Jan. 13, 2001
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Santa Clara men's basketball team quickly rebounded from Friday's loss at Pepperdine in its conference opener with a 78-70 win at Loyola Marymount Saturday night at Gersten Pavilion to even its record to 1-1 in the league.
Despite an emotional victory over San Diego the night before, the Lions couldn't hold down the stretch as the Broncos out-scored the Lions 23-15 after LMU tied the game at 55. The win marked the fifth-straight for the Broncos in the series between the two teams.
"Santa Clara seemed to be a little fresher in the final 12 minutes of the game tonight and their experience showed in the execution of their offense," said LMU Head Coach Steve Aggers. "Ross and Bailey were outstanding tonight."
Ross, a transfer from the University of San Diego, poured in 17 of his game high 22 points in the second half for the Broncos (9-8, 1-1). Ross added 11 rebounds for the double-double. Reserve guard Kyle Bailey equaled a career-high with 17 points, while Brian Jones added 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Senior Elton Mashack led LMU (5-10, 1-1) with 19 points, and became the 26th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Marcus Smith added a career-high 17 points for LMU.
Smith's running jumper tied the game 55-55 with 6:16 remaining, but the Broncos responded with an 8-2 run, capped by Jamie Holmes' free throw with 4:00 left to give the Broncos a 63-57 lead. The Lions got no closer than five points the remainder of the game.
LMU's Robert Davis hit three 3-point baskets in the final 3:50 of the first half, including a 35-footer at the buzzer, to give LMU a 29-28 halftime lead. Ross hit a 3-point basket on the Broncos' first possession of the second half, and Santa Clara never trailed the rest of the game.
Santa Clara opens its home WCC schedule on Thursday against Saint Mary's. For ticket information, contact the Santa Clara athletic ticket office at 408/554-4660 or click on the ticket link on the left side of this page.