Santa Clara Women’s Basketball Earns Praise Despite Semifinal Loss in the WCC Tournament

Sports

Mar 10

Ava Schmidt, Maia Jones and Kate Schat on the bench during a timeout in the fourth quarter. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

LAS VEGAS – No. 3 Santa Clara women’s basketball (24-8, 13-5 WCC) fell to No. 2 Gonzaga (22-9, 14-4 WCC) in the semifinal round of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship on Monday, March 9, at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Santa Clara had a promising 7-0 run, but the momentum shifted quickly during a difficult shooting stretch. The Broncos missed 13 consecutive shots, allowing Gonzaga to capitalize with a 10-0 run and claim a 6-point lead.

Despite Santa Clara shooting just 4-for-20 in the opening quarter, back-to-back 3-pointers from Ava Schmidt ’27 and graduate student Ashley Hawkins kept the Broncos close. A Bulldogs layup in the final seconds of the quarter gave Gonzaga a 17-15 lead.

The second quarter was the dealbreaker. Though the Broncos briefly tied the game, the Bulldogs responded with a 14-0 run to pull ahead 31-17. Gonzaga continued to dominate, and Santa Clara could not recover.

The Broncos struggled with scoring, shooting just 26.8% from the field and only went 5 for 28 from 3-point range.

Delainey Miller fights for the ball with Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

WCC Player of the Year Lauren Whittaker led the charge for Gonzaga, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. The loss was quite different from their most recent matchup, where the Broncos beat Gonzaga 77-73 at the Leavey Center.

However, the team still has plenty to celebrate. “We don’t have double-digit losses right now, and there’s not very many teams in the country that can say that. We are very hopeful that our season is not done,” said head coach Loree Payne.

The Broncos went through a complete rebuild this year, featuring a new head coach, seven transfers and six freshmen. Despite the new roster, the team secured 10 more wins than it did last season.

Next up: Santa Clara hopes to continue their postseason run in the WBIT.