Santa Clara Defeats Pacific Union 77-42

Santa Clara Defeats Pacific Union 77-42

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Finishing its six-game homestand on a high note, Santa Clara downed Pacific Union 77-42 on Saturday night. The Broncos allowed just 17 points in the first half, the fewest since allowing 17 to UC Merced in last year's opening game. The Broncos now prepare for two games on the road, although both are rather close as Santa Clara travels across town to San Jose State on Tues., Dec. 11 and to Stockton, Calif. to face future West Coast Conference member Pacific on Sat., Dec. 15.

Santa Clara (6-2) was led by Kevin Foster and Robert Garrett. Foster notched 12 points on four three-pointers, which moved him into second on the WCC's career threes made list. He also tallied five steals and two assists. Garrett was one point shy of a double-double. He scored nine points while grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds. Marc Trasolini and Raymond Cowels III also scored 14 and 13 points, respectivley.

Will Bell led Pacific Union (0-7) with 11 points and three rebounds. Marcus Carter added  10 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Santa Clara shot 46.9 percent from the field (30 of 64), including 38.1 percent from beyond the arc (8 of 21). Santa Clara made 9 of 16 free throws and Pacific Union made 8 of 16.  SCU had 19 assists, 42 rebounds, 15 steals, two blocks and had 14 turnovers.  Pacific Union shot 36.8 percent from the field (14 of 38), including 27.3 percent from beyond the arc (6 of 22).  The Pioneers had nine assists, 25 rebounds, seven steals, three blocks and had 27 turnovers. 

Santa Clara started the game by scoring 18 unanswered points before conceding Pacific Union's first points at 15:48.  Foster scored the first points of the game with a three-pointer. He knocked down three in the first three minutes, while Evan Roquemore added an impressive one-handed dunk.  

Up 16-0, Garrett added a second-chance bucket to extend the Santa Clara's lead to 18-0. 

Carter finally got Pacific Union on the board with a mid-range jumper to stop the Santa Clara run. At 15:36, Santa Clara led 18-2.

Pacific Union attempted to fight back, trading buckets with the Broncos to make the score 22-6 heading into the second media timeout.

After the media timeout, Santa Clara went on another run. Garrett continued his early domination of the boards.The Santa Clara seven-footer added two points in the paint. On the next possession he added an offensive rebound that led to a Marc Trasolini dunk. After a defensive stop, Trasolini added a layup to extend Santa Clara's lead to 28-6. Cowels III hit from downtown to add to Santa Clara's lead. Carter added his second bucket to give Pacific Union just its eighth point in 13 minutes. 

Up 33-8, Trasolini tallied his second dunk with a one-handed jam from under the rim. After a Pioneer turnover, Cowels III dropped in a floater to give the Broncos a 29-point cushion. 

With roughly 4:00 left in the half, Santa Clara held a 42-11 lead. After a Pacific Union turnover,Brandon Clark found Garrett in the paint who notched his sixth point. 

Ben Vincent and Chris Miller hit back-to-back three-pointers for Pacific Union to make the score 44-17 entering halftime. 

In the first half, Santa Clara shot 51.4 percent from the field (18 of 35), including 40 percent from beyond the arc (6 of 15). Santa Clara took just two free throw attemps in the first half, converting both. Pacific Union made 1 of 2 from the charity stripe.  SCU had six assists, 20 rebounds, six steals, one block and had six turnovers.  Pacific Union shot 38.9 percent from the field (7 of 18), including 20 percent from beyond the arc (2 of 10).  The Pioneers had two assists, nine rebounds, three steals, two blocks and had 14 turnovers. 

Trasolini started the second half with back-to-back dunks. However, Pacific Union answered with a jumper and three-pointer from Will Bell to put the score at 50-22. Entering the first media timeout, the Broncos held a 51-22 advantage.

After the second media timeout, Derrick Brown and Niyi Harrison both hit one of two from the charity stripe to make the score 52-23. Danny Sepulveda and John McArthur traded jumpers. After a defensive stop, Foster knocked down his fourth three-pointer to extend Santa Clara's lead. 

Carter hit a free throw to make the score 59-26, Santa Clara went on a 12-0 run. Garrett converted in the paint to extend the lead to 59-26 and Cowels III drained another three. Yannick Atanga scored five-straight points for the Broncos including two jumpers and a free throw. On defense, Roquemore tallied his third steal and slammed it home in transition to give the Broncos a 69-26 lead. A Brown jumper ended the Broncos' run and gave Pacific Union its first field goal in roughly seven minutes. 

Kyle Perricone played the last 11 minutes, his longest stretch of his career.

At 5:25, Harrison hit a jumper that gave the Broncos a 71-30 lead. 

Santa Clara would continue to dominate late while spreading minutes to bench players, picking up a 77-42 victory.