Dec. 28, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University women's basketball team returned from holiday break with an 82-51 victory over Arkansas State this afternoon at the Leavey Center. The Broncos' Kayla Huss led all scorers with 15 points as SCU improves to 6-4 on the season. The Lady Indians drop their fifth straight contest and fall to 3-7.
Huss led four Broncos that posted double figures in scoring, as senior Tammy Annas added 12, and senior Kendra Rhea and sophomore Kim Butler added 10 points apiece. Rhea led all rebounders with 11 for her first double-double of the season.
Santa Clara balanced its offense through the line-up, as all 12 players on the roster registered at least one field goal, leading the team to a 54.2 percentage and marking the third time this season the Broncos have shot over .500.
Arkansas State was led by Z Humprhies and Catriece Webster, who each recorded nine points. Jolie McKeirnan, who had been averaging 14 points per contest, was held to just six this afternoon.
The Broncos opened a 25-3 lead during the first eight minutes of the game. Rhea scored the teams first three field goals, while Huss hit two of her five long-distance shots. Santa Clara saw its largest lead of the first half with 7:21 remaining, when junior Whitney Sutak made a 15-footer and put SCU ahead 34-10. A long three from reserve Jennifer Bradley made the score 40-20. Butler closed out the half with two baskets as the teams cleared the court for intermission with Santa Clara up 44-24.
Huss marked another milestone in the second half, when she hit another three to give the Broncos its biggest lead with nine minutes remaining in the contest. She put SCU ahead by 36 points. at 73-37.
Santa Clara will return to action on Monday, when the team travels to San Jose State for a non-conference match against the Spartans. The game can be heard on a live audio broadcast on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
