Jan. 3, 2015
Box Score SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Behind a double-double from sophomore guard Maya Hood, a 17-point outburst from her twin sister Malina Hood, and a all-around dominating performance from Katelyn McDaniel, the University of San Diego women's basketball tram rallied from an 8-point deficit to claim a 72-59 win over Santa Clara University Saturday afternoon in a West Coast Conference game inside the friendly confines of the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
With the win, the Toreros improve to 12-2 overall, move to 3-1 in the WCC, and are off to the second best start in program history. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 5-8 overall and 0-4 in the WCC.
Maya Hood scored 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting, and she went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, while pulling down 10 rebounds and she recorded three steals. Malina Hood recorded her team-best 17 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field, and she dished out five assists. McDaniel came off the bench and just missed a double-double, with nine points and nine rebounds. Cori Woodward was the next Torero in double figures, as she scored 11 on 3-of-8 shooting from the field, and Katherine Hamilton rounded off the double-digit scorers for the Toreros with 10 points in 5-of-7 shooting from the field. As a team, USD shot 35.1% from the field, and out rebounded the Broncos 47-34.
In the first half, the Broncos and Toreros were engaged in a tight battle right of the bat. With the score tied at 10-all, a Taylor Barry lay-up sparked a 7-2 SCU run to give the Broncos the momentum. SCU would then manage to hold onto the lead for the next three minutes, until a Sydney Williams free throw gave San Diego a brief 25-24 lead with 7:04 to go.
Then with the score knotted at 27-all, SCU would go on a 10-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 37-29 with three seconds to go. However, Woodward hit a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the lead to 37-32 heading into the break.
In the second half, the Broncos would manage to stay just in front of the Toreros for the first 12 plus minutes of action, despite USD tying the score up a few times. Then with the Toreros down four at 47-43 with 11:12 to go, a pair of Aubrey Ward-El free throws sparked a 17-4 Torero run that was capped on a Malina Hood 3-pointer with 6:20 to go, giving USD a commanding 9-point lead. USD never looked back, as they cruised their way to a 77-59 win.
For the Broncos, Nici Gilday led the way, as she scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-25 shooting from the field. As a team, the Toreros held the Broncos to just 37.1% shooting from the field.
The Toreros will return to action on Thursday, as they head up to Malibu to take on the Pepperdine University Waves on Thursday at 7 p.m.
