SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Maya Hood led San Diego with 12 points but it was not enough to overcome a tough night of shooting as the Toreros fell at Santa Clara, 59-50, Thursday night.

USD (12-8, 5-4 WCC) struggled from the field, shooting 38.5 percent and made just 4 of 15 3-point attempts (26.7 percent).

Along with Hood's 12 points, Aubrey Ward-El and Sydney Williams chipped in 10 points apiece. The Toreros bench struggled, contributing just seven of USD's 50 points.

The Broncos (6-14, 2-7 WCC) thrived in the paint and outscored USD, 34-20. Santa Clara was led by Taylor Berry who scored a career-high 20 points. The Broncos finished the night shooting 45.8 percent from the field.

Santa Clara jumped ahead early and led for nearly the entire game. A layup by the Toreros, Ana Ramos, with 6:06 to play in the first quarter gave the Toreros a 7-4 lead but that's the largest the advantage USD would hold. The Broncos reeled off a 6-0 run to take a 10-7 lead they would not relinquish.

Santa Clara stretched its lead to five points midway through the second quarter and finished the half on a 7-2 run to take a 30-24 lead into halftime.

USD was unable to slow down the Broncos after the break and saw its deficit grow to 11 with 2:26 to play in the quarter. A 4-0 run to end the quarter helped the Toreros cut the deficit to 43-36.

USD continued to battle and closed the deficit to four points or less twice in the final quarter. Ward-El opened the final period with a 3-pointer to close the gap to, 43-39. A layup by Hood with 2:12 to play made it a one-possession game, 53-50. However, the Toreros could not get enough shots to fall and the Broncos went 4-for-4 on free throws to seal the decision.

USD will look to get back on track Saturday at 2 p.m. PT when it plays host to LMU.