PORTLAND, Ore. — Host Portland made itself right at home Thursday, comfortably tying a program record with 15 made 3-pointers – including 11 in the first half – to hold off a hard-fighting Santa Clara University women's basketball team and win, 81-71, in a West Coast Conference matchup at the Chiles Center.
Portland (11-5, 5-0 WCC) set a season-high for 3-pointers in a game by halftime with 11. It made seven in the first quarter alone, and started the game a perfect 6 for 6 from deep. Six different Pilots made treys, with Emme Shearer and Alex Fowler making four each. Portland's 15 3-pointers made were the most ever by a Santa Clara opponent, as it went 15 for 29 (51.7%) from beyond the arc.
But despite allowing so many long balls, Santa Clara (10-7, 1-3 WCC) still only trailed by four after the first quarter and six at halftime. The Broncos attacked the Pilots down low, outscoring them 36-18 in the paint. That included a 22-4 disparity at halftime.
Q2, 1:02 | @PortlandWBB 42, #Broncos 36
— Santa Clara Women's Basketball (@Santaclarawbb) January 6, 2023
It's an Ashlee-to-Ashley connection!
Maldonado finds Hiraki underneath for the lay-in! ��#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/MJhrw3e1x5
Olivia Pollerd hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter that pulled Santa Clara within five at 67-62. She was back in the Broncos' starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 4. Later, Lara Edmanson made back-to-back layups and had the Broncos back within five at 71-66 with 3 minutes, 30 seconds, left to play, but they went cold after that. They went 2 for 8 from the floor over those last 3 1/2 minutes, while Portland went 5 for 6 from the free-throw line and made three of its last four shots to close out the victory.
Q4, 7:26 | @PortlandWBB 67, #Broncos 62
— Santa Clara Women's Basketball (@Santaclarawbb) January 6, 2023
Olivia Pollerd hits the corner trey and Santa Clara is within 5️⃣!
Still plenty of basketball left to play ��#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/rbNCdRblcB
Heal led Santa Clara with 23 points, her sixth 20-point game of the season. She had a game-high 19 at halftime on 7-for-9 shooting, but the Pilots shut her down in the second half, holding her to just 2 for 10 from the field. She also added eight rebounds and five assists. Pollerd and Marya Hudgins both scored 12 points, and Edmanson had 11 with one rebound shy of a double-double at nine.
Fowler, the defending WCC Player of the Week, finished with a game-high 26 points and added seven rebounds and three assists. Her four 3-balls were a career best after entering the game with only three all season. Shearer gave Portland two 20-point scorers with 20 of her own. Liana Kaitu'u chipped in 10 with a game-high six assists and five rebounds.
Santa Clara next travels to No. 20/20 Gonzaga on Saturday. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Women's Basketball: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
