Torn ACL claims team's leading scorer
By Cecile Nguyen
With three players already out for the year, the women's basketball team will now be forced to play without their leading scorer, Chandice Cronk, because of a career-ending knee injury.
"Chandice's situation was devastating news. Our hearts go out to her deeply," Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. "Chandice has been a huge part of this basketball team for four years, and she's having a phenomenal senior year."
Cronk tore her anterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral ligament in her right knee.
She also fractured her leg during the same play on Feb. 2 at Gonzaga.
"I just went up for a layup, got bumped going up, so I had to make an adjustment in the air," Cronk said. "I landed at a weird angle and felt it immediately."
According to athletic trainer Liz Gilmore, an ACL injury is one of the most common season-ending injuries in women's sports.
"When anybody goes down grabbing their knee, you got to be thinking it's a serious situation," added Bento-Jackson.
Cronk was fourth in the West Coast Conference in scoring with 17.1 points per game, and most recently broke the WCC record for three-point baskets made.
"There was a meeting, and I told everyone the news," the Alaska native said. "It was heartbreaking telling the team that I can't play with them anymore."
Cronk, who went into surgery late Tuesday afternoon to repair her ACL, said she expects to be on crutches for a few weeks, but hopes to be walking on her own within a month. According to Bento-Jackson, the Broncos will need every player to step up and fill the void left by Cronk.
"No one person is going to fill Chandice's shoes by any means, but it does need to happen by committee," Bento-Jackson said. "Injuries are a part of athletics, and we have to move on the best that we possibly can to play even harder, to be an even better defensive basketball team, and for everyone to give a little bit more."
Sophomore Maggie Goldenberger will fill Cronk's spot in the starting lineup. Goldenberger scored a career-high nine points in her first game as a starter.
"Tracey Walker and Jen Gottschalk will have a lot on their shoulders now, and they did an awesome job against Stanford," Cronk said.
Walker had a game-high 23 points against the Cardinal, and Gottschalk has consistently battled Cronk for the title of the team's leading scorer all season.
"As far as their physical play on the floor, they (Walker and Gottschalk) have been pretty consistent for us throughout the year," Bento-Jackson said. "If they can maintain and continue to play hard like they've done all year, then we're going to get plenty out of them."
Despite not being able to be on the court with her team, Cronk said she expects to travel and be there to support the team.
"Wherever the team is going to be, she is going to be as well. She can still have a serious impact on this basketball team with things like what she has to say -- she was a leader in every aspect of the game," Bento-Jackson said.
"Chandice can still have an influence on this team in a positive way," she added, "and I absolutely think it's positive for our basketball team for her to continue to be around."
Contact Cecile Nguyen at (408) 551-1918 or cnguyen5@scu.edu.