Dec. 3, 2004
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Santa Clara's narrow 75-74 win at rival San Jose State was the perfect blend of youth and experience.
On the youth side, the Broncos watched sophomore forward Ashley Gonnerman score a career-high 22 points while adding a team-high seven rebounds. As for the experience, fourth-year junior guard Kayla Huss drained a game-winning three-point basket with just .5 seconds left to break a 71-all deadlock to deliver the victory.
Santa Clara moved to 2-3 on the season after suffering back-to-back losses to nationally-ranked Michigan State and Georgia last weekend at the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu. San Jose State fell to 3-2.
The win also provided a valuable three points in the annual Rivalry Series between the two teams, giving Santa Clara a whopping 17-2 edge in the scoring. The victory virtually seals Bronco Athletics' third-straight win in the series and keeps the trophy firmly in place in the Leavey Center trophy cases.
Lamisha Augustine led San Jose State with 21 points, while Amber Jackson scored 18 points to go with 10 boards and Nica Gemo scored 14 with 14 rebounds.
The Broncos return to action Sunday with a 4 p.m. tipoff against UC Davis in the Leavey Center. Tickets will be available at the SCU Athletic Ticket Box Office one hour prior to the event, while the game can be heard and watched live through a subscription to the College Sports Pass on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
Ten of the 11 Broncos who saw action scored in the game, which saw Santa Clara jump out to an eight-point 38-30 lead at the end of the first 20 minutes of play. The Broncos shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line in the first half, while limiting the Spartans to just 14.3 percent from behind the three-point arc.
In the second half, the two teams battled nearly even as SCU never managed more than a 10-point lead while the Spartans chipped away and eventually tied the game at 72-each on a Anetero Aiagaleilei three point basket with just :06 seconds left on the clock.
Bronco senior Michelle Cozad brought the ball down the court off the inbounds play and found Huss on the right wing. The Everett, Wash. native who missed last season due to a back injury, cooly drained a three-pointer from 26-feet away from the basket to put SCU ahead 75-71.
SJSU had one chance remaining after officials called a technical foul on the Santa Clara bench for entering the court with .5 seconds left on the clock. Augustine made both free throws, but a length-of-the-court inbounds play from underneath the Santa Clara basket went beyond the outstretched hands of Gemo and out of bounds to ensure the SCU win.
