Feb. 28, 2006
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Brody Angley scored five points and grabbed two key rebounds over the final 27 seconds, helping Santa Clara hold off Pepperdine 62-56 on Monday night.
Travis Niesen added 18 points and four rebounds for the Broncos (12-15, 5-9 WCC), who won their third straight after losing 10 of 11. The three-game winning streak matches Santa Clara's longest of the season.
Taashan Forehan-Kelly had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Pepperdine, including a 10-foot jump shot with 32.8 seconds left that pulled the Waves (7-19, 3-11) within 57-56. The Broncos, who led by as many as 11 in the second half, then had to hold on behind Angley.
The win makes the Broncos the sixth seed in the upcoming conference tournament and they will play seventh-seeded Portland in the opening round. Last-place Pepperdine opens against fifth-place San Diego.
Angley, a junior guard, had not scored in the second half until his outburst in the last minute when he went 3-for-5 from the free throw line and outhustled Pepperdine for the rebound on both misses. Angley converted one of the rebounds into a quick basket while the other secured the win. He finished with nine points, six rebounds and four assists.
Pepperdine easily handled Santa Clara in the first game between the two teams, winning 65-45 on Jan. 23 when the Broncos shot a season-low 27.1 percent.
Santa Clara came out shooting even worse Monday before turning things around in the second half while taking advantage of 17 Pepperdine turnovers. The Broncos, who led the entire second half, also owned a 17-6 edge in offensive rebounds.
Pepperdine, which trailed 26-22 at halftime, scored the first four points of the second half to tie the game before Santa Clara went on a 15-4 run to take its biggest lead at 41-30. The Waves slowly chipped away at the lead and tied the score at 51 on two free throws from Chris Oakes with 2:25 left to play.
Niesen scored the next four points for Santa Clara but the Broncos couldn't shake the Waves until Angley took over down the stretch.
Santa Clara led by as much as nine in the first half and was ahead 22-14 on freshman Calvin Johnson's third 3-pointer of the game with 4:42 left. Pepperdine cut the deficit in half behind Gregg Barlow and Willie Galick, who combined for eight points over the final four minutes to cut Santa Clara's lead to 26-22.