Feb. 26, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - San Diego's Amanda Rego scored in the final minute of regulation to lift the Torero women's basketball team to a 73-71 victory this afternoon at the Leavey Center, The loss drops the Broncos to 14-13 overall, 8-6 in the WCC, and places SCU as the third seed in next weekend's West Coast Conference Championship.
Ashley Gonnerman returned to the starting line-up and led Santa Clara with 18 points. Tori Markey and Michelle Cozad came off the bench to add 13 and 10 points, respectively. Quinn Thomas, the Broncos' only senior on the roster, was honored prior to tip-off and finished with 13 points.
Santa Clara held a 40-34 lead at the half, in a contest that was close the entire afternoon. There were a total of 10 lead changes and eight ties throughout the game. Down by four at the two-minute warning, Cozad hit back-to-back jumpers 35 seconds apart to tie the game at 71 heading into the final minute. San Diego took a time out to discuss strategy and Rego executed with the game-winning basket. Santa Clara's final attempts as the clock wound down were no good.
The Broncos led by as many as 11 after Thomas hit her third three of the first half, and held a five point lead at 6:29 in the second period.
Sabine Loewe led all scorers with 21 points, and Tiara Harris added 14. Michelle Augustavo netted 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds, and Rego also finished in double figures, posting 11 points and adding six assists and six rebounds.
The Broncos will host the WCC Women's Basketball Championship at the Leavey Center next week. The WCC will use the traditional No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed format, and all eight WCC schools will play on the first day of the tournament. The 14th annual women's tournament will begin with first-round action on March 3 and then take a day off on March 4. Play will resume with the semifinals on March 5 and the championship game on March 6.
All-session tickets are on sale now through each WCC institution's ticket office. Please note that any remaining single-session tickets will not go on sale until Monday. A Women's All-Session General Admission Pass is $40, and a single session pass is $12. Students and Youths will be admitted to a single session for only $5, and students of WCC institutions can watch a single game for $5.