Jan 30, 2004
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Doron Perkins scored 18 points to help Santa Clara beat Portland 75-64 on Thursday, remaining unbeaten at home during conference play.
Travis Niesen and Kyle Bailey each added 11 points as the Broncos (12-9, 4-2 WCC) beat the Pilots for the 17th time in 18 home games and won their fourth straight conference game at home.
Dreshawn Vance scored 14 points to lead Portland (8-11, 2-4), which has lost 10 of 13 games after starting the season 5-1. Adam Quick added 13 points and Casey Frandsen had 12.
Pilots' leading scorer Pooh Jeter was held to 10 points, all in the second half, eight under his average.
Santa Clara, which outrebounded the Pilots 43-33, led by as many as 21 points midway through the second half. Bailey recorded a team-high eight rebounds, while Perkins and Jim Howell added seven each.
Through the game's first 16 minutes, the teams combined to shot just over 25 percent (12-of-47) and Portland did not attempt a field goal for nearly five minutes.
The Pilots pulled to within 21-17 at 4:08 before Santa Clara went on an 11-4 run to take a 32-21 lead at halftime.
The game was delayed for several minutes just before halftime when Portland sophomore guard Donald Wilson sustained a neck injury after colliding with Broncos' Jordan Legge with just :03 seconds remaining on the clock.
Wilson was taken for X-rays as a precautionary measure and did not return.
Howell recorded three blocked shots in the game and moved into ninth-place on the school's career and single season lists. He has 27 blocks this year and 47 during his career. He entered the season with just 20 blocked shots in his first three seasons combined.
Santa Clara returns to action Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff against 10th-ranked Gonzaga in the Leavey Center. The athletic department announced a sellout on Tuesday, which marked the first advance sellout in the Leavey Center since the building reopened in December, 2000.
Saturday's game will be televised live by Fox Sports and can be heard in the Bay Area on radio station KSFB-AM (1220). In addition, the live audio and a real-time GameTracker will be offered online here.