Women's Bronco Basketball Ready to Hit the Hardwood

By Gabe Taylor

Searching for a reliable frontcourt is never an easy job. But with star forward Lena Gipson and dependable forward Kathy Willinsky having graduated last year, the Santa Clara women's basketball team is in need of individuals to fill their shoes.

At 6 foot 4 – a solid four inches taller than Gipson – junior Ruta Zurauskyte is a probable candidate.

"She's hard to get around," said head coach Jennifer Mountain, who is entering her fourth season at the controls. "Let's be real, she's 6 foot 4 inches and she's a strong, big kid."

Ashley Armstrong and Lindsay Leo are likely to be her partners in crime, depending on the matchup.

"Me and Lindsay, we work really well together; we get a lot of high-lows, not this game, but you'll see in the future," said Zurauskyte, adding that the same is true of Armstrong.

Zurauskyte received the nod to start in the Broncos 62-45 rout of Sonoma State in Santa Clara's sole exhibition game, after appearing in only three games all of last season.

"It's been two years and I've never played, so I had a lot of excitement and a lot of energy built up," said Zurauskyte.

Ashley Armstrong was awarded the start over Leo, giving the Bronco's opening formation a four-guard look, with Zurauskyte acting as the lone "big."

With Santa Clara's starting backcourt returning — and the bench consisting of athletic players including junior Telisha Anderson and freshman Tyler Woods, who posted eight points in her Leavey Center debut — the guard positions are stacked with talent.

Add sophomore Ricki Radanovich in at small forward, and the three starters combine to make a powerful trio. Having all earned All-West Coast Conference honors, opponents will have a difficult time passing over them on scouting reports.

Meagan Fulps, Ricki Radanovich and Alyssa Shoji combined for nearly 30 of the team's 61.6 points per game last season when the Broncos went 11-19 overall (6-8 in conference). Shoji, who was named a preseason All-West Coast Conference player, is Santa Clara's lone senior and starting point guard. She enters the 2011-2012 campaign needing just 60 more points to reach 1,000 for her career (only 19 women in Santa Clara history have reached the milestone). Shoji is also on pace to break the Santa Clara women's record for most 3-point baskets made in a career.

The graduated Gipson contributed a team-high 13.2 points of her own last season. While Gipson's scoring never went unnoticed, her ability to pull down over 11 rebounds per game is where the Broncos must compensate this season.

In the offseason, Zurauskyte developed into a starting center. Instead of returning home for the summer, she opted to remain at Santa Clara in order to train. Cardio and weights headed her regimen.

"She's a big threat," said Mountain. "She has soft hands, she has the ability to score the basketball, and she's learned if she does her work early, she's going to have easy opportunities."

Three minutes into the contest against Sonoma State, Zurauskyte had already passed her average in minutes per game from last season. And only six minutes in, she had already put points on the board. Zurauskyte finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

"I think I got the jitters out," admitted Zurauskyte.

Leo proved to be a defensive presence against Sonoma State, recording three blocks. Zurauskyte topped off the block party with an old-school stuffing on Aly Conway's lay-up attempt minutes into the second half.

"I'm hoping to be a force in the paint," said Zurauskyte, who finished with two blocks.

Despite allowing nearly 70 points per game last season, the Broncos managed to hold the Seawolves to 45.

"We're really trying to push the pressure; push the (tempo) a little bit and hopefully that turns into some transition points," explained Mountain.

Ramping up the defensive pressure paid off for the Broncos, who forced 26 Sonoma State turnovers.

Santa Clara was picked to finish eighth in the West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, but the team will have the benefit of playing five of its first six games at home.

The Broncos open up season play on Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. when they will face off against CSU Bakersfield at the Leavey Center.

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or (408) 554-4852.