Feb. 20, 2001
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The Santa Clara University men's basketball team returns home to the Leavey Center for the final two games of the regular season this weekend when it takes on Gonzaga and Portland.
Santa Clara (16-11, 8-4 in the WCC) faces regular-season champion Gonzaga (20-5, 12-0 in the WCC) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on Ruff Rider Appreciation Night. The Ruff Riders are Santa Clara's student spirit organization that numbers nearly 1,000 members. Saturday's 1 p.m. contest against Portland (10-15, 3-9 in the WCC) will mark the final home game for Bronco seniors Stephen Dely, Jamie Holmes, Brian Jones and Dustin Warford.
The Broncos are currently in third-place in the league standings and can finish as high as a tie for second-place with two wins coupled with two Pepperdine losses. Pepperdine will finish as the second-seed in the WCC Tournament by virtue of its two wins over the Broncos this season.
Thursday's game features the two winningest men's basketball programs in the WCC over the last seven seasons. Gonzaga has won nearly 73 percent of its games since the 1994-95 season and currently shares the nation's longest winning streak at 14-games. Santa Clara is second during that span with a .625 winning percentage. The Bulldogs knocked-off Santa Clara by a score of 70-64 earlier this season in Spokane, aided largely by its 31-of-51 effort from the free throw line.
The Broncos' contest against Portland on Saturday will mark the end of an era for four seniors who have made a significant contribution on the Santa Clara basketball program. In addition to popular walk-on Warford and four-year center Dely, the Broncos will bid farewell to co-captains Jamie Holmes and Brian Jones.
Holmes has been one of the hardest-working and popular members of the Bronco program in recent years and enters the weekend as the WCC's second-best rebounder at 7.3 boards per game. Jones enters the two games with a chance to become the first player ever at a California Division I men's basketball team to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career. He needs just six assists to become the first player in WCC history to achieve the feat. Jones is one of the Broncos' all-time leaders in several statistical categories.
For tickets to the final two games at the Leavey Center, contact the Santa Clara University Athletic Ticket Office at 408/554-4660 or Click Here.