Women sweep Northwest foes

By BRIAN ELSNER

The women's basketball team completed a road sweep at the Chiles Center in Portland on Saturday night when sophomore Becki Ashbaugh sank two free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining in overtime.

The 83-81 win over the Pilots, coupled with an 84-71 blowout of Gonzaga Thursday, gave the Broncos their seventh consecutive victory to conclude the regular season. Santa Clara finished in third place in the West Coast Conference with a 10-4 record and a 20-7 overall record for the year.

After Sharon Rissmiller gave Portland an early two-point advantage in the extra period, the Broncos responded with an 11-3 run to give them a five-point lead with 1:44 left in the overtime. The Pilots did not go away as Rissmiller and others brought Portland back to notch the game at 81, setting the stage for Ashbaugh's heroics. The sophomore point guard received the inbounds pass and drove the lane where Tami Standish fouled her with only seconds remaining. Ashbaugh completed a perfect 7 of 7 day from the charity stripe by calmly making both attempts.

"I knew she would make at least one of the free throws," senior Katie Pursley said. "I was very confident with Becki [Ashbaugh] on the line."

Junior Annie Garrison continued her dominance of the WCC with an outstanding performance, coming up only two blocks short of a triple-double. Garrison finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and eight blocks on the night. Ashbaugh poured in 22 points of her own along with nine assists to lead the Broncos.

Santa Clara had an easier time on Friday against Gonzaga as the Broncos jumped out to a 51-29 halftime lead by shooting 57.1 percent from the field. Garrison had another double-double against the 'Zags with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Pursley lead the Broncos with 17 points on six of eight shooting from the field.

"Katie [Pursley], Annie [Garrison] and Becki [Ashbaugh] have carried us in some respects lately," Head Coach Karen Horstmeyer said. "For us to have success we need to play well as a team."