WATCH | EYEBRONCO Highlights and Postgame Interviews from the Victory!
With Brandon Clark making four free throws in the final 46.8 seconds of the game, Santa Clara beat San Diego 59-56 on Saturday night in the Leavey Center. Clark is No. 3 all-time in career free throw percentage at 83.2 percent.
Santa Clara is 7-8 and 2-2 in the WCC. San Diego is 8-8 and 1-3 in the WCC. Santa Clara travels to Portland for a 7 pm game on Thurs., Jan. 8.
Santa Clara shot 42.6 percent from the field (20 of 47), including 28.6 percent from beyond the arc (4 of 14). The Broncos added 75 percent from the foul line (15 of 20). They collected 35 rebounds, 15 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks and 11 turnovers.
Matt Hubbard picked up his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. It was the first double-double game by a Bronco since Jerry Brown went for 16 and 10 against San Jose State on Nov. 12, 2013. Nate Kratch had 14 points and eight rebounds while Brandon Clark chipped in with 13. Jared Brownridge tied a career-high with seven assists.
San Diego shot 46.5 percent from the field (20 of 43), including 41.7 percent from beyond the arc (5 of 12). The Toreros added 64.7 percent from the foul line (11 of 17). They collected 22 rebounds, 13 assists, 10 steals, 3 blocks and 7 turnovers.
Johnny Dee had a game-high 20 points Chris Anderson scored 12 and Jito Kok had 10.
The two were tied 29-29 at the half. Denzel Johnson and Kratch started off the SCU scoring attack in the second half. Kok scored the first six USD points and Dee added a jumper to make it 37-33 USD at 15:56.
Kratch scored a pair of free throws at 15:25 to inch the Broncos a couple points closer, 37-35 USD. The third dunk in the second half by Kok made it 45-39 Toreros at 12:03.
Hubbard scored a put-back, a pair of free throws, a three and a jumper to pull the Broncos within one, 49-48 USD, at 6:55. A three by Harris at 6:10 put USD up by four.
Jalen Richard scored inside at 5:50 and then hit a floater at 4:45 to tie it up 52-52. He grabbed the defensive board and on the next possession Brownridge sank a pair of free throws to give SCU a 54-52 lead with 3:56 left. Kratch added one at 2:48 to keep the Broncos 7-0 run alive.
Dee's floater at 2:17 got USD within one again, 55-54 SCU.
Each team's pairs of free throws had the lead bouncing back and forth. Anderson hit a pair of free throws at 1:11 and USD led by one. Clark's pair made the Bronco lead one again with 46.8 seconds left, 57-56.
The front end of Sarbaugh's 1 and 1 at the line clanked off the iron and Brownridge grabbed the defensive rebound with 27 seconds left.
Clark was hammered with 11.2 seconds left. He stepped to the line and sank both to make the Broncos lead 59-56. Anderson shot an airball to end the game and give SCU a 59-56 victory.
The team's were tied 29 all at halftime. Santa Clara took an early 4-0 lead on a jumper from Brownridge and two free throws from Clark. Dee scored eight straight points for the Toreros when SCU called for time. Kratch scored a layup on the ensuing possession to end the run.
A three by Johnson with 12:44 on the clock tied the game at 11. San Diego responded with a bucket, but Kratch tied the game again with a layup. Marcus Harris drilled a three to give San Diego the lead once more out of the media timeout.
The Broncos started an 11-0 run over the next 6:45. Clark hit a three and then scored inside a minute later. After Brownridge scored inside and Hubbard hit a three from the elbow, San Diego whistled for a timeout at 5:26, down 24-16.
A pair of free throws by Thomas Jacobs halted the Broncos' run at 3:36. Anderson's three at 2:57 gave USD its first basket in almost eight minutes to make it 25-21 SCU.
Johnson and Anderson traded baskets; and then Kratch scored his fourth basket inside as SCU led 29-23 with 1:44 left in the first half. After a couple of USD baskets, Chris Sarbaugh tied it up 29 a piece with a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left. Kratch scored nine points for the Broncos in the first half and added a team-high five rebounds. Dee scored 14 for USD.
NOTES: Starters for the Broncos (career starts): Brandon Clark (52), Nate Kratch (8), Denzel Johnson (26), Jared Brownridge (48) and Matt Hubbard (13).