STOCKTON, Calif. – A rough night from the field and too many turnovers for Santa Clara women's basketball led to a 55-37 loss at Pacific on Thursday night.
The Broncos (7-15, 3-8 WCC) shot a season-low 27.3-percent from the floor, including 19.0-percent in the second half, and produced a season-worst offensive output while also turning the ball over 22 times.
Despite tying a season-low in points, the Tigers (11-11, 5-6 WCC) scored enough by taking advantage of the Santa Clara miscues and turned them into 17 points. On the other side, Pacific turned it over just 11 times with Santa Clara scoring four points off the turnovers.
Jenelle Grant led the way with a game-high 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and brought down a team-high eight rebounds. Both Ameela Li and GeAnna Luaulu-Summers scored nine but Luaulu-Summers was just 2-of-13 from the field despite grabbing a team-high nine boards.
The Broncos didn't have a player score in double-figures with Morgan McGwire and Taylor Berry scoring eight apiece to lead the team, but it was enough for McGwire to reach a career milestone. She also posted her ninth double-digit rebounding game of the year with 13.
With her layup at 1:12 in the fourth quarter, McGwire became the 24th Bronco with 1,000 career points.
The Tigers pulled away late in the third quarter with a 6-0 run over a minute and a half that put them up double-digits for the first time at 39-29.
They stretched the lead to a game-high 20 with an 8-0 run in the fourth. Despite not scoring for nearly three minutes during the run, the Tigers were able to build a 55-35 lead by holding the Broncos scoreless for over four minutes.
Li and Luaulu-Summers hit back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the second quarter and started Pacific on an 8-0 run that put the Tigers up 21-15 with 8:49 on the clock. They would never surrender the lead.
After the Pacific run, back-to-back and-ones for the Broncos, one by Berry and one by Ashlyn Herlihy, cut the deficit to 22-21 at the 6:53 mark of the second quarter. Santa Clara got the Tigers lead to one again with 54 seconds left in the period but wouldn't get that close again.
MCGWIRE'S MILESTONE MOMENT
HIGHLIGHT | Morgan McGwire scored her 1,000th point as a Bronco in last night's @WCCSports contest at Pacific! FULL HIGHLIGHTS ▶️ https://t.co/lWHlX0Sga2 #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/HtXFfE1lqP
— Santa Clara WBB (@Santaclarawbb) February 3, 2018
NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 27-21 all-time against Pacific.
- Taylor Berry made her 96th consecutive start.
- The starting lineup of Kyla Martin, Dru Toleafoa, Naomi Jimenez, Taylor Berry, and Morgan McGwire was used for the 18th time in 22 games.
- Santa Clara trailed for just 38 seconds in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Santa Clara travels to rival San Francisco Saturday at 2 p.m.
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