Jan. 2, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team ended its non-conference slate Monday night with a 64-46 loss to the Fresno State Bulldogs. The defeat also snapped the Bronco winning streak at four.
Michelle Cozad paced the Broncos with 11 points and seven rebounds on the night, while Tracey Walker added eight points. Kayla Huss and Ashley Gonnerman each had seven points.
A slow start put the Broncos in an early hole as they made only four of their first 14 shots and committed nine turnovers in the first ten minutes of the game. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, shot 60% in that span and on the strength of six points apiece by Tierre Wilson and Brittani Green, built a 25-11 lead.
The 14-point deficit stayed in that neighborhood for the remainder of the half as Santa Clara went into the locker room at the break trailing 37-22.
The second half got off to a promising start as the Broncos opened things up with a 6-1 run that cut the Bulldog lead to 10. But SCU's shooting woes continued to plague them and the Bulldogs showed no signs of slowing down. With 11:22 remaining in the game, Fresno State had built a 17-point lead at 48-31, and with five minutes remaining extended the tally to 64-39.
Santa Clara will begin WCC play this weekend as they travel to the Pacific Northwest for a pair of games. Friday night the Broncos meet the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a rematch of last season's WCC Tournament title game. The 8 p.m. contest will be televised live on Fox Sports Net. SCU will then conclude the trip with a 2 p.m. tip-off at Portland on Sunday afternoon.
