SPOKANE, Wash. – Five players in double-figures helped No. 18 Gonzaga top Santa Clara women's basketball 78-61 Saturday afternoon in the Kennel.
The Bulldogs (19-2, 8-1 WCC) won the game at the free throw line, connecting on 22 of 25 attempts while drawing 22 fouls. The Broncos (10-10, 3-6 WCC) managed to get the charity stripe just five times while converting four and drawing 11 fouls.
After Santa Clara took a lead in the second quarter, the Zags scored the final eight of the first half, led by two 3-pointers from Jill Townsend, to take a 36-33 lead into the locker room.
The Bulldogs continued to add to their lead in the third despite never scoring more than five in a row and used a 22-14 quarter to build a double-figure lead at 58-47 before finally pulling away in the fourth.
Zykera Rice led all scorers with 18 points despite shooting 5-for-16 from the field thanks to going 8-for-9 from the line. Townsend finished the day with 14 points and Chandler Smith had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jenn Wirth LeeAnne Wirth both added 10 points.
A 10-0 Santa Clara run over 2:34 in the second quarter gave the Broncos their first lead of the day at 30-25 with 3:17 to go in the half. Charise Holloway and Emily Wolph both drilled triples with Holloway and Tia Hay connecting on layups.
Holloway finished with a team-high 16 and was 4-for-5 from beyond the arc while adding five rebounds. Hay, the team's leading scorer, added 15 with Ashlyn Herlihy scoring 10. Wolph finished with nine points.
NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 29-39 all-time against Gonzaga.
- With two blocks, Lauren Yearwood now has 49 on the season, good for fifth on Santa Clara's single-season list.
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Santa Clara begins a three-game homestand with San Francisco Saturday at 2 p.m.
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