Women’s Basketball Dominates Season Opener

Broncos begin conference play with a stellar win on the road

Good basketball is being played all around at Santa Clara this winter season. In addition to the hot start by the men's team, the women's team has also begun their 2019-2020 campaign with a strong start. 

They opened up conference play with a victory over University of the Pacific and have since picked up a road win against San Francisco last Saturday without their top scorer,  senior Tia Hay. Senior Addi Walters stepped up big for the Broncos, with a season high-tying 19 points. Emily Wolphe, also a senior, scored a season-high 14 points , and sophomore Lexie Pritchard made her season debut with 11 points. With the help of these three guards and terrific shooting from field goal range, the Broncos went on to beat the Dons 80-72.

Their sole loss in conference play was against Saint Mary's on Dec. 30. Saint Mary's is a West Coast Conference powerhouse, along with Gonzaga, BYU and Pepperdine.

"The win against USF was a great win for us, especially with it being our first conference game on the road," Walters said. "Everyone knew they had to step up without Tia Hay not being able   to play and everyone did an amazing job."

On the flip side, the men's team extended their home winning streak to 14 after their victory over University of San Diego in the conference opener. The Broncos were without their starter Willie Caruso, but nonetheless the team stepped up.

Sophmore Keshawn Justice had a commanding first half, scoring a career high 26 points. He went 8-for-13 scoring 19 of the team's 36 first points. The Broncos pulled away from the Toreros midway through the first half and never let up. Junior Josip Vrankic scored 13 and Trey Wertz added his own 12 to the board. The defense forced 19 turnovers for the Toreros, helping the Broncos beat USD handily 80-63.

Head coach Herb Sendek commented on his team's stellar conference opener. 

"I thought our activity on defense was really good, and our guys did a really good job with their concentration and their focus," Sendek said. 

The Broncos begin a tough road stretch, with games against the Saint Mary and the Gonzaga. Their next match is Thursday,  Jan. 9 at 8.00p.m. at University of San Francisco. 

Contact Lacey Yahnke at lyahnke@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.