EVANSTON, Ill. – Despite a frigid start from the field, Santa Clara women's basketball battled back at Northwestern Wednesday afternoon and got within five points in the fourth quarter after by trailing by as many as 22, before falling 57-47.
The Broncos (1-3) started the game just 3-for-30 from the field but finished 12-for-24 over the final quarter and a half to get back in it. They also used a 28-4 advantage in bench points, led by career-highs from Ashlyn Herlihy and Alexus Brigham.
Herlihy's 16 points led Santa Clara and she was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line with seven rebounds. Brigham added 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. Morgan McGwire finished with a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds), her first of the year.
Trailing 47-28 with under a minute to go in the third quarter, Santa Clara went on a 16-2 run to cut its deficit to 49-44 with 4:33 to go in the fourth. Brigham led the way with seven points, including a 3-pointer, and McGwire added five.
The Wildcats (4-0) responded by hitting their last three shots and the Broncos missed their final five from the floor to end the game.
Lindsey Pulliam scored 16 to pace Northwestern and added five rebounds. Abi Scheid scored 14 and Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah pulled down a team-high eight boards while scoring 10.
With Santa Clara hanging around in the third, Northwestern scored nine in a row to take a 38-18 lead and stretched its lead to a game-high 42-20 on a free throw by Kunaiyi-Akpanah with 3:53 left in the third quarter.
A 7-0 run in the first quarter behind a jumper and a 3-pointer from Scheid put the Wildcats on top 12-6. During that run, the Broncos failed to attempt a shot and turned the ball over three times.
NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 0-2 all-time against Northwestern.
- The Broncos finished the day shooting just 27.8-percent from the field.
- Both teams pulled down 34 rebounds with the Broncos grabbing 14 on the offensive end.
- Santa Clara had eight steals and forced 15 turnovers.
- The Broncos were 11-for-12 from the free throw line in the first half.
QUOTABLE
"The team kept fighting through some offensie woes and kept defending even through the shots weren't going down. We finally got some rhythm offensively but couldn't close it out. We'll get better from this and look forward to getting back on the court Saturday."
Head coach Bill Carr
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