Nov. 4, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Senior Jen Gottschalk's scored a team-best 18 points to help the Santa Clara women's basketball team to a 75-69 victory over San Francisco State Sunday afternoon at the Leavey Center. The game was the Broncos final preseason exhibition contest before starting the regular season on Friday, Nov. 9 against Nevada.
Three more Broncos registered double-figures in points as Tracey Walker recorded 17 points and Chandice Cronk and Elizabeth Doran added 13 points each. Redshirt junior Sara Majors posted a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out a game-best six assists.
The Gators' Krystle Mays scored the first basket of the afternoon to put San Francisco up 2-0 but the Broncos answered quickly with a trey from Doran and back-to-back free throws from Cronk to make the sore 5-2. Santa Clara took control of the play and created a seven-point gap, 19-12, on a layup from Gottschalk. But SF State fought hard to bring the score within two points, 26-24, on a jumper from Krystle Brown. Yet, the Broncos continued to own a solid edge in the first half as two good free throws put the Broncos back up 30-24.
With five minutes remaining, Mays tied the score 32-32 for the Gators. Zalisha Oliver then put San Francisco State up by two points 37-35 and the two teams went head-to-head for remaining three minutes. Santa Clara grabbed a one point edge, 42-41, on a good jumper from Doran, but a three-point shot from Samantha Brockel ended the first half, 44-42, for SF State.
SF State tried to advance their lead to four-points at the start of the second half with back-to-back jumpers from Desiree Butler and Brown, but Doran struck again from beyond the arc to give Santa Clara a 45-44 lead. The Broncos then increased their advantage to seven points on a solid layup from Majors. The tandem of Gottschalk and Majors kept the Broncos in control as three straight layups from Gottschalk gave Santa Clara its largest lead of the game, 61-52. Gottschalk would shoot 8-for-9 in the second half.
However, the Gators were not willing to give up that easily and rallied back to knot the score for the fourth time, 63-63. The score was tied for a sixth time, 66-66, on a layup from Majors and a two-point field goal from Walker the Broncos control for the last time. Walker and Gottschalk tacked on two points each for SCU and a free throw from Cronk ended the game, 75-69.
For the Gators, Mays recorded a game-high 19 points and posted 10 rebounds, while Brio Rode added 13 points and tied the game-best three steals.
Santa Clara opens the regular season on the road on November 9 against Nevada. Tip off is schedule for 7 p.m. at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev.
