Jan. 29, 2005
(San Francisco) - Senior center Mary Jane Krueger scored a team-high 21 points, including some key free throws down the stretch as USF downed Santa Clara 76-64 Saturday night at War Memorial Gym. The Dons (9-11, 3-4 WCC) and completed a rare Bay Area sweep at the expense of the Broncos (10-10, 4-3 WCC). It was the first home sweep against Saint Mary's and Santa Clara since 2002 and the second since 1997. Freshman guard Dominique Carter scored 20 points on 8-of-13 from the field for San Francisco, while senior guard Toni Russell added 14 points, dished out four assists to go along with five steals. Sophomore guard Jennifer Katsuyama added seven points for the Dons as all 10 who saw action for the Green and Gold scored at least two points. USF was deadly from the floor, connecting on .509 (27-53) and held a dominating 41-26 rebound edge. The Broncos connected on .407 (24-59), but connected on 9-of-26 from 3-point land, good for .346. The Dons got to the line early and often, converting on .714 (20-28) from the charity stripe. San Francisco sprinted out to a hot start and led 10-2, before the Broncos recovered. USF led by as many as 12 twice in the first, but Santa Clara cut the lead to five, 32-27 at the 1:07 mark before a lay-up by Krueger gave the Dons a 34-27 lead at the intermission. Junior guard Michelle Cozad did everything she could to lead Santa Clara back in the second half, scoring 20 of her 27 points after halftime. The Broncos took their first and only lead at the 4:05 mark on a jumper by junior guard Kayla Huss, 62-62, but the Dons did not break, and exploded on a 16-2 run to close out the contest and complete the weekend sweep. Cozad finished with a game-high 27 and went 8-of-17 from the field, 4-of-8 from long distance, while Huss finished with 13 points and five assists for the Broncos.
USF takes to the road next weekend when they travel to Southern California for a pair, opening with Pepperdine Thursday February 3. Game time against the Waves is 7:00 PM at Firestone Fieldhouse. |
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