LAS VEGAS — Santa Clara University women's basketball head coach Bill Carr has continuously called the 2022-23 Broncos, "a work in progress."
The work may not quite be done, but if Friday is any indication – the Broncos could be well on their way.
Santa Clara opened the Las Vegas Holiday Classic Friday by dominating a South Dakota team that reached the Sweet 16 a year ago. The Broncos shot over 50% as a team for the second straight game and held the Coyotes to under 30% as they opened the neutral site holiday weekend tournament with a 75-50 win at the Orleans Arena.
Santa Clara (4-3) jumped all over the Coyotes (4-2) from the outset. The Broncos started the game on a 12-0 run and never looked back, leading the entire game. South Dakota started the game going 0 for 11 from the floor. It did not make a basket for the first 4 1/2 minutes of the game, finally making a layup at the 5:34 mark of the first quarter to make it 12-2.
South Dakota was stifled by the Santa Clara defense from start to finish. It shot 2 for 18 (11.1%) in the first quarter and 3 for 12 (25.0%) in the fourth. Meanwhile, Santa Clara couldn't miss in the first half, going 16 for 24 (66.7%) from the field and 5 for 9 (55.6%) deep, getting out to a 40-25 halftime lead.
Friday was the third game in a row the Broncos had at least 10 players score points. Santa Clara lost its fourth-highest scoring tandem in program history after last season when Lindsey VanAllen (19.2 points per game) and Merle Wiehl (12.5 ppg) graduated. In their place, the Broncos have found ways to utilize nearly the entire roster and make everyone a threat with the ball.
Four Broncos finished in double figures, led by a game-high 13 points from both Lara Edmanson and Lexie Pritchard. Edmanson logged her second double-double of the season with a game-leading 10 rebounds. She also had three blocks and two steals, proving relentless on both defense and offense. Tess Heal had 11 points to go with six assists, five rebounds and a steal in a complete effort. Ayzhiana Basallo scored 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting and added three boards and a steal.
Santa Clara dominated nearly every facet of the game Friday in stopping the Coyotes' three-game winning streak. The Broncos shot 52.5% while holding South Dakota to just 29.5% – the lowest by a Santa Clara opponent since it held Holy Names University to 25.7% shooting on Dec. 20, 2021. Santa Clara controlled the boards, outrebounding South Dakota, 39-27. The Broncos outscored the Coyotes, 33-19, in the paint, and outshot them 38.1% to 19.0% from 3-point range.
South Dakota didn't have any players reach double-digit points. It was led by nine points from both Macy Guebert and Grace Larkins.
Santa Clara closes the Las Vegas Holiday Classic at 1:30 p.m. Saturday versus Washington – 71-62 winners over Fordham on Friday. Fans can find all live coverage links on the Broncos' schedule page.
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