Feb. 26, 2004

Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif - It was a case of the Ashley's as junior forward Ashley Burke and sophomore forward Ashley Anderson each chipped in 18 points as the Gonzaga University women's basketball team defeated West Coast Conference foe Santa Clara University by a 13-point margin, 80-67, on Thursday evening.

Gonzaga (16-10, 9-4 WCC) was led by Burke and Anderson, as Burke hit her first double-double of the season with 18 points, 10 rebounds. Anderson followed closely behind with her 18 points and nine rebounds. The Bulldogs had three other players hit double figures with Shannon Mathews scoring 13, Anne Bailey had 12 and Raeanna Jewell hit 11.

Santa Clara (8-18, 4-9 WCC) was led by Whitney Sutak with 15 points, followed by Ashley Graham with 11 and Quinn Thomas with 10.

Gonzaga took the quick lead with an 8-2 run to start the game. The Bulldogs then alternated shots with the Broncos, but maintained the advantage. Quinn Thomas hit a 3-pointer for Santa Clara to bring the game within four at 19-15 with 12:33 in the half. Thomas' shot started an 8-2 run for the Broncos, taking their first lead at 23-21 with 6:40 on the clock. Santa Clara kept control of the score, despite Gonzaga's attempt to pull even at 35-all with one minute left to play. Bronco Jenni Gottschalk hit a layup with 55 seconds left to put Santa Clara ahead at the half, 37-35.

The Bulldogs held the defensive edge in the first half, outrebounding the Broncos 16-10. Bailey and Burke had already hit double figures, scoring 10 points each in the first half. Sutak also scored 10 points for Santa Clara.

Gonzaga came out fighting in the second half, reclaiming the lead, 48-47, at the 13:35 minute mark with the help of two 3-pointers by Mathews. The Bulldogs increased their lead to eight, 71-63, with under two minutes to play. Gonzaga kept control of the game ending regulation with a 9-2 run for an 80-67 final score.

The Bulldogs went 26-of-50 from the field (52.0 percent) and held a 17 rebound advantage to the Broncos, 39-22. Santa Clara shot 26-of-54 from the field (48.1 percent). Gonzaga remains tied in second place in the West Coast Conference with Pepperdine University.

The Bulldogs hold the tiebreaker in the event that the records remain tied after Saturday's matches, due to Gonzaga's victory over Loyola Marymount University.

The Bulldogs travel to University of San Diego to seal their fate in the WCC Championships on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.