Santa Clara Ends Gonzaga Streak

Gonzaga carried a 23-game winning streak, the nation’s longest among NCAA Division I women, into Sunday’s West Coast Conference tournament final against Santa Clara, making the Broncos a clear longshot.

But Santa Clara builds its game around long shots, and the third-seeded Broncos capped a record-setting performance from behind the three-point arc to pull a 77-66 upset over the No. 24-ranked Bulldogs before 1,145 at the Leavey Center and grab its sixth berth in the NCAA tournament.

Santa Clara (17-13), which ranks third in the nation with an average of 8.6 three-pointers made per game, sank 14 of 26 tries to tie its own WCC tournament single-game record, set in the first round Thursday against San Francisco.

“We feel like we’re pretty good shooters,” said guard Quinn Thomas, who made four of nine such shots and had 14 points. “We like to shoot. Once we start making the first couple of shots, we get in a groove and go from there.

“Whoever is on fire that night, we just try to get them the ball.”

Michelle Cozad, who led Santa Clara with 22 points, was named the tournament’s most valuable player. But the hottest player was reserve guard Ashley Graham, who scored all 17 of her points in the first half, making all five of her shots, including four three-pointers. Gonzaga (27-3), undefeated during the WCC season, trailed by 25 with 8:27 left.

“We know she has the ability,” Santa Clara Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said of Graham. “She really got us going.”

Gonzaga Coach Kelly Graves acknowledged that it may be a nervous time for her team Sunday, when the NCAA tournament bracket is announced. Despite the Bulldogs’ win streak and an RPI of 48, their only signature victory came against Utah in December.

“When you’ve put a resume together like we have, I just think this is the kind of team that deserves it,” Graves said. “What can I do about it? I’m not going to spend a lot of time worrying about it.”

Gonzaga point guard Shannon Mathews, the league’s player of the year, played 18 minutes after suffering a sprained ankle Saturday in the semifinals against Pepperdine.