San Diego Stifles Bronco Offense
By Ryan Marshall
The Santa Clara women's basketball team hosted a red-hot University of San Diego team Monday night, and fell by a score of 58-41 at the Leavey Center. It was a relatively low-scoring game, given that the two teams combine for an average of over 140 points per contest.
The Broncos (8-8; 1-2) shot only 25 percent from the field. This statistic was partially a credit to San Diego's stout defense, which is one of the best in the West Coast Conference. The Toreros (11-3; 2-0) hold opponents to just under 55 points per game on average.
But it wasn't solely San Diego's defense that caused Santa Clara to shoot with such poor accuracy. It was also just one of those games where nothing seemed to go right for the home team: wide-open looks after well-executed offensive sets weren't dropping and even close-range layups would dance around the rim, refusing to fall through the basket.
Fourth-year Head Coach Jennifer Mountain reflected on the loss, hoping it would prove to be an anomaly rather than a new norm.
"We shot the ball horribly today," said Mountain. "We didn't really have anybody who ever got it going offensively tonight. It wasn't a typical night for us by any means. We held a team under 60 points, (but) we just couldn't score the basketball (ourselves) and we got killed on the (rebounds)."
The Broncos were out-rebounded 54-36. San Diego's Izzy Chilcott was just one rebound away from being the third Torero in double figures for rebounding. Chilcott, along with Amy Kame and Morgan Woodrow, pulled down 32 rebounds in total, 18 of which were offensive. These offensive rebounds allowed San Diego ample opportunities for easy second-chance points.
Santa Clara's Ashley Armstrong had 13 points and nine rebounds of her own. Alyssa Shoji, who recently became the Broncos' all-time women's leading 3-point shooter and currently leads the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 3-pointers per game, was held to just eight points on 2-14 shooting from the field.
The Toreros did have some shooting woes of their own, and Santa Clara was only down 30-22 going into the half.
Shoji hit her second three of the night with 17 minutes to go in the second half to get the Broncos within six points, 33-27. However, Santa Clara missed their next 14 shots and did not score their next points until there were eight minutes remaining in regulation.
By that time, San Diego had pulled away and was up by 16 points, 45-29. Nici Gilday's jumper capped off the Toreros' 12-0 run.
San Diego also stepped up their defense on the Broncos' Ashley Armstrong, who was held to just two points in the second half.
"We rebounded the ball very poorly, and in the second half we just couldn't score," said Armstrong. "They played very good defense, but at the same time we didn't knock down our open looks."
Santa Clara will get another crack at Pepperdine University (8-9, 2-1) on Saturday down in Malibu, Calif. The Broncos lost by six points to Pepperdine at the Leavey Center in their conference-opener on Dec. 31.
Mountain, looking forward to the conference rematch, hopes her team will be able to play with more poise than when the two teams met on New Year's Eve.
"We've got to handle their pressure a little better than we did the first time," explained Mountain. "We really took it to them offensively in the first half, but we've just got to put together two good halves and not turn the ball over."
Santa Clara was picked to finish in 8th place in the West Coast Conference, but as the San Diego Toreros (picked to finish 7th) are proving with their current play, predictions mean nothing.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs were picked to win the conference after making last year it to the NCAA's Elite Eight. Conference newcomer Brigham Young University and the Broncos' next opponent, Pepperdine, round out the top three.
Contact Ryan Marshall at rmarshall@scu.edu or (408) 554-4852.