Laura Thomas |
Portland freshman Laura Thomas records a double-double in a 90-73 loss to the Broncos
SANTA CLARA, Calif. --- Portland freshman forward Laura Thomas scored 15 points with 11 rebounds, but the Santa Clara Broncos prevailed 90-73 over the Pilots in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at the Leavey Center. It’s the third double-double this season for Thomas.
Santa Clara, which hit 15 three-pointers, improves to 13-11 overall this season and 5-4 in the WCC. Portland drops to 9-16 and 1-9 in the conference.
Freshman Laiken Dollente and senior forward Nicole Rowe also scored in double figures for Portland with 13 and 11 points, respectively. It’s a season-high for Rowe, who hit all three of her three-pointers and both of her free throws.
Dollente, the top free throw shooter in the conference, hit all eight of her free throws.
Chandice Cronk led four Broncos in double figures with a game-high 17 points. Cronk hit seven of 13 from the field. Anna Martin and Jen Gottschalk both had 16 points and seven rebounds.
The first half belonged to Santa Clara, which took a 53-35 advantage into the locker room. After Portland pulled within one at 5-4 on a jumper from Anne Graner, the Broncos scored the next 16 points to take control of the game at 20-4 only five minutes in. Moments later, Santa Clara claimed its first 20-point lead after Cronk nailed a three-pointer to make it 28-8.
The lead would stretch to 44-15 with about eight minutes left in the first stanza, before Portland closed the half on a 20-9 run to pull within 18 by the half-time buzzer. Six different Pilots scored during the outburst, led by Thomas with six.
Santa Clara’s lead hovered around 20 points for most of the second half. Portland got the deficit down to 14 points with 6:50 left to play, but the Broncos held on for the win.
Sophomore center Carly Koebel had seven rebounds for the Pilots, who outrebounded the Broncos 41-36. Portland had a season-low 14 turnovers, but the Broncos capitalized with 24 points off of those Pilot miscues. SCU turned the ball over just nine times.
The Broncos shot 49 percent (32-for-65) from the field and 44 percent (15-for-34) from behind the three-point arc. SCU shot 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. Portland shot 42 percent (25-for-60) and connected on six of 17 three-point attempts. The Pilots, who lead the conference in free throw percentage, shot 17 of 23 from the line.
Portland sophomore forward Allyson Sievers saw her first action in almost four weeks. Sievers, who had an injured ankle, scored two points with three rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes. Meanwhile, junior center Rachel Warren sat out her sixth straight game with an injured foot.
Portland next plays its final regular season road game on Saturday at Saint Mary’s. The Pilots and Gaels are set to tip-off at 2:00 p.m. at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.
