Way back in the 1990s, long before any of the current players on the Santa Clara women’s basketball team were born, the Broncos were the elite program in the West Coast Conference. They won six WCC titles during the decade, then shared a championship with Gonzaga in 2006.
Since then, the WCC crown has been almost exclusively the property of Gonzaga, winners of the past seven regular-season titles and 17 of the past 18.
The Zags remain the favorite, ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 at 13-2 with a victory over Stanford. But don’t tell the Broncos they won’t be a factor in the conference title race.
Santa Clara takes a 12-3 record into its WCC opener on Saturday at home against Pacific. The Broncos’ win total matches the most they’ve ever had pre-conference, going back to 1991, when they claimed WCC and WNIT championships.
Their road wins this season over Oregon and Arizona State mark the first time they have beaten two Power 5 opponents in the same year since 2015-16, and the first time they’ve defeated two Pac-12 foes since 1993-94.
Just a year ago, the Broncos were 15-17 and finished in a tie for seventh in the WCC. “Huge difference (from last season),” said sophomore guard Tess Heal. “It’s not at all the same team.”
Heal, a returning all-conference selection and the 2023 WCC Freshman of the Year, averages 17.5 points, 4.5 assists and is shooting 91 percent from the free throw line. She is one of five players from Melbourne, Australia in the rotation, four of them starters.
And while she has great respect for Gonzaga, Heal isn’t selling her own team short.
“I’d say the confidence is quite high,” she said. “We play Pacific on Saturday — we’re ready for them. I think this team can win the conference. Gonzaga’s very good, so that will definitely be a challenge. But the sky’s the limit, really.”
Stanford Cardinal’s Talana Lepolo (10) has her shot blocked by Santa Clara Broncos’ Olivia Pollerd (5) in the third quarter at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Junior forward Olivia Pollerd, who played her freshman season at Washington, is among the team’s most-improved players, providing 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 41-percent 3-point shooting, best in the WCC.
“There’s been so much growth since last year. We just have really good puzzle pieces. When game time comes, we just fit,” Pollerd said. “We’re really committed to our defense and our principles. That’s been a real pinnacle point for this team, how we defend.”
Road games against Gonzaga and Portland, picked first and second in the preseason coaches poll, loom a week from now. Santa Clara coach Bill Carr, whose team was projected to finish in a tie for third with Pacific, said his players have done a great job of not looking beyond the task at hand.
“The group has been really connected,” Carr said. “And we’re guarding better — I think that’s the key.”
Through 15 games, opponents are scoring just 53.6 points against Santa Clara, an improvement of nearly seven points from nonconference play a year ago. The Broncos lead the WCC in field-goal percentage defense (37.2) and rebounding margin (plus-7.6).
The Broncos’ Aussie connection is almost an accident. Only two of the Melbourne natives — Heal and forward Lara Edmanson — came to Santa Clara directly from high school. Pollerd, forward Keeley Frawley (Portland) and reserve guard Jayde Cadee (UC Irvine) were transfers.
“It’s just bizarre that from a place you’ve lived your whole life, you end up on the other side of the world with four of them,” Pollerd said.
WCC’S SHIFTING LANDSCAPE: The Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga men were picked to finish 1-2 in the West Coast Conference preseason coaches poll, hardly a surprising projection. Gaels star sophomore Aidan Mahaney wasn’t yet born the last time someone other than those two even shared the WCC regular-season title in 2002.
As the conference season gets under way Thursday, Saint Mary’s (9-6) and Gonzaga (9-4) remain the favorites. But while the Zags spent a large chunk of recent years ranked No. 1 in the country, or close to it, they’re No. 24 this week. And the combined 10 non-conference losses by SMC and Gonzaga is the most in 17 years.
Related Articles
George Kliavkoff speaks: Pac-12 commissioner blames the schools for lacking patience, takes credit for Pac-12 football success
Best of the West: Gonzaga takes flawed resume into WCC play, where massive downside risk looms
Pac-12 WBB rankings: UCLA, Colorado get big wins over rivals
Pac-12 FB breakdown: Best and worst of the 2023-24 bowl season
Sugar Bowl: Washington hangs on, tops Texas to reach CFP title game
In 2016-17, the Zags were 12-0 and the Gaels 10-1 in pre-conference play, giving them a sparkling combined record of 22-1.This year they have been very good at times, but also vulnerable.
Saint Mary’s, 32-2 at home the past two seasons, already has lost three times in Moraga. Gonzaga, 65-1 in its previous 66 games at the Kennel, lost by 10 points at home to San Diego State last Friday.
So, who might crash the party? The best bet appears to be USF (11-4), which ranks second in the WCC in both scoring offense and defense. The Dons’ No. 39 NET ranking is the WCC’s best, ahead of both the Gaels (No. 52) and Zags (No. 57).
The Dons open conference play Thursday at Pacific. Saint Mary’s visits San Diego while Gonzaga hosts Pepperdine.
+ There are no comments
Add yours