MALIBU, Calif. – Santa Clara women's basketball withstood a furious second half comeback by Pepperdine to pick up a 68-64 victory on the road Saturday afternoon.

After a deep 3-pointer from Kendyl Carson cut the Waves (3-9, 0-8 WCC) deficit to just two, the closest the game had been since the opening basket, Pepperdine got the stop it needed and had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds.

Tara Dusharm got the ball down low but the Broncos (9-6, 5-4 WCC) defense came up with the stop and Lindsey VanAllen iced the game on the other end with a pair of free throws for two of her team high 16 points.

Santa Clara shot 43.5-percent for the game but that was dragged down by an 8-for-28 second half, including a 3-for-15 fourth quarter. The Broncos shot 55.9-percent in the first half to build a 46-28 halftime lead that featured a period-ending 10-2 run closed out by Ashlee Maldonado's buzzer-beating layup.

With Santa Clara on top by 20 after Ashley Hiraki's layup with 1:15 left in the third quarter made it a 58-38 game, Pepperdine would control the rest of the game. Malia Bambrick scored the final five points of the third quarter and the first two of the fourth with Givens adding three points to make it a 10-0 run.

After four points for the Broncos, the Waves came back with another 10 in a row to get within four. Jayla Ruffus-Milner scored the final two buckets of the run, with her layup at 4:21 making the score 62-58.

Later in the period, Ruffus-Milner made it a one-possession game with a free throw at the 2:17 mark. The Waves hadn't been that close since their first bucket of the game made it 5-2.

Bambrick led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-4 from downtown. Ruffus-Milner added 11 on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and added six rebounds. Carson scored eight with seven assists.

Despite the close finish, Santa Clara never trailed in the game. A 7-0 run, featuring five points from Lexie Pritchard, put the Broncos on top by double figures with seven minutes left in the second quarter. The lead wouldn't get into single digits until the fourth. Pritchard's layup started the run and her 3-pointer at the six-minute mark of the second period made it 33-18.

Pritchard ended the game with seven points and four assists. Bryce Nixon also chipped in eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

The Broncos found themselves on top by 20 for the first time after a 6-0 run midway through the third. Ashlyn Herlihy scored the first four points and VanAllen finished it with a layup at the 3:14 mark.

Herlihy scored 14 on 5-of-9 shooting and Merle Wiehl just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

The #SCUBroncos defense comes up big with one more stand!#StampedeTogether #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/igckt0wlwZ

— Santa Clara Women's Basketball (@Santaclarawbb) January 30, 2021

NOTES

• Santa Clara is now 41-41 all-time against Pepperdine.
• The Broncos turned 16 Waves turnovers into 19 points.
• Ashlyn Herlihy moved into 22nd all-time at Santa Clara with 1,052 career points.
• Lexie Pritchard was not in the starting lineup for the first time this season. Danja Stafford took her place.

UP NEXT
The Broncos and Waves play again Sunday at 2 p.m.

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