LOS ANGELES – Despite some hot shooting to start the final road game of the year, Santa Clara women's basketball fell at LMU 64-43 Thursday night.
The Broncos (9-19, 5-12 WCC) came out firing, knocking down five 3-pointers in the first quarter but hit just one the rest of the way and the Lions (18-10, 10-7 WCC) dominated the second half and in the paint to come away with the win.
LMU scored the first 15 points of the third quarter and won the period 17-1 with the only Santa Clara point coming on a free throw from Kyla Martin with 22 seconds to go. The Broncos were 0-for-10 from the field and 0-for-7 from beyond the arc and saw their seven-point halftime lead turn into a 42-33 deficit.
The Lions outscored the Broncos 40-18 in points in the paint while shooting 45-percent from the field.
Santa Clara was just 5-for-24 in the second half, highlighted by a 13-minute stretch without a field goal. Ashlyn Herlihy's jumper with 8:14 left in the fourth quarter ended a streak that began with Naomi Jimenez's jumper at the 1:26 mark of the second quarter.
Herlihy led Santa Clara with 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, just missing a double-double. Morgan McGwire pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds and scored six points with Taylor Berry scoring eight.
An 8-0 LMU run over three minutes in the fourth put the game away for the Lions. A pair of free throws from Josie Buckingham at 1:46 made it 61-41, the first time the lead had gotten to as many as 20.
Makenzie Cast led all scorers with 16 points and was 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Bree Alford scored eight with 11 rebounds and two other Lions scored seven each.
A 3-pointer from Herlihy with 5:34 to go in the second quarter capped a 7-0 run for the Broncos and put them up double-figures for the first time at 28-18.
The fifth 3-pointer of the first quarter gave the Broncos a 21-12 lead with 1:56 to go in the period.
HIGHLIGHT | The #SCUBroncos get up and down for a transition layup during yesterday's @WCCSports tilt at Loyola Marymount! FULL HIGHLIGHTS ▶️ https://t.co/IBMZnnJxzT #StampedeTogether #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/05ThkXrgkQ
— Santa Clara WBB (@Santaclarawbb) February 24, 2018
NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 47-26 all-time against Loyola Marymount.
- Taylor Berry made her 102nd consecutive start.
- Morgan McGwire had her 12th double-digit rebounding game of the year and fourth in the last five games.
- Santa Clara had 13 assists on 17 made field goals.
- The Broncos had a 38-33 edge on the glass and a 13-9 lead on offensive rebounds.
UP NEXT
Santa Clara hosts Saint Mary's on Saturday at 2 p.m. for Senior Day. The Broncos will honor seniors Morgan McGwire, Taylor Berry, and Kyla Martin in a pregame ceremony.
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