SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Santa Clara women's basketball held San Diego State to a season-low offensive output in a 48-34 victory on the road Thursday evening.
The Broncos (4-5) played suffocating defense, allowing the Aztecs (6-4), who entered the night scoring 69.8 points per game and knocking down 9.3 3-pointers per contest, to shoot just 22-percent from the field and go 3-for-28 from beyond the arc.
San Diego State had not been held under 10 points in a quarter all year but Santa Clara did it three times by allowing nine points in the first, eight in the third, and seven in the fourth. The Aztec's best quarter was the second when they scored 10.
After a frigid first half for both teams, Santa Clara got its footing early in the second and used a 9-0 run midway through the third quarter get on top 28-21 with 3:53 left in the period and turned the tide of the game. Leading scorer Ashlyn Herlihy sparked the run with a 3-pointer and a layup, five of her game-high-tying 10 on the night.
The Broncos then began to pull away in the fourth quarter when they scored the first seven points and started the period on an 11-2 run behind a triple and a jumper from Dru Toleafoa who scored seven and doubled her career-high with 10 rebounds.
Santa Clara also got contributions from Taylor Berry, nine points and nine boards, and Morgan McGwire, nine points and eight rebounds.
An 8-0 San Diego State run over four and a half minutes in the second quarter turned a four-point deficit into a 17-13 Aztec lead. Santa Clara missed 11 shots in a row during the run but San Diego State failed to take advantage by finishing the first half 1-for-9 from the floor.
McKynzie Fort, scoring 17.3 ppg entering the night, was the lone Aztec in double-figures with 10 points. Naje Murray (9) and Geena Gomez (7) were the only other Aztecs with more than two points.
NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 3-1 all-time against San Diego State.
- The Broncos forced more turnovers (15) than they allowed baskets (13).
- Santa Clara had 12 assists on 19 made baskets.
- Taylor Berry made her 82nd consecutive start dating back to her freshman year.
- The 34 points allowed was the fewest allowed on the road by Santa Clara since an 88-31 win at Sacramento State on Dec. 15, 2000.
HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS | Five assists - all from Kyla Martin - on SCU's last five buckets to put the icing on the �� of last night's victory! FULL HIGHLIGHTS ▶️ https://t.co/7t4IBTYMr6 #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/P5YTqw5kYn
— Santa Clara WBB (@Santaclarawbb) December 16, 2017
QUOTABLE
"The team did a good job with the game plan tonight and we got them standing around a little bit. They missed some shots early and we were able to get some big rebounds. In the second half Ashlyn, Dru, Morgan, and Naomi [Jimenez] all made big shots for us and we continued to guard, which was a good recipe for a solid road win."
Head coach Bill Carr
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