Women's squad starts second half of WCC

By Alison Fleck

Leading the country with the highest percentage of three-point shots made per game, the women's basketball team is prepared to take on the second half of West Coast Conference play.

Head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson explains that the second round is going to be even tougher than the first for her 10-10 squad.

"So many things can change between now and the end of the season," Bento-Jackson said. "We're not worrying about what our opponents are doing but focusing on ways to improve ourselves. The conference is up for grabs."

The Broncos are working on improving their defensive play as well as penetrating more toward the basket, despite their success from the outside.

"We do a lot of shooting in practice, and I think it is our biggest strength," sophomore Anna Martin said. "But we're working on penetrating a lot more because you can't win a game relying only on shooting three pointers."

However, the Broncos have made 10 shots from behind the arc in more than half their games this season.

They currently hold the NCAA lead for three-point shots made per game, averaging just over nine a contest.

Other components of the Broncos' achievements include the ability of the underclassmen to improve their play since the loss of senior Quinn Thomas, who's out due to a knee injury.

"I think the team does suffer somewhat because she's a veteran and knows how to play a better ball game," junior Kayla Huss said. "She's experienced, she can drive and she can rebound. We miss her but we also have a lot of other people on our team that can step up and lead."

Junior Michelle Cozad falls right below Thomas with 12.2 average shots per game, followed by sophomore Ashley Graham with 10.9 average shots per game.

Both have made tremendous impacts in both their offensive and defensive game playing. Cozad scored 27 points in last Saturday's loss to San Francisco.

"Michelle has picked up the slack on the offense because she is a scorer," Bento-Jackson said. "She has really balanced out her games giving out production on both ends of the floor offensively and defensively."

Kayla Huss has returned as a red shirt junior after a back injury. Bento-Jackson describes her as an "unbelievable" outside shooter. Huss explains how she has a feel for the game and knows what she and her teammates want.

"We want to win all the games we should win but we also want to play Gonzaga as tough as if we were practicing," said Huss of the 18-2 Bulldogs. "In the long run, we want to win games that are on our home court."

The Broncos started their conference play with a loss to 6-0 Gonzaga. Since then, the Broncos have won their way into second place, tied with Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.

"We've had a lot of close games this past first half of the season," Cozad said. "A lot of teams are going to be out to get us and want to beat us back. We need to be more ready for these games."

The Broncos scored 93 points in their win against Portland, the largest scoring output so far this season. The Broncos then toppled Saint Mary's 70-47 for its fifth victory in six games. With time expiring against Loyola Marymount, Huss hit a three-pointer with 0:00.5 remaining on the clock to beat the Lions 54-51.

With a win against University of San Diego and losses to San Francisco and Pepperdine, the Broncos' conference record stands at 4-3 as they start the second half of WCC play. In future games, it will come down to which team is the most prepared.

The Broncos are putting in a lot of time watching and learning from their opponents play calls so they can better their performance against them. The Broncos plan to focus on one team at a time.

But before worrying about their battle against the Bulldogs on Saturday, the Broncos must first prepare for the Pilots.

"Portland will be tough," Bento-Jackson said. "We have to perform in every game. We're not even going to focus on Gonzaga till Friday."

If they are more mentally and physically prepared, the lady Broncos hope to reach the NCAA tournament.

"I think we definitely have the potential to return to the tournament," Huss said. "We need to stick to our guts and play our game. Just be aggressive and win games defensively."

The Broncos will host Portland Thursday at 7 p.m. and Gonzaga on Saturday to start this second half of league play.

* Contact Alison Fleck at (408) 551-1918 or afleck@scu.edu.