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Santa Clara fought hard to escape Haas Pavilion Sunday afternoon with a win, answering California’s every effort throughout the game to pull out a 77-73 victory over the Bears. Senior guard Courtney Johnson scored a career-high 32 points for the Bears in the effort. The contest marked a reunion of sorts for California head coach Caren Horstmeyer, who left Santa Clara last year to take over coaching duties at Cal this season.  

“That was a great game,” said Horstmeyer. “There had to be a winner and there had to be a loser. For me, it was a really fun game. I think Santa Clara ended up doing what they needed to do to win the game. I’m very proud of our team.”  

California (3-5 overall, 0-0 in the Pac-10) jumped out to an early lead, holding the Broncos off through most of the first half while compiling an 11 point lead, 21-10, with 8:54 remaining in the frame. That’s just about when Santa Clara (4-2 overall, 0-0 in the WCC) switched gears, chipping away at the Bears’ lead slowly but consistently until sophomore forward Julie Butler was able to hand the Broncos their first lead of the game with 1:41 remaining the in first half, 31-30. Santa Clara would go on to take a 36-35 lead into halftime.  

In the second half, roles were reversed, this time with Santa Clara running up a slight lead early, forcing the Bears to play catch-up. With 12:20 remaining in the game, it was Butler again for the Broncos, this time handing Santa Clara its largest lead of the afternoon, 53-42.  

At that point, it was California’s turn to chip away at its opponent’s advantage, and that’s just what it did. Junior center Ami Forney went into action, scoring six points in 2:15 minutes to bring California within one, 53-52, with 8:35 to play in the game. Forney finished the night with her third career double-double, her second of the season, tallying 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Bears. Senior forward Lauren Ashbaugh knocked down 12 points to round out the Bears’ leading scorers.  

“I think that we definitely did learn from this,” said Horstmeyer. “What I think was great was that we played against a lot of different things. I think we were a little flustered in the first half but in the second half we made some good adjustments.”  

As resilient as they’d been all night, Santa Clara had a response for the Bears, adding a couple of points to their lead and holding through for the victory, eventually holding off the Bears’ final minute of fouling to secure the 77-73 win.  

Santa Clara had five players in double-digit scoring, led by sophomore forward Kendra Rhea’s 17 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guards Caroline Gruening and Becki Ashbaugh each added 12 points for the Broncos while senior forward Jennifer Glysson and Butler tapped down 10 apiece. The Broncos also benefited from the Bears’ 21 turnovers during the course of the game, compared to their own 14.  

California returns to action Friday, Dec. 22, at San Diego State in a 7 p.m. match-up with the Aztecs.