SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara women's basketball rolled to a 102-71 victory over Washington State Thursday night. The Broncos (18-5, 8-2 WCC) got the offense going early and never let the Cougars' (4-19, 3-7 WCC) defense find its footing.
HOW IT HAPPENED:Â
- Around the seven-minute mark of the first quarter, Santa Clara used a 6-0 run to get out in front of by seven, but it was short-lived as Washington State came right back with eight in a row to get on top 14-13. Undeterred, the Broncos answered with eight in a row of their own to retake the lead. With the clock running out in the quarter, Ashley Hawkins nailed a heave from near half court to give her team a 29-21 lead at the end of the first.
- Santa Clara came out in the second and scored the first seven points to stretch the lead out to 15. Washington State would get it down to eight with just over three minutes left in the half but the Broncos rattled off nine in a row to make it a 17-point game. Hawkins came up big with a tough layup at the buzzer to make it a 52-35 halftime lead for Santa Clara.
- The Broncos went on a 9-0 run in 1:13 midway through the third quarter to blow things open and make it a 26-point lead. The teams went back-and-forth the rest of the way and for the third quarter in a row, Hawkins made a bucket in the final seconds, this one made it 84-56 at the end of the fourth.
- Late in the fourth quarter, Santa Clara got hot from deep and made three to break the 100-point barrier for the third time this season.
NOTABLE:
- Santa Clara shot it at 52.8-percent (38-of-72) from the floor and went 13-for-35 from downtown.
- Hawkins led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point lad while adding seven assists to give her 140 on the season. That ties 10th on the program's single-season list.
- Five others were in double-figures, led by 15 on 7-of-8 shooting by Delainey Miller who also pulled down seven rebounds. Ava Schmidt scored 14 on 5-of-8 shooting with Maia Jones dropping 12. Kate Schat had 11 on a perfect 4-of-4 and 3-of-3 from downtown while Aniya Hooker scored 10.
- Washington State shot 40.3-percent (27-of-67) from the field while going 5-for-16 from beyond the arc.
- Eleonora Villa led the way with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added five assists. Mackenzie Chatfield scored 11 with Alex Covill chipping in 10.
- Santa Clara held a 29-15 advantage in points off turnovers.
- The Broncos collected 14 steals.
- This is the third time Santa Clara has broken the 100-point marker, the most in a single-season in program history. This was already the first time the Broncos had scored 100-plus multiple times in a season.
- The team's 18-5 start is the best since the 2000-01 team started with the same record.
- The 8-2 start to WCC play is the best since the 2005-06 team began league play 10-2.
POSTGAME COMMENTS:Â
HIGHLIGHTS:Â
NEXT UP
- The Broncos host Pepperdine Saturday at 1 p.m.
