Scoring 40 points in one game. And besting Steve Nash’s freshman year.

GILDAY: FORTY IN ONE GAME

Loyola Marymount was surely glad to see the back of Nici Gilday ’15 after last season. The junior guard torched the Lions twice, scoring 34 in the Broncos’ victory in Los Angeles, a personal high that she soon eclipsed in the rematch at Leavey. There Gilday exploded for 40 points, breaking a Santa Clara record that had stood since Dorinda (Lindstrom) Shaffer ’88 dropped 39 points against Fresno State 28 years earlier.

Photo by Denis Concordel

The finance major’s performance propelled her to West Coast Conference Player of the Week, helping her later secure All-WCC honorable mention for a season when she led the Broncos in everything from points scored to minutes played to assists and steals.

BROWNRIDGE: TEN FOR THE BOOKS

It took all of one month of basketball for Jared Brownridge ’17to write himself into the Santa Clara record books. His seven 3-pointers against La Sierra in December set a freshman high that knocked no less than two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash ’96 from the top spot.

The 6-2 guard, from Aurora, Ill., finished the season with 10 freshman records, including points per game, 3-pointers made, and free-throw average. He was often at his deadliest when it mattered most. With SCU trailing in the final seconds at St. Mary’s, Brownridge stunned the crowd with a game winner launched from a foot behind the arc.

His season’s exploits not only earned him West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year, but inclusion on the Kyle Macy Freshman All-America team—the only WCC player selected.