SANTA CLARA, Calif. – In a game they led for over 33 minutes, Santa Clara women's basketball beat Gonzaga by a final of 77-73 Sunday in the only regular season matchup between the two teams. The Broncos (13-4, 3-1 WCC) took the lead for good in the first quarter but had to hold off the Bulldogs (11-6, 3-1 WCC) all day, including a push late in the fourth quarter.
HOW IT HAPPENED:Â
- With Gonzaga up two and six minutes left in the first quarter, Santa Clara went on 6-0 run, with the last four points coming from Sophie Glancey, to get out in front for the first time. After some back-and-forth, a Kylie Fox triple with four seconds left on the clock sent the Broncos to the first break up 19-14.
- Back-to-back 3-pointers by Fox and Ashley Hawkins pushed the Santa Clara lead out to a game-high eight at the 6:05 mark of the second period, but Gonzaga got it back down to three on the next two possessions. Maia Jones would score the next eight for the Broncos, including a pair from downtown, as the teams traded points, and Glancey's last second layup would put Santa Clara up 39-34 at the half.
- Santa Clara kept the lead around six for most of the the third quarter but was able to stretch to as many as 10 with 39 seconds to go. A triple by Gonzaga on the last possession sent the game to the fourth with the Broncos up 59-52.
- Lauren Whitaker got the Bulldogs deficit down o two with four straight points near the five-minute mark of the fourth. After Hawkins connected from downtown, back-to-back buckets for Gonzaga made it just a one-point Santa Clara lead. Zeryhia Aokuso converted and and-one with just under two minutes to go to make it a one-point game again at 72-71. After both teams went on a bit of a dry spell, Maia Jones made a huge layup through contact and Hawkins followed with a pair of free throws after a defensive stop. Gonzaga once again got it to a one possession game at 76-73 with eight seconds to go. The Bulldogs looked to have life as the Jones missed both free throws after a foul, but Ava Schmidt came up with a huge offensive rebound and iced the game at the charity stripe.
NOTABLE:
- Santa Clara shot 36.8-percent from the field while going 11-of-33 from downtown. The Broncos were also 16-for-21 from the free throw line.
- Glancey and Fox led the way with 17 points each as both went 5-of-10 from the field. Glancey added eight rebounds and Fox knocked down three 3-pointers. Hawkins had a double-double with 16 points, including 13 in the second half, to go with a career-high-tying 11 assists. She did not commit a turnover. Jones was also in double-figures with 15 points.
- Gonzaga shot 40.9-percent from the floor and went 7-of-20 from beyond the arc.
- Whitaker led all scorers with 21 points and added 13 rebounds for the double-double. Aokuso scored 15 with seven rebounds and Allie Turner chipped in 13 points.
- Santa Clara forced 20 Gonzaga turnovers while committing just seven and turned them into 17 points.
- The Broncos outscored the Zags 24-6 on the fast break.
- This was Santa Clara's first win over Gonzaga since February 2, 2023. The Broncos beat the then-No. 17/18 Zags 77-72 at Leavey Center.
- The 13-4 start ties the 2023-24 team for the best start since 2001-02 when the team also started 13-4. The 2023-24 squad advanced to the WBIT and the 2001-02 team made the NCAA Tournament.
POSTGAME COMMENTS:Â
HIGHLIGHTS:Â
NEXT UP
- The Broncos play at San Francisco Thursday at 6 p.m.
