Eight-minute scoring drought for BYU women’s basketball results in 69-59 loss to Santa Clara

BYU women’s basketball snapped its seven-game winning streak in a 69-59 loss to Santa Clara Saturday.

“Credit to Santa Clara, they came in here, did their job and played really well together. They’re a hard guard,” BYU head coach Amber Whiting said. “We need to learn from this loss and go back to work on Monday.”

BYU looked hopeful, trailing 20-16 after the first quarter and then outscoring Santa Clara 20-15 in the second, but that was as good as it got for the Cougars. The score favored BYU coming back from halftime but soon flipped as the Broncos pulled a 14-0 run.

The third quarter foreshadowed BYU’s demise as the cougars got stuck in an eight-minute scoring drought, paving the way for a Santa Clara victory.

Nani Falatea led both teams as the top scorer with 20 points as Kaylee Smiler added another 13. Only two points came from the BYU bench, while Santa Clara’s bench put up 15.

Lauren Gustin earned her 19th double-double of the season, but even her 14 points and 15 rebounds paired with Smiler and Falatea’s efforts could not bring the Cougars back into the game.

Shooting only 31% from the floor in the fourth quarter, BYU sealed its fate in handing the win to Santa Clara.

“It’s good to have a loss right now so we can re-focus to go forward,” Whiting said.

The Cougars hit the road next week as they play Saint Mary’s on Thursday.