SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Interstat) — The Santa Clara Broncos used a dominant second quarter and a balanced offensive attack to pull away from the San Diego Toreros for a 68-46 victory in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball game Sunday at Leavey Center.

A crowd of 356 watched the Broncos improve to 11-3 overall, while San Diego fell to 6-8.

The game’s decisive stretch came in the second period. After a competitive first quarter that ended with Santa Clara leading 13-10, the Broncos clamped down defensively. San Diego managed only four points in the quarter, shooting 1 of 13 from the field and committing six turnovers. Santa Clara capitalized, outscoring the Toreros 19-4 in the frame to build a 32-14 halftime lead. The Broncos scored 17 points off turnovers in the game, with 11 of those coming in the first half, effectively turning San Diego’s mistakes into an insurmountable advantage.

San Diego showed a spark after halftime, outscoring Santa Clara 19-21 in the third quarter behind a trio of three-pointers from Lilly Amor. But the Toreros could never cut the deficit to single digits, as Santa Clara consistently answered every run. The Broncos shot 50 percent from the field in the third quarter to maintain their commanding lead.

Ashley Hawkins led Santa Clara with 12 points and five assists, orchestrating the offense and hitting two key three-pointers during the first-half surge. Maia Jones added 13 points, and Kate Schat contributed a team-high 14 points, including two three-pointers in the third quarter to stifle San Diego’s attempted comeback. Sophie Glancey anchored the interior with eight points, two assists and a block.

For San Diego, Olivia Owens and Lilly Amor each finished with nine points. Amor scored all of her points on three-pointers in the second half. Dresha Moore added eight points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Toreros struggled mightily from beyond the arc, making only 5 of 27 attempts, and were hampered by 18 turnovers.

Both teams scored 26 points in the paint, but Santa Clara’s efficiency from the field and its ability to convert San Diego’s miscues made the difference. The Broncos also shared the ball effectively, tallying 18 assists on 26 made field goals.

The victory extends Santa Clara’s strong start to the season as it heads into the heart of conference play. San Diego, which had won two of its last three games entering Sunday, will look to regroup on the road.

Santa Clara next hosts Seattle on Tuesday. San Diego travels to face Pacific on Tuesday.