Jan. 26, 2002
LOS ANGELES - Junior forward Tammy Annas led Santa Clara to a 73-58 victory over Loyola Marymount in West Coast Conference women's basketball action tonight at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles. She scored 16 points as the Broncos improve to 14-5 overall, 4-2 in league play, while the Lions fall to 11-8, 3-3.
The Broncos opened the game with a 9-0 run, capped by a post move by junior forward Kendra Rhea, forcing LMU head coach Julie Wilhoit to take a time out. The Lions didn't score their first points until the 16:19 mark of the half, a lay-up by Mary Turner. Junior forward Tammy Annas' second three of the game forced another Lion time out with the Broncos ahead 17-5.
The Bronco defense remained tough and kept the Lions out of double-digit scoring for the first 10 minutes. Kate Murray's three with 9:25 remaining in the period gave LMU 12 points, but SCU countered with consecutive threes by redshirt freshman Megan Nelson and senior Becki Ashbaugh, making the score 27-12. A last-second lay-up didn't go in for Ashbaugh, but the Broncos held their third double-digit halftime lead in six conference games, ahead 38-23 at intermission.
The Broncos held on the second half, as LMU decreased the lead to as few as nine, at 59-50, with four minutes remaining.
After a one-game hiatus, the Broncos' long-distance shooting returned, as SCU hit 6-12 from the three in the first half en route to 10 three-pointers on the night and a 44 percent shooting night overall. Ashbaugh finished with 10 first-half points, while Annas led the Broncos with 16 points. Murray led all scorers with a career-high 28 points.
The physical game saw 39 fouls called between the teams. LMU's Rosa Bernasconi fouled out with 3:55 remaining, while SCU's Julie Butler, a junior forward, fouled out with 2:07 in the game. Butler finished with eight points. The Lions' Bryn Britton fouled out with under a minute remaining.
The Broncos will close out the first half of league play next weekend at home when it hosts Saint Mary's and San Francisco in continuing WCC action. The Gaels will visit on Thursday, January 31 while the Dons will arrive for a Saturday, February 2 contest. Both games will begin at 7 p.m. at the Leavey Center.
