Box Score LONG BEACH, Calif. — Santa Clara women's basketball defeated Long Beach State 89-70 on Monday night to cap a 3-0 road trip to open the season.
This is the Broncos (3-0) first 3-0 start since 2021-22. It is the first time the Santa Clara has started 3-0 on the road since 2003-04. The third road win that season came in the team's sixth game.
The Broncos generated extra opportunities throughout the game, finishing with a 50-37 rebounding advantage, including 25 offensive rebounds to 11 for Long Beach State (0-2), and a 19-10 edge in second-chance points. Santa Clara also committed only five turnovers while Long Beach State had 15, with an 18-5 advantage in points off turnovers and a 17-5 edge in fast-break points.
The Broncos built an early 15-4 lead as Maia Jones hit two 3-pointers, Ava Schmidt added another and Santa Clara scored repeatedly in transition. Long Beach State worked back into the quarter, getting a three-point play from Noemi Arvai and later 3-pointers from Ebony Taylor-Smith and Amber Furch, with Furch's basket at 1:50 putting the home team ahead 22-21. Jones answered with a 3-pointer at 1:38 off a Kylee Fox assist, and the Broncos got late defensive stops before Jones hit another 3-pointer at the buzzer off an assist from Sophie Glancey to close the quarter ahead 27-22.
Glancey scored inside to put Santa Clara ahead 29-22 at 9:28, and after Arvai's layup and free throw brought Long Beach State within 29-25, Aniya Hooker's free throws helped the Broncos move back out to 34-25. Kate Schat hit a 3-pointer for a 37-27 lead, but Long Beach State answered with Furch's layup and Arvai's 3-pointer to cut it to 37-32. Santa Clara used second-chance possessions to steady the quarter, with Emma Najjuma converting a free throw before Jones made a layup and free throw and Schmidt added a jumper for a 43-32 advantage. Long Beach State got back within 43-37 on Arvai's 3-pointer and fast-break layup, but Schmidt hit a transition 3-pointer, Jones added two free throws and another 3-pointer, and the Broncos led 51-39 at halftime.
Schmidt hit a 3-pointer off Aniya Hooker assist at 8:31 to put Santa Clara ahead 54-39, and after Arvai answered from deep, Schmidt scored inside to make it 56-42. Furch's two free throws brought Long Beach State within 56-44, but Glancey and Najjuma added inside scoring as the Broncos moved to 62-47 before Long Beach State got baskets from Kailyn Berry and Furch to make it 62-51. Santa Clara followed with an 8-0 run from 2:51 to 1:30, with Najjuma's tip-in, Delainey Miller's 3-pointer and Glancey's 3-pointer pushing the score to 70-51. Long Beach State added late 3-pointers from Lucia Chico Fernandez and Fia Proctor around a Glancey jumper, and the Broncos entered the fourth quarter ahead 72-57.
Glancey scored off Sara Schmerbach's offensive rebound and assist at 9:35 to put Santa Clara ahead 74-57, and after Long Beach State got baskets from Berry and Danijela Kujovic around a Miller jumper, Hooker hit a 3-pointer to make it 79-61. Taylor-Smith answered with a 3-pointer, but Najjuma put back a miss and Miller scored in transition to move the Broncos in front 83-64. Kujovic made a 3-pointer and assisted Proctor's jumper as Long Beach State moved the score to 83-69, before Glancey finished another second-chance possession at 3:26. Najjuma blocked three shots in the quarter, Miller made two free throws at 2:06 and Najjuma added a layup off an assist from Schmerbach with 1:02 left as Santa Clara closed out an 89-70 win.
Santa Clara shot 38.6-percent from the floor and was 12-of-33 from deep and 13-of-15 from the free throw line.
For the Broncos, Jones scored 24 points with five 3-pointers, all in the first half, and added two steals. Najjuma had the double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, eight on the offensive end, to go with a career-high five blocks. Hooker finished with a career-high nine assists, nine points and two steals. Glancey added 14 points and eight rebounds. Miller and Schmidt both scored 13 to give the Broncos five in double-figures.
Long Beach State shot 42.9-percent from the field and was 11-of-27 from downtown.
Arvai scored 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, made three 3-pointers and collected nine rebounds. Berry added 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Furch finished with 13 points and recorded eight assists. Kujovic posted six blocks, seven rebounds and seven points.
Up next, Santa Clara hosts Stanford on Friday at 6 p.m. in the home opener.
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