PORTLAND, Ore. – Despite yet another career day from Lindsey VanAllen, Santa Clara women's basketball came up just short at Portland in a 76-71 overtime defeat on Saturday afternoon.
Fresh off eclipsing the 1,000 career point mark and having set career-highs in scoring in two of the last three games, VanAllen continued her torrid stretch with a new career-high of 32 points, including a 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation that sent the game into overtime.
The teams went back-and-forth to start overtime, exchanging one-point leads, but the Pilots (12-4, 2-2 WCC) got five in a row from Alex Fowler midway through the extra period to get on top by four. VanAllen would cut the deficit down to two on the next possession, but again Portland had an answer, this time a jumper by Maisie Burnham with 45 seconds to go. The Broncos (9-6, 3-2 WCC) wouldn't be able to score again.
Fowler tied VanAllen with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting, as well as 9-of-14 from the free throw line, and added 13 boards for the double-double. Lucy Cochrane finished with 11 and Haylee Andrews had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists scored 10. Burnham scored eight.
With Santa Clara down three and just six seconds on the clock, VanAllen used a pump fake before connecting on her first 3-pointer of the day, to even the score at 63-all and send the game into overtime. Before the make, she had been 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
VanAllen was 14-of-27 from the floor, both also career-highs, while pulling down seven rebounds, a season-high. Merle Wiehl added 15 points and hit three of the Broncos' five 3-pointers on the day. Danja Stafford battled foul trouble and ultimately fouled out but still posted her first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams had similar days shooting the ball. Santa Clara finished at 41.-8 percent from the field while Portland was 43.9-percent. The Broncos went 5-of-17 from deep with the Pilots going 3-of-9. The biggest difference was at the foul line where Portland attempted 34 free throws, making 23, with the Broncos attempting just 15, connecting on 10.
The game was within five points the entire way except for a 15-2 run by Portland in that ended in the second quarter. The Broncos responded with a 12-2 run of their own over the next four minutes to retake the lead at 30-29 when Lara Edmanson made a pair from the free throw line. Portland would take a lead into halftime as Maddie Mulheim hit three free throws in the final seconds.
NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 48-33 all-time against San Francisco.
- Lindsey VanAllen is now at 1,036 career points, good for 24th all-time at Santa Clara. Next is Terri Reade (1978-82) with 1,042.
- The Broncos were without Lexie Pritchard who was injured at Long Beach State. A timetable for her return is uncertain. Ashlee Maldonado is also out and will miss the entire season.
NEXT UP
The Broncos stay on the road at play at BYU Thursday at 10 a.m. Pacific.
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