SANTA CLARA, Calif. – It was a Senior Day to remember as Santa Clara women's basketball erased a 17-point second half deficit to beat San Francisco 90-82 in overtime Saturday afternoon. The Broncos (23-8, 13-5 WCC) struggled to shoot in the second and third quarters but turned it on in the fourth and continued the momentum into the extra period as they stunned the Dons (16-13, 9-9 WCC).
HOW IT HAPPENED:Â
- San Francisco led almost the entire first quarter and got up by a then-game-high five with 3:03 to go in the period. Delainey Miller then went on a 6-0 run by herself to put Santa Clara up 16-15. After the Dons retook the lead with a pair of free throws, Kate Schat knocked down a triple in the final seconds to put the Broncos up 19-17.
- The second quarter saw Santa Clara struggle from the field with San Francisco showing well. With the Broncos up four, the Dons went on an 8-0 run to jump back in front. The lead would get out to seven and stay there at the break with Santa Clara down 39-32. For the quarter, the Broncos were just 4-of-15 from the field while the Dons were 9-of-19.
- Another tough quarter shooting the ball cost Santa Clara in the third, as the team was just 3-of-18. Ava Schmidt knocked down a 3-pointer at the 5:49 mark that made it a 49-39 deficit, but a five-and-a-half minute field goal drought followed that saw San Francisco go on a 9-2 run to extend the lead out 17. Maia Jones converted an and-one to get the Broncos back on the board but they were down 58-44 after three quarters.
- Things turned around in the fourth as Santa Clara stormed back from the 14-point deficit that started the quarter. The Broncos scored the first seven of the period, but San Francisco was able to keep them at bay and led by nine at the six-minute mark. Back-to-back layups for San Francisco started a 9-2 run, capped by a pair of free throws from Miller, that evened the score at 69 with 2:02 remaining. The Dons scored twice in a row to get on top by four and two free throws with just 22 seconds left again but them up by four. Jones made a layup with 19 seconds to go and Mara Neira missed her second free throw after being fouled to keep it a one-possession game. On the ensuing possession, Ava Schmidt drilled a 3-pointer in the face of a defender to tie the game with 13 seconds on the clock. Santa Clara's defense came up with a huge stop as Kylee Fox blocked Candy Edokpaigbe's shot and the game headed to overtime.
- The extra period belonged to the Broncos. Ashley Hawkins started it with a 3-pointer that put her team up for good. Santa Clara got its lead out to six two minutes in before San Francisco got it to a one possession game of 83-80 at 1:47. After the Dons cut it to three again, Jones hit the dagger, a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, and after another stop, Hawkins iced it at the line on the next possession.
NOTABLE:
- Santa Clara shot 40.0-percent (28-of-70) for the game and went 12-of-31 from downtown. The Broncos also were 22-of-29 from the free throw line.
- Jones led all scorers with a season-high 29 on 9-of-17 shooting, 4-of-8 from distance, and 7-of-9 from the free throw line to go with five rebounds and four assists. Hawkins had a double-double with 18 points and a career-high-tying 11 assists while also pulling down five boards. Schmidt and Miller both finished with 16 points and five rebounds with Schmidt adding a career-high seven blocks, tied for third-most in a game in program history. Miller was 8-of-10 from the free throw line, making her final eight attempts. Both her made free throws and attempts were career highs.
- San Francisco shot 40.5-percent (30-of-74) from the floor and was just 4-of-20 from deep. The Dons were 18-of-24 from the charity stripe.
- Edokpaigbe led the way with 23 points and grabbed six rebounds. Neira scored 13 but was just 3-of-13 from the field and 2-of-9 from deep while adding nine rebounds. Michelle Ugwah also scored 13 on 6-of-9 shooting and Natasa Tausova scored 10 with eight boards.
- Hawkins 11 assists put her at 198 on the year, good for second on the program's single-season list.
- Schmidt's seven blocks give her 68 on the year. Good for third-most in a single season in program history.
- The 13 conference wins are tied for the most in program history. Santa Clara also won 13 in 1990-91 and 2015-16.
POSTGAME COMMENTS:Â
HIGHLIGHTS:Â
NEXT UP
- The Broncos play in the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas Saturday. The official bracket will be released tomorrow at 10 a.m.
