Jan. 27, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara came back from a 14-point first half deficit to take a six-point lead with 11 minutes left, but Loyola Marymount hung tough to pull out a 74-71 win at the Leavey Cetner. The Broncos shot 50 percent from the floor for the game, but they could not get their fourth straight win.
Brody Angley had a three-point play with 27.7 seconds left to pull Santa Clara within 72-71, then Adoyah Miller missed two free throws on the other end and Santa Clara called timeout with 15.4 seconds left. But Joey Kaempf missed a long 3-pointer with 8 seconds to go and Max Craig pulled down the rebound for Loyola Marymount and was immediately fouled. Craig missed his first free throw at 6.9 seconds and made the second.
The Broncos had another chance and Angley missed a short off-balance jumper with under a second left.
Knight went down with a left knee injury with 3:31 to play but returned briefly to score another basket. He came down hard on the knee and fell to the ground again, causing the 6-foot-8 center to leave the game for good.
John Montgomery, son of former Stanford and Golden State Warriors coach Mike Montgomery, scored all seven of his points over the final 5:13 for Loyola Marymount.
Danny Pariseau and Scott Dougherty combined for seven of their team's 11 3-pointers and Santa Clara nearly overcame a 14-point first-half deficit. The Broncos had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Pariseau hit four 3-pointers on the way to 14 points before fouling out with 2:04 left and Dougherty added three 3s to finish with 13 points and seven rebounds. Angley scored 12 points.
It was a tough loss for Santa Clara (14-7, 4-2 WCC), which was off to its best start in nine years and came into the game in a first-place tie atop the West Coast Conference standings with Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.
Miller finished with 15 points but picked up two quick fouls against Sean Denison in the second half for the Lions (9-13, 1-5). They began the season 5-2, but have been slowed by injuries to several key players - including losing leading scorer Brandon Worthy to a season-ending knee injury after 13 games.
Dougherty's 3-pointer with 14:51 to play tied the game at 45. Kaempf broke a 49-all tie with a 3 at 11:28 and Mitch Henke connected from long range the next time down to give the Broncos a 55-49 lead. They couldn't hold it, and losing floor leader Pariseau in the waning moments didn't help.
Denison, Santa Clara's leading scorer, was held to one point in the first half and only attempted one shot. His first field goal was an emphatic dunk with 14:03 left and he finished with seven points and eight boards.
Santa Clara's 6-10 center John Bryant didn't start because of bronchitis, but had 12 points.
The Lions jumped out to an 8-0 lead before Pariseau's 3 got the Broncos on the board and started a 7-0 run, then Loyola Marymount went on an 11-0 run of its own.
Santa Clara retired the jersey of former great Ken Sears, who played for the Broncos from 1951-55, at halftime. Sears was the first basketball player ever to appear on Sports Illustrated's cover.
Santa Clara returns to the court Monday night as the Broncos face the Pepperdine Waves at 8:00 p.m. PT at the Leavey Center. The game will be broadcast live on television on ESPNU and on the radio on 1220 KNTS.
