SANTA CLARA, Calif. – A 23-0 run in the first half highlighted Santa Clara women's basketball's dominant 91-52 win over UC Merced Wednesday at Leavey Center.
Things were working on both ends of the floor for the Broncos (5-1) who shot 60.0-percent as a team while holding the Bobcats (5-6) to a 32.3-percent mark. UC Merced attempted a whopping 34 3-pointers while connecting on nine with Santa Clara going 7-for-16 from downtown.
The Broncos had a 33-11 edge in points off turnovers thanks to forcing 20 while committing 11. They also held a 54-22 advantage in points in the paint and won the battle of the boards 38-32 while assisting on 24 of 36 baskets.
A monster stretch spanning the first and second quarters put the game out of reach in the early going. On top 21-12 with 2:27 left in the first, Santa Clara scored the next 23 points over the next seven minutes without allowing the Bobcats to get on the board. Things were capped by three-straight layups from Merle Wiehl to make the score 44-12.
Five players scored in double-figures for Santa Clara, led by a career-high 14 from Anna Johnson who was 6-of-10 from the field. Lindsey VanAllen added 13 with Lana Hollingsworth scoring 12, Ashley Hiraki adding 11, and Lara Edmanson chipping in 10. Merle Wiehl had a team-high seven rebounds with nine points and Rafailia Stergaki scored five, her first collegiate points.
The Bobcats best stretch was a 6-0 run early in the second half over 1:49. They held Santa Clara scoreless for 3:11 as well while they posted their run.
Gabrielle Israel scored a team-leading nine. Cierra McClain had eight and Haylee Owen scored seven. Seven others scored for Merced.
NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 1-0 all-time against UC Merced.
- The Broncos 24 assists were the team's most this season, topping 20 against Cal Poly in the season-opener.
- They outscored Merced 31-9 on the fastbreak.
- Santa Clara tied a season-high with five blocks. They also did it against San Jose State.
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The Broncos have a break before heading to Kansas Sunday, December 12.
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