Michelle Cozad finished with a game-high 34 points to help lead Santa Clara to a 79-69 win over the Sacramento State women’s basketball team, Monday evening at the Hornets Nest. The game marked the home opener for the Hornets in the 2003-04 regular season.Sacramento State is now 0-5 on the year while Santa Clara improved to 2-2.
Cozad finished 10-for-15 from the field including a 3-for-7 effort from behind the three-point line to pace the Bronco offense. She also went 11-for-13 from the free-throw line and distributed a team-high five assists. Whitney Sutak added 17 points to contribute to the Santa Clara scoring effort.
Junior Tyeisha Brown finished with a season-best 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and a 6-for-8 effort from the charity stripe to lead Sacramento State. For Brown a native of Vallejo, Calif., it was her first double-digit scoring effort of the season. The performance also made her the fifth player on the squad to lead the Hornets in scoring through five contests.
In the first half, Santa Clara jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before Sacramento State used a 7-2 run to tie the contest at 7-7 at the 17:18 mark. The two teams exchanged leads four times before the Broncos went on a 16-5 run to take their largest lead of the half (35-25) with 4:06 remaining. The Hornets finished the half on a 9-5 run to make it a 42-36 deficit at the break.
In the second half, both teams traded baskets until Santa Clara used a 10-2 run to for its largest lead of the game (65-50) at the 8:33 mark. Sacramento State managed to cut the lead to 74-67 with 2:54 remaining but could not get any closer.
Senior Danielle Iceman (14) and sophomore Katelyn Ciampi (11) also cracked the double-digit mark in scoring to help the Hornet offense. Iceman, a native of Redding, Calif., finished 10-for-13 from the free-throw line. Freshman Jessica Voisard (11 rebounds) and junior Samania Black (five assists) also contributed game-high marks on the evening.
As a team, the Hornets shot 20-for-54 (.370) from the field and 29-of-45 (.644) from the free-throw line. Santa Clara finished 27-of-53 (.509) including a 7-for-16 mark from behind the three-point line. The Broncos also added a 18-for-25 effort from the charity stripe. Sacramento State out-rebounded Santa Clara by 38-37 margin.
Sacramento State will next travel to Manhattan, Kan., to compete in the Commerce Bank Invitational on Dec. 5-6. The Hornets will face ninth-ranked Kansas State on Friday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m. before ending their weekend against either Saint Louis/Texas-Pan American on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m.
