Santa Clara travels to San Diego on Sat., Feb. 8 for an 8 pm game on Comcast SportsNet California. Eddie Doucette and Kevin O'Neill will make the call. The game will also be broadcast live on KLIV 1590 AM and SantaClaraBroncos.com as part of the Bronco Radio Network. Anthony Passarelli is in his seventh season as the Broncos' play-by-play announcer.
The Broncos are 10-15 and 3-9 WCC in the WCC. The Broncos have lost seven straight since they won 57-55 at Saint Mary's on Jan. 9 and are 2-4 on the road in league games this year.
San Diego is 13-12 and 4-8 in the WCC. They have lost four of their last six WCC games. San Diego is 7-5 at home this year, including 2-3 in league games.
SCU Last
With the WCC's leading scorer collecting 27 points, Tyler Haws led BYU to an 89-76 victory over visiting Santa Clara on Thursday night in the Marriott Center. Jared Brownridge scored 16 points and was in double figures for the 19th time this season. Brandon Clark scored 16, making it 21 games in double figures this season.
Jalen Richard scored 10 and Jerry Brown led the Broncos with six boards. Evan Roquemore scored three and didn't collect an assist for just the third game in his Bronco career (at Cal Poly and vs. Gonzaga this season). Off the bench, Julian Clarke was three of four from beyond the arc for nine points.
Four Cougars scored in double figures. Haws 27 points came on 9 of 12 shooting from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. Kyle Collinsworth scored 18, Eric Mika added 15 with 10 boards and Skylar Halford finished with 12 points and four assists.
San Diego Last
San Diego lost 74-67 to visiting USF on Thursday night. Down four points at halftime, USD rallied to take a 10 point lead midway through the second half, but USF held on for the win. Johnny Dee scored a team-high 18 points. His four threes put him as the program's all-time leader with 232. Also scoring double figures for USD: Duda Sanadze (15 points), Christopher Anderson (13 points) and Dennis Kramer (11 points).
All-Time
The two teams will be playing on Saturday for the 76th time with SCU holding a 41-34 lead all-time. San Diego lost 69-66 on Jan. 16 in Santa Clara. Brandon Clark scored 21 points with Jared Brownridge scoring 19. Jerry Brown scored 11 and Evan Roquemore added 10.
The Broncos swept the Toreros last season for the 10th time since USD joined the league in 1979-80. Evan Roquemore has made 31 of 34 free throws (91.7 percent) in seven career games against USD. Denzel Johnson scored 20 points at USD (2/4/12), his second-highest career point total.
1,000
With 907 career points, Brandon Clark will most likely be the next Bronco to reach 1,000 career points as he has 891. He would be the 31st Bronco with 1,000 plus points in his career and the seventh head coach Kerry Keating.
The team's lone 1,000+ career point scorer, Roquemore missed the first four games with a back injury. Roquemore sits at No. 12 with 1,539 career points. He needs 33 points to pass No. 11 Kyle Bailey (1,571, 2001-05) and with 48 points he will pass No. 10 Ken Sears (1,586 points, 1951-55).
Last year's Bronco team was the first team in WCC history to feature four 1,000 point career scorers. Along with Roquemore, the team had Foster (No. 1, 2,423 points), Trasolini (No. 5, 1,699 points) and Cowels III (No. 26, 1,090 points).
Leaders
Three Broncos average double figures: Brandon Clark, Jared Brownridge and Evan Roquemore. With both starting each of Santa Clara's 25 games this year, Clark averages 16.9 and Brownridge 16.8. Roquemore adds 10.9 ppg off the bench. In WCC games, Brownridge is averaging 19.2 ppg, Clark adds 18.0 and Roquemore 10.5.
Clark also leads the team with 3.4 apg and 1.3 spg. If he finishes the season at the top of all three, he would be the first Bronco since Brandon Rohe in 2002-03 to do this (10.6 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 spg). Clark highlights:
+ Clark scored zero points in the season opener vs. Bethesda, but has since scored double figures in 21 of the last 24 games. Clark has scored 20+ in seven of 12 WCC games this season.
+ Clark has scored more than 1/4 of his points at the free throw line this year, hitting 85.7 percent (102 of 119). + Clark has scored 20+ 12 times this year, including a career-high 32 points vs. N.D. State on Nov. 29. During a four-game span (Nov. 12-29), he scored 21+ points in each game; and he was the fourth Bronco player since 2007-08 to accomplish this feat. Scoring 30 points vs. Sacred Heart on Dec. 18, he was the 13th Bronco in school history to have multiple 30+ point games in a single season.
+ Clark scored a WCC career-high with 26 points vs. LMU on Jan. 4 (career high is 32 vs. North Dakota State on Nov. 29). Half of Clark's points vs. the Lions came at the free throw line, as the East Chicago, Ind. native went 13 of 14 from the free throw line.
Brownridge is the top scoring freshman in the WCC and will receive serious consideration for WCC Newcomer of the Year. He is averaging 19.2 ppg in WCC play which is No. 2 in the league and tops among the rookies. He has scored 20+ 11 times already this season, including six times in WCC play; and barely missed 20 vs. USD on Jan. 16 (19 points). Brownridge highlights:
+ Brownridge leads the Broncos in threes made (68) and attempted (162). Brownridge is shooting a team-high 42.0 percent beyond the arc. That would break the Bronco freshman record set by Steve Nash in 1993 if the season ended today (40.8 percent). The single season school record was set by Nash in 1994-95 (45.4 percent). His 68 threes are No. 2 on the Bronco freshman record list and No. 8 on the Bronco single season list, topping Steve Nash's total his sophomore year (67, 1993-94).
+ He scored a career-high 30 points vs. BYU on Jan. 18, adding four threes and hitting 8 of 8 free throws. He followed that performance up with 30 points at USF on Jan. 25, adding five threes and scoring 9 of 10 from the free throw line. He is just the third Bronco in school history to score 30+ points in back-to-back WCC games, joining Dennis Awtrey (1969) and Kurt Rambis (1980). He is the 17th Bronco in school history to have multiple 30+ point games and the 14th in school history to do it more than once in a single season.
Roquemore is third with 10.9 ppg and is second on the team with 3.2 apg. Roquemore highlights:
+ Already the school record holder for a single season with assists (2012-13), he is also the career school record for assists with 560. He is No. 9 all-time in the WCC, passing Gonzaga's John Stockton (554, 1980-84) vs. Portland on Feb. 1. He needs 14 assists to move past Portland's Darwin Cook (573, 1976-80). He missed out on an assist at BYU on Feb. 6. It is just the third time in his career he played a game without an assist. The other two games were vs. Gonzaga on Jan. 29 and at Cal Poly on Dec. 7, 2013.
+ He's just the third player in school history to collect 1,500+ points and 500+ assists. The other two: Brian Jones (1,722 pts., 517 asts., 1996-01) and Steve Nash (1,689 pts., 510 asts., 1992-96).
+ His 20 points and five threes were a season-high at Portland on Dec. 30.
Jerry Brown, a graduate transfer from Fresno State, leads the team with 5.8 rpg and is fourth with 7.7 ppg. Brown highlights:
+ He scored Santa Clara's lone double-double this year vs. SJSU (16 pts., 10 reb., Nov. 12, 2013).
+ Brown is working on a Master's in Communication as he redshirted his sophomore year at Fresno State.
+ He came off the bench the first four games, then started 12 straight. He has come off the bench eight of the last nine games, with his lone start vs. BYU on Jan. 18.
+ He has scored 723 career points with 496 rebounds, including 193 points and 145 rebounds with the Broncos.
Roquemore
Evan Roquemore enters the San Diego game with 560 career assists, a Bronco school record. Roquemore broke the Bronco career assists record vs. Radford on Dec. 16 with a dandy dish to Jared Brownridge in the first half, topping Brian Jones (517, 1996-2001). Last year Roquemore set the single season assists record with 196, topping John Woolery (190, 1993-94).
Roquemore has collected an assist in 124 of 127 career games. He was credited with no assists three times this year: at Cal Poly, vs. Gonzaga and at BYU. Looking back, Jones missed an assist in just three games (Dec. 21, 1996 at Pacific, Jan. 22, 1997 at USF; and March 4, 2000 vs. USF). Jones only had one game his final three years without an assist (USF, 2000). Steve Nash had eight games his freshman year with no assists, but the final three years of his career he had at least one assist in every game he played in during his Bronco career.
WCC Career Assist Leaders
AST YEARS
1. Orlando Smart, USF 902 1990-94
2. Terrell Lowery, LMU 689 1988-92
3. Matt Santangelo, GON 668 1997-00
4. Carl Ervin, SEA 659 1977-80
5. Blake Stepp, GON 640 2000-04
6. Keith Smith, LMU 594 1982-86
7. Jeremy Pargo, GON 589 2005-09
8. Darwin Cook, POR 573 1976-80
9. Evan Roquemore, SCU 560 2010-
10. John Stockton, GON 554 1980-84
With 456 career FT made, he needs to make 15 to break the school record set by Ken Sears (470, 1951-55). The career minutes played record was set last year by Kevin Foster (4,212) and entering the USD game, he is No. 2 in minutes played (4,061). He has started in 106 career games (T-6) and played in 127 games (No. 7).
30 for 30
Jared Brownridge scored 30 points in back-to-back WCC games vs. BYU on Jan. 18 and at USF on Jan. 25. Only three Bronco player have had back-to-back 30+ point games: Dennis Awtrey (March 1 and 7, 1969); Kurt Rambis (Jan. 4 and 5, 1980) and Kevin Foster (March 25 and 27, 2013). Awtrey and Rambis both scored 30+ in back-to-back WCC games as did Brownridge and Foster's came in SCU's CBI title run at Purdue and Wright State.
Brownridge and Brandon Clark are just the second set of Bronco teammates to have multiple 30 point games in the same season. The only other set of SCU teammates to accomplish this: Rambis and Londale Theus did in the 1979-80 season. Theus scored 30+ twice that season (Jan. 25, 1980 and March 2, 1980) and Rambis scored 30+ three times (Jan. 4, 1980, Jan. 5, 1980 and Jan. 25, 1980).
20+ Club
Prior to this year, Brandon Clark hadn't scored 20+ points in a college or high school game since he scored 29 in an AAU game in eighth grade. Clark has scored 20+ 12 times this season, including 20+ in seven of the 12 WCC games this year. His 12 20+ games are sixth-most since 2000-01. Tops on the list since 2000-01 - Kevin Foster scored 20+ 20 times in 2012-13.
Jared Brownridge has scored 20+ points 11 times already this year - second-best for a Bronco freshman since 1990-91. Kevin Foster scored 20+ points 11 times his freshman season Brownridge has led the Broncos in scoring 11 times this year and has scored double-digits in 19 games.
Brownridge
Jared Brownridge has scored single digits just twice in WCC play this season (7 at Pacific, 6 vs. Gonzaga). He has a three in every game this year with the exception of at BYU on Feb. 6 (0-6), vs. Gonzaga on Jan. 29 (0-1) and Sacred Heart on Dec. 18 (0 for 3).
If the season finished today, Brownridge would break the freshman school records for points per game, three point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Those records belong to Kurt Rambis and Nash.
Bronco Freshman Records Chase
Scoring Average
Jared Brownridge (2013-14) 16.8
1. Kurt Rambis (1976-77) 5.3
Three-Point FG Pct. (Minimum 20 made)
Jared Brownridge (2013-14) .420
1. Steve Nash (1992-93) 408
Free Throw Percentage (Minimum 30 made)
Jared Brownridge (2013-14) 859
1. Steve Nash (1992-93) 825
Brownridge collected seven three pointers on a night where he shot 8 of 15 from the field with a game-high seven assists in the win vs. La Sierra on Dec. 14. The seven threes by Brownridge broke the Bronco freshman record set by Nash back in 1993 (6 vs. CS Stanislaus, 1-5-93). Brandon Rohe (6, vs. Mississippi State Valley, 12-27-02) and Calvin Johnson (6, vs. Cal Poly, 12-10-05) later matched it. It is the most threes hit by a Bronco since WCC record holder Foster scored nine vs. Air Force on March 18, 2011.
Brownridge has started all 25 games this season and he has scored 18+ points in 13 games thus far, including 14 games with 3+ threes made and 19 double-figure games. Much of his scoring has been beyond the arc as Brownridge has collected 5+ threes four times. Foster accomplished this feat three times in his 33-game rookie season (5 vs. Arizona, Nov. 25, 2008; at Saint Mary's, Jan. 9, 2009; and at LMU, Feb. 14, 2009). All told, Foster scored seven threes twice, eight threes twice and nine threes once (the school record for a single game).
In the final non-conference game vs. South Florida on Dec. 23, Santa Clara went on a 13-3 run as Brownridge hit a three with 53.8 seconds left to give SCU a one-point lead and then iced it with a pair of free throws with 10.8 ticks left to lead the Broncos to a 66-65 victory. He also scored eight straight Bronco points late in the second half of the Portland win on Dec. 30 to help seal the victory and scored the game-winning three with 1.2 seconds left on the clock at Saint Mary's on Jan. 9. He added a career-high 30 points vs. BYU on Jan. 18 and hit 30 again at USF on Jan. 25.
In his first three collegiate basketball games, Brownridge was in elite company at SCU. Only three players since the 1999-2000 season have scored more points in the first three games of the season and Brownridge is the only first-year player among them. In his junior year John Bryant collected 75 points in three games at the outset of the 2007-08 season and Travis Niesen tallied 68 points during the first three games of his 2005-06 senior campaign. Foster went for 65 in the first three games last season. Foster also scored 62 points in 2009 but it took him four team games after he missed the third contest of the season.