Bronco Briefs: Women's basketball sweeps northwest foes
By Brian Betz
Women's Basketball
SCU 94, Portland 90
The women won the highly offensive showdown behind senior forward Julie Butler's career-high 23 points. Senior forward Tammy Annas and sophomore guards Kayla Huss and Quinn Thomas all scored in double figures as well, as the Broncos shot 56 percent from the field. The win marked the fourth straight for the Broncos, who improved to 14-5 overall, 5-1 in West Coast Conference play.
SCU 65, Gonzaga 41
Annas' 14 points, nine rebounds and seven steals led the women's squad to yet another win Saturday night, as Santa Clara moved into a first-place tie with Pepperdine with their 6-1 WCC record. The Broncos went into the half ahead 34-18 and cruised to the 24-point win while holding the Bulldogs to 27 percent shooting.
Huss led all scorers with 15 points while distributing a game-high seven assists as well. The Broncos improved to 15-5 and 6-1 in conference overall on the year and now travel to San Diego for a date with the Toreros on Saturday.
Men's Basketball
Portland 72, SCU 47
In their lowest scoring output against the Pilots since 1960, the Broncos shot just 36.2 percent from the field. Santa Clara made only nine free throws on the evening, while committing 16 turnovers in the first half.
Portland junior Casey Frandsen led all scorers with 20 points, while sophomore point guard Bakari Altheimer led the Broncos with nine. The 25-point loss marks the worst ever in the series between the two teams.
Gonzaga 96, SCU 62
The Zags jumped out to a 26-6 lead and never looked back this past Saturday, as the Broncos lost their second game in three days. Gonzaga's Blake Stepp paced the Bulldogs with 26 points, behind his 5-8 shooting from behind the arc in the first half.
The Broncos again struggled from the field, shooting 34 percent to the Bulldogs' 57 percent. Junior small forward J.R. Patrick led Santa Clara (11-9, 2-5 WCC) with 16 points, while sophomore guard Brandon Rohe added 14. The team returns home to face San Diego on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Leavey Center.
Men's Tennis
4-3 loss to Cal Poly
The Broncos won two of their three doubles matches to earn a point but lost four of six singles matches to lose Saturday's close match to the Mustangs. Sophomores Francisco Zepponi and Taylor Bedilion both won in straight sets at No. 2 and No. 4 singles, respectively.
With the loss, the team falls to 2-3 on the season but looks to bounce back at the Santa Clara Tennis Center on Tuesday against Hawaii.
Baseball
SCU 8, Hawaii-Hilo 6
Santa Clara won its first game of the season in the opening game of the doubleheader on Friday, taking the final lead in the top of the ninth inning when senior centerfielder Jack Headley scored on a wild pitch.
The Bronco youth movement shined through in the game, as they were led offensively by freshman first baseman Eric Newton, sophomore outfielder Ryan Pierpont and freshman third baseman Michael Thompson, all of whom finished with two hits in the game. Freshman pitcher Pat Overholt tallied his first win of his career, closing out the final 3 2/3 innings in the game.
SCU 13, Hawaii-Hilo 2
The Broncos swept the doubleheader, easily winning the second game on Friday behind five strong innings from junior starting pitcher John Redmond. Santa Clara proved to be an offensive juggernaut, led by senior outfielder Joe Diefenderfer, who had two RBIs on three hits in five at bats after starting the first game.
Freshman outfielder Jason Matteucci finished the day 3 for 4, while senior second baseman A.J. LaBarbera and Lange each had two hits on the day. The win was Redmond's first of the season.
SCU 6, Hawaii-Hilo 0
Senior pitcher Matt Travis pitched seven dazzling innings of shutout baseball, allowing only three hits in the course of his outing in leading the Broncos to their third consecutive victory. LaBarbera continued to excel in the leadoff role, finishing 3 for 5 on the day.
Headley and Newton each finished with two hits and the former pitched in three RBIs. Junior pitcher Chad Fillinger bounced back from a disappointing opener against Stanford to close out the game with two scoreless innings. Santa Clara broke the .500 barrier for the first time on the season, improving to 3-2 overall.
SCU 7, Hawaii-Hilo 5
Jason Matteucci continued the stellar start to his freshman year by belting a three-run home run in the top of the ninth to ensure a four-game sweep for Santa Clara. Sophomore pitcher Scott Shapiro, a transfer from Vanderbilt, started his first game as a Bronco, only to last less than four innings.
Sophomore pitcher Anthony Rea, freshman pitcher Andrew Slorp, Fillinger and Overholt combined to finish the last five and a third innings allowing only two runs. Santa Clara improved to 4-2 overall and will return home for a three game set with UC-Irvine this weekend
Women's Water Polo
UC-Davis 14, SCU 4
The Bronco women lost their first match of the early season this past Saturday to the Aggies. Six different UC-Davis players scored to open the match in the first half before Santa Clara could ever get on the board.
Senior utility Becky Hong led the Broncos with two goals while senior utility Kelley Mays and freshman driver Bryn Asher each netted one. The squad returns to action Feb. 15 for the annual Slugfest Tournament at UC-Santa Cruz.
Women's Tennis
SCU 5, San Jose St. 2
The Broncos won their first game of the 2003 season, defeating cross-county rival San Jose State 5-2. Freshman Casey Knutson clinched the victory for Santa Clara in her first collegiate match in the No. 6 singles spot. The victory marked the 99th in the career of Head Coach Aby Ryan.
Santa Clara won the No.1, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 singles matches, as well as the No. 3 doubles. Seniors Christine Limbers, Pati Ruiz and Mariko Kawakami all open their senior seasons with singles victories.
SCU 4, Saint Mary's 3
Head Coach Aby Ryan earned her 100th victory at Santa Clara, as the team advanced to 2-0 on the season. Limbers won her second consecutive match to start the season.
Sophomore Janalle Kaloi and Kawakami also pitched in singles victories, and Kaloi and Limbers teamed to win the No. 1 doubles match. Santa Clara's next match will be held at Cal Poly on Friday.