Graduate student Ashley Hawkins (23) drives by a Cal defender towards the basket. **(Elaine Zhang/The Santa Clara)**

Santa Clara University women’s basketball fought a hard battle against the University of California, Berkeley during their first-round Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament game, but were ultimately defeated 72-68 to end their season on Thursday night.

Delainey Miller (20) ’29 goes up for a contested layup over a pair of Cal defenders. **(Elaine Zhang/The Santa Clara)**

The Broncos and Golden Bears battled back and forth in the first quarter, as the Broncos jumped out to an early 11-7 lead halfway through the period.

Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles ’29 led the way for the Broncos in the period, scoring 4 points in four minutes while going 2-of-3 from the floor.

Cal would battle back to close the quarter with a 16-13 lead and didn’t look back heading into the second quarter. The Broncos struggled on the glass in the first half, getting outrebounded 29-19. Both teams suffered scoring issues all night, shooting less than 40% from the floor and 19% or less from the 3-point line, respectively.

There was a scary moment midway through the third quarter as Gildersleeve-Stiles ’29 was helped off the floor by Bronco trainers after a hard fall under the basket as both teams fought for possession. She would return to the lineup later with no restrictions.

The Broncos played some inspired basketball after the scare and came roaring back to regain the lead 48-47, having not led the game since their 19-18 lead with 7:17 remaining in the second quarter.

Soon after, Ashley Hawkins had a 5-0 individual run of her own, capped off by a phenomenal and-1 to end the quarter. Hawkins racked up 18 points by the end of the night, tying for the team high.

After outscoring the Golden Bears 26-13, the team entered the fourth quarter with a 55-49 advantage.

Aniya Hooker (2) ’28 shields the ball from a Cal defender as she crosses mid-court. **(Elaine Zhang/The Santa Clara)**

With 8:45 minutes left in the fourth, there was a blocking foul called on Ava Schmidt ’27 that the Broncos appealed under the new WBIT rules, which allows teams to challenge certain officiating decisions and potentially reverse them upon video review. Schmidt was active all night, co-leading the team in scoring with 18 points. The Broncos won the challenge and quickly converted on a layup by Maia Jones ’27 to extend their lead to 57-49.

Cal wouldn’t go away, however, and went on a furious run to retake the lead 62-61 with 3:37 left in the game. The two teams would then trade buckets, with Cal clinging to a 64-63 advantage.

Ultimately, the Broncos couldn’t pull out a win in the last few minutes, turning the ball over on three straight possessions. Cal capitalized on the falter, sealing the Broncos’ defeat.

This marked the end of a triumphant season for the Broncos, who made the WBIT for just the second time in program history.