Men Travel to Cal State Bakersfield Thursday In First Leg Of Two-Game Road Trip This Week

Men Travel to Cal State Bakersfield Thursday In First Leg Of Two-Game Road Trip This Week

Santa Clara Game Notes

Santa Clara will travel south this week for two games on the road.  The Broncos will begin play at CSU Bakersfield on Thurs., Dec. 5 with a 7 pm game.  The Broncos will then travel to San Luis Obispo for a 7 pm game at Cal Poly on Sat., Dec. 7.

The Broncos are 2-4 this season after dropping two games last week as part of the 47th annual Cable Car Classic. The Broncos lost 91-85 to North Dakota State, the eventual champion, on Nov. 29.  The next night, Santa Clara's comeback story wasn't finished successfully vs. Rice.  Taking the lead with 6.7 second left, after being down by as many as 12 in the second half, Santa Clara couldn't stop a slashing Keith Washington from driving to the basket for a bucket and lost 67-66.  Brandon Clark was named to the Cable Car Classic All-Tournament team after scoring 47 points in two games.

The Broncos started the year by defeating Bethesda on Nov. 8, 84-39, and then defeated cross-town rival San Jose State, 89-77, on Nov. 12.  They dropped an 86-73 game at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 17 and fell 84-69 at Notre Dame on Nov. 22.

CSU Bakersfield is 5-3 and is playing its first season in the Western Athletic Conference this year.  Going into last weekend the Roadrunners had won five straight after opening their season with a 62-56 loss at Washington State.  After defeating Northern Arizona 61-50 in the first game of the Fresno State Classic on Nov. 29, the Roadrunners lost in overtime to host Fresno State 96-86 on Nov. 30.  CSUB finished play in Fresno State by falling 65-57 to Drake on Dec. 1.

Cal Poly is 2-5 this season, including 1-1 at home. The Mustangs lost 73-71 to the West Coast Conference's newest member, Pacific, on Nov. 30 after defeating North Dakota 70-43 on Nov. 29.  It finished play in Eugene, Ore. on Dec. 1 with an 82-61 loss to host-Oregon.

Look, Listen

The Cal State Bakersfield-Santa Clara game will be broadcast live on SantaClaraBroncos.com.  Anthony Passarelli is in his sixth season as the Broncos' play-by-play announcer.  The game will be live streamed and can be found on GoRunners.com.  The Cal Poly game will be broadcast live on KLIV 1590 AM in the Bay Area and also live streamed on GoPoly.com. 

Broncos

Junior Brandon Clark leads the Broncos with 19.0 ppg, good enough for third-best in the WCC.  Clark had scored 21+ points in four straight games, including a career-high 32 vs. North Dakota State, before he put up 15 on Nov. 30 vs. Rice.  He has helped his scoring average by making 30 of 35 free throws, including 7 of 7 vs. North Dakota State and 8 of 10 at Cal State Fullerton.  

Jared Brownridge is second with 16.5 ppg and he is the highest-scoring freshman in the WCC this season (No. 9 overall).  He leads the Broncos in minutes played (31.3), threes made (20) and attempted (44).  His 3.3 threes made per game are only bested by Gonzaga's Kevin Pangos (3.6) among WCC players.

Evan Roquemore, who has started the past two games after missing the first three games with a back issue, is averaging 12.3 ppg in the past three games.  He leads the team with 4.7 apg.

Yannick Atanga leads the team with 6.5 rpg.  After starting the first four games this season, Atanga has come off the bench the past two.  Atanga had the 11th double-digit rebound game of his career vs. San Jose State.  He led the league in rebounds last season.  

Jerry Brown, who played in his 100th career game on Nov. 30, is second on the team with 6.3 rpg and fourth with 10.2 ppg.  Brown has started the past two games and he averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg in those two games.  He barely missed his second double-double of the year vs. Rice, collecting 13 points with nine rebounds.  Brown scored his third career double-double and his first for the Broncos with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over San Jose State.  Marc Trasolini was the last Bronco to record a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds vs. Portland on Jan. 31, 2013.

The Broncos started the 2013-14 season with a bang.  SCU came away with a 45-point victory over Bethesda on Nov. 8 to open the year.  Brownridge led the Bronco charge with 25 points, including five threes with six assists.  Brownridge was just one three made shy of tying the school record for freshmen set by Steve Nash in 1993.  Jalen Richard chipped in 15, Brown 13 and Julian Clarke 11.

'Runners

Santa Clara played its final non-conference regular season game last year against the Roadrunners and came away with a 66-36 victory on Jan. 23, 2013.  Marc Trasolini collected his fifth double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Raymond Cowels III scored 11 points, including three threes.  Yannick Atanga grabbed five rebounds.  Evan Roquemore had nine points and five assists.  Kevin Foster scored eight points with two threes, three rebounds and five assists. Julian Clarke added seven points.

The Broncos opened the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons with wins over the Roadrunners in the two schools' first meetings. SCU won at Bakersfield, 84-81, on Nov. 13, 2009 and, almost exactly one year later, Nov. 12, 2010, the Broncos posted an 82-77 home win. Marc Trasolini posted his fifth career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in SCU's home win and scored 10 points in the win at Bakersfield. Kevin Foster scored 21 points at CSUB in 2009, including a last-second three to secure the win in regulation, and tallied 19 in SCU's home win in 2010.  

Dishes Away

Evan Roquemore is just the third player in school history to score 1,300+ points and collect 500+ assists.  The other two were Brian Jones (1,722 points, 517 assists, 1996-01) and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash (1,689 points, 510 assists, 1992-96).  Nash was named the WCC Player of the Year in 1995 and '96 and Jones was a three-time All-WCC First Team honoree.

Roquemore has a chance to break five Bronco career records this year.  Entering the CSUB game, he is No. 3 in assists and free throws made and No. 6 in minutes played.  He is also on pace to break the records for games started (93) and games played (109).  The games started career record was set last year by Kevin Foster (125) and the games played record was broken last year by Raymond Cowels III and Marc Trasolini (137).

For starters with 507 assists, Roquemore needs just 11 more to break the school recored for career assists set by Brian Jones (517, 1996-01).  Nash is No. 2 all-time with 510 assists (1992-96).

With 419 career free throws made, Roquemore needs to make 56 free throws to break the school record of 470 set by Ken Sears in 1951-55.  He is No. 4 all-time in free throw percentage at .807.  Nash holds the school record at .861. 

The team's lone 1,000+ career point scorer, Roquemore has started the past two games.  Roquemore came off the bench at 14:56 in the first half at Notre Dame for his first action this season. He missed the first three games with a back issue.  

Roquemore sits at No. 18 with 1,353 career points.  He needs to score 234 points to move past No. 10 Ken Sears (1,586 points, 1951-55) and just four points to pass No. 17 Jen Gordon (1,356 points, 1985-89).  Last year's Bronco team was the first team in West Coast Conference history to feature four 1,000 point career scorers. Along with Roquemore, the team had seniors Kevin Foster (No. 1, 2,423 points), Marc Trasolini (No. 5, 1,699 points) and Raymond Cowels III (No. 26, 1,090 points).

Roquemore needs to start three more games to jump into the top 10.  He is No. 6 in career minutes played, passing Nash already this season.  Foster also holds the record for minutes played with 4,212. 

CAREER 1,000 POINT SCORERS

1. Kevin Foster (2008-13) 2,423

2. Kurt Rambis (1976-80) 1,736

3. Harold Keeling (1981-85) 1,731

4. Brian Jones (1996-01) 1,722

5. Marc Trasolini (2008-13) 1,699

6. Steve Nash (1992-96) 1,689

7. Dennis Awtrey (1967-70) 1,675

8. John Bryant (2005-09) 1,667  

9. Londale Theus (1976-80) 1,643

10. Ken Sears (1951-55) 1,586

11. Kyle Bailey (2001-05) 1,571

12. Mike Stewart (1970-73) 1,446

13. Bud Ogden (1966-69) 1,437

14. Nick Vanos (1981-85) 1,399

15. Mike Gervasoni (1964-67) 1,393

16. Travis Niesen (2002-06) 1,380

17. Jens Gordon (1985-89) 1,356

18. Evan Roquemore (2010-) 1,353

19. Marlon Garnett (1993-97) 1,346

20. Ralph Ogden (1967-70) 1,280

21. Mitch Burley (1985-89) 1,258

22. Frank Sobrero (1957-60) 1,256

23. Ron Reis (1988-92) 1,246

24. Nathan Fast (1996-00)  1,182

25. Scott Lamson (1981-85)  1,120

26. Raymond Cowels III (2009-13) 1,090

27. Brody Angley (2004-08) 1,074

28.  Dan Weiss (1984-88)  1,070

29. DeWayne Lewis (1990-94) 1,032

30. Jim Young (1951-54)  1,016

31. Glen Hubbard (1972-76) 1,012 

CAREER ASSISTS

1. Brian Jones (1996-01) 517

2. Steve Nash (1992-96) 510

3. Evan Roquemore (2010-) 507

4. Brody Angley (2004-2008) 506

5. Eddie Joe Chavez (1974-78) 482

6. Kevin Foster (2008-13) 464

7. Kyle Bailey (2001-05) 452

8. Steve Kenilvort (1982-86) 423

9. John Woolery (1990-94) 422

10. Harold Keeling (1981-85) 344

Assist records kept only since 1973-74 

CAREER FREE THROWS MADE

1. Ken Sears (1951-55)  70

2. Kevin Foster (2008-13) 450

3. Evan Roquemore (2010-) 419

4. Brian Jones (1996-01)  413

5. Bud Ogden (1966-69) 385

6. Marc Trasolini (2008-13) 383

Dennis Awtrey (1967-70)  383

8. Harold Keeling (1981-85) 381

9. Mike Stewart (1970-73) 376

10. Mike Gervasoni (1964-67) 371

More @HeartofIndiana

Brandon Clark was scoreless in the first game of the year vs. Bethesda, but he has been a tear since.  Clark had a then-career high 23 points in back-to-back games vs. San Jose State and at Cal State Bakersfield.  He had not scored 20 or more points his first two years, as 19 was his career best entering this season (vs. BYU, Feb. 18, 2012). 

Clark added 21 at Notre Dame on Nov. 22 and on Nov. 29 he notched a new career-high of 32 points vs. North Dakota State.  Clark made a career-high five of eight from beyond the arc vs. the Bisons.  He was also 7 of 7 from the free throw line.  But it wasn't his best game this year from the charity stripe, as he went 11 of 14 in the 89-77 victory over San Jose State on Nov. 12, 2013. Kevin Foster was the last Bronco to score 30+ on March 27, 2013 when he collected 33 in the Broncos' 81-69 victory at Wright State to advance to the CBI Final.  

Clark had 21+ points in four straight games until he scored 15 points vs. Rice on Nov. 30.  Looking back, Foster scored 23+ points in five straight games last year.  He had 23 vs. LMU March 8; 23 vs. Vermont March 19; 34 at Purdue March 25; 33 at Wright State March 27 and 28 vs. George Mason April 1.  

Clark was just the fourth Bronco since 2007-08 to score 20+ in four straight games.  Foster did it twice (2013, 2011), Marc Trasolini once (2011). 

Speaking of records

Yannick Atanga is climbing up some records charts himself.  He is tied with Brendan Graves at No. 6 with 70 career blocks. He needs 24 blocks to pass No. 5 Kurt Rambis (93, 1976-80).  Robert Garrett is No. 8 with 66 career blocks.  Atanga has eight blocks this year to lead the team and Garrett has five.