LAS VEGAS — Everything was going the Santa Clara University women's basketball team's way on Thursday.
Everything.
The Broncos led by 11 at halftime and by as much as 14 in the third quarter, looking well on their way to advancing past the first round of the 2023 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament.
But this is March Madness.
No. 9 seed Pepperdine outscored eighth-seeded Santa Clara, 32-15, in the last 11 1/2 minutes of the game, putting together a furious comeback to earn its third consecutive win – second in five days over the Broncos – and a trip to the second round with a 63-60 victory at Orleans Arena.
Santa Clara (15-17) could do no wrong during the first three quarters Thursday. The defense held Pepperdine (11-18) to a measly 18.8% in the first half and 29.2% through three quarters. This, after the Waves shot over 48% against them only five days ago. They had six steals, three blocks and were shooting 43.2% as a team through the first three periods. They were even outrebounding the WCC's top rebounding team, 23-22, at the break.
But as Santa Clara head coach Bill Carr said during the postgame press conference – "Sometimes you get beat."
One last postgame with head @coachbillcarr after today's battle at the 2023 @UCU_LA @WCChoops Tournament in Las Vegas ��#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/p4l8ITOKHp
— Santa Clara Women's Basketball (@Santaclarawbb) March 3, 2023
"(Pepperdine) made some shots," said Carr. "They made some shots that they maybe normally don't make and got some energy and got on the boards a little bit more than they had been. We were in foul trouble, that didn't help us, but no, I think both teams battled. We battled and played hard. I was proud of them.
"Sometimes you get beat. I don't like to say that, but sometimes you just get beat, and Pepp deserves the credit on that one."
Pepperdine shot the lights out in the fourth quarter. Lexie Pritchard's layup off the high glass gave Santa Clara a 10-point lead at 53-43 with 7 1/2 minutes to play. But it wasn't enough to hold off the red-hot Waves, who made nine of their last 11 shots. That included two 3-pointers to start the run and another at the end of the third quarter that made it a single-digit game at 47-38. Those were the only three treys they made all game, but they made them during their must-have-it comeback.
Tess Heal put a bow on a record-setting freshman year Thursday. After being named the WCC Newcomer of the Year, all-WCC First Team and to the WCC All-Freshman team this week, she scored a game-high 29 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished two assists and recorded a season-high two blocks. She finished the season with 562 points – fourth-most in a single season at Santa Clara. The only player to ever score more than her is Broncos' all-time leading scorer Melissa King (1990-93). Heal put her name on five other Broncos single-season top-10 record lists, including made free throws (4th, 141), made field goals (t-4th, 200) and minutes played (8th, 1,031).
Q1, 40.3 | #Broncos 17, @WavesHoops 10
— Santa Clara Women's Basketball (@Santaclarawbb) March 2, 2023
����������-����-���������� by Tess Heal, and Santa Clara leads by 7️⃣!#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/qdujOwV0ca
Lara Edmanson scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds. She finished 2022-23 tied for fifth all-time at Santa Clara with a 55.3% season field-goal percentage. She and Heal combined to be the program's fifth-best scoring tandem in history, totaling 901 points as a duo.
Pollerd was the Broncos' third double-digit scorer with 11 points. She also had five rebounds and a steal. Pollerd made the Broncos' only 3-pointer of the game. The team went 1 for 15 (6.7%) from 3-point range. It was the first time in more than five years that Santa Clara only made one 3-pointer in a game – since Dec. 21, 2017, at Grand Canyon, also a narrow defeat at 39-38.
Pepperdine got 17 points from both Jane Nwaba and Marly Walls. Theresa Grace Mbanefo chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds. The Waves entered the game as the WCC's worst free-throw shooting team (69.1%) and would make 14 of 15 tries from the charity stripe.
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