Nov. 18, 2006
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Sean Denison scored a career-high 20 points as Santa Clara beat Utah 83-72 on Saturday night.
Calvin Johnson added 18 points as the Broncos opened with two wins for the first time in four years. Danny Pariseau and Mitch Henke added 12 points apiece.
Stephen Weigh scored 15 points to lead the Utes, who opened the season 0-2 for the first time since 1979. Luke Nevill had 17 points and nine rebounds and Johnnie Bryant added 12 points.
The Utes are attempting to rebound from their first losing season in 18 years.
The Broncos used a 17-2 run midway through the first half to erase a seven-point deficit (17-10) and take a 29-19 edge.
Behind some hot shooting, Utah closed to within 57-54 with 10:04 remaining to play on a Bryant 3-pointer but Santa Clara responded with a 12-2 run to rebuild its lead to 13 points. Johnson keyed the run with a three-point play, a steal that ended with a Dension dunk, and long-range three-pointer to cap the run.
The Broncos led by as many as 15 before finishing with an 11-point win.
After scoring 12 points against Holy Names on Tuesday, Denison continued his excellent early season play with 20 against Utah, which featured the 7-1 Nevill in the paint. Denison did most of his damage inside, but was also able to get out on the break a few times, showing that the Broncos can get up and down the court with anyone.
While Denison was hot in the paint, Johnson bounced back from a 2-for-8 shooting performance in the opener to knock down 5-of-9 three pointers. He also chipped in with three steals and three assists.
Another bright spot for SCU was the play of Pariseau who not only scored 12 points, but also handed out eight assists and did not commit a turnover. Through two games, Pariseau has dished out 15 assists with only one turnover while sharing the backcourt with Brody Angley.
Angley scored nine points and handed out five assists and overcome a scare in the first half when he was fouled hard by Utah's Lawrence Borha while driving for a lay-up. Borha was ejected from the game for the flagrant foul.
