers made. She added four rebounds and three assists.

Marie Bertholdt returned to action after missing the last two games by coming off the bench and scored nine points with five boards. Morgan McGwire was back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench with the flu at BYU and had 11 rebounds, three blocks, three steals, and three assists while scoring three points.

Santa Clara didn't score its first point in the fourth quarter until under the three-minute mark. After Saint Mary's had scored five straight to take a 48-47 lead, Berry drained a 3-pointer to put the Broncos back on top 50-48. Turner answered right back with a triple of her own but Bertholdt followed with an answer on the ensuing Santa Clara possession.

The Broncos found themselves playing catch-up right away as Saint Mary's started the game on a 16-3 run behind seven free throws. Devyn Galland led the way with five points, all from the line, and Turner added a triple.

Santa Clara returns home to face Portland at 7 p.m. on Thursday to start a four-game homestand.

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