Late Rally Falls Short As Gonzaga Tops Santa Clara, 80-71
Feb. 28, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's basketball team rallied back from a 20-point deficit to make it a four-point game Thursday night against Gonzaga, but was unable to overcome the 2008 West Coast Conference regular-season champions as the Broncos fell, 80-71, at the Leavey Center. With the setback, SCU dropped to 18-10 on the season and 7-6 in league play, while the Zags improved to 21-7 overall and 12-1 in league play. "I am very proud of the effort my players put in tonight," said head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "We were down 20 points on the top team in the conference but they continued to fight and fight to the very end." Tracey Walker led all players with five steals and was the Broncos leading scorer with 21 points. Jen Gottschalk registered her 10th double-double of the season with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while dishing out a game-high six assists. Nicole Gall also tallied double-figures as she added 11 points. SCU fought to gain its momentum the first five minutes of Thursday's contest. Gonzaga created a 7-0 run with points but a layup by Gottschalk put the Broncos on the scoreboard with 15:58 to play. Gottschalk then registered her first three-pointer of the night to bring Santa Clara within two, 7-5. However, a jumper from Maria Hassett and a trey by Courtney Vandersloot gave the Bulldogs another seven-point edge, 12-5. Gonzaga held the advantage through the entire game, but the Broncos fought hard to tie the game. Key baskets made by Claire Goins, Gottschalk and Sara Majors allowed Santa Clara to come within two points once again with 4:48 left in the half. However, Gonzaga then created a 10-0 rally on three deuces by Jami Bjorkland and a jumper by Elaina Renius, 36-28. Yet, just before the buzzer Walker made a jumper to make the final score of the half, 38-30.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with to made free shots by Heather Bowman. She went 14-for-14 from the foul line in the second half. The Broncos cut the gap to five points on free shots by Majors, 46-41, but the Bulldogs went on a 15-0 run over the course of four minutes to create their largest lead of the contest, 61-41, with 11:06 to play. Yet, Santa Clara was not ready to give up quite yet and rallied back on solid efforts from Elizabeth Doran, Gottschalk, Walker and Gall to make it a four-point game with 2:19 remaining. However, foul trouble sent Bowman and Vandersloot to the charity stripe several times to keep the Broncos at bay. Michelle Elliott ended the game's scoring efforts with a made free throw, 80-71. The Broncos bring the 2008 regular season to a close Saturday afternoon against the Pilots of Portland. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Leavey Center. Join the Broncos as they say thank you to the 2008 senior class in a ceremony just prior to tip off. |
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