Santa Clara will host Portland at 5 pm on Sat., Feb. 7. The game will be televised live on Wtv.com with JB Long and Dan Belluomini making the call. It will also be broadcast live on KLIV 1590 AM and the Bronco website, SantaClaraBroncos.com, as part of the Bronco Radio Network. Anthony Passarelli is in his eighth season as the Broncos' play-by-play announcer.
After losing 77-63 to No. 2 Gonzaga on Thursday, SCU is 11-13 and 5-7 in the WCC. The Broncos are 8-4 at home this season, including 4-2 in league games. Finishing off USF 69-57 on The Hilltop Thursday night, Portland comes to Santa Clara with a 13-10 record, including 4-7 in WCC play. The Pilots are 4-5 on the road this year with a 2-4 WCC record. Portland has three players averaging double figures: Kevin Bailey (13.1), Alex Wintering (13.1) and Thomas Van der Mars (10.6).
On Feb. 6 - 8, the NCAA celebrates the second annual autism awareness weekend in college hoops. Santa Clara's coaching staff will wear the Autism Speaks blue puzzle piece pin during their televised game on Saturday vs. Portland.
Portland
SCU leads the all-time series with Portland 58-32. SCU has won the last three of five vs. the Pilots after losing four straight. The Pilots won the team's first meeting 78-61 in Portland on Jan. 8.
Last year the Broncos split the season series with the Pilots, with each team winning on the road. Portland won 76-64 in Santa Clara on Jan. 29, 2014 after the Broncos won 76-68 on Dec. 30, 2013 in Portland. Winning handily in Portland, Santa Clara's guard trio of Evan Roquemore, Brandon Clark and Jared Brownridge each scored 20 points a piece, including each hitting 5 of 6 from the free throw line. While a number of Bronco teams have featured 20+ points from two Bronco players in a single game, it is believed no guard trio has scored 20+ points in a single game in school history.
Awesome For Andrew!
Andrew Papenfus saw his first action of the year at BYU on Jan. 31 after recovering from brain surgery Oct. 6, 2014 to remove a golf-ball sized tumor. He played the final 3:58 of the game, collecting a rebound, a steal and shooting 0-2 from the field. None of those were personal bests for him, but the fact he was on the court less than four months after brain surgery is remarkable. It was an emotional moment for both Papenfus and his teammates and coaches, some of which had tears in their eyes.
On the evening of Feb. 2, Papenfus had a setback and after having tests run and consulting with doctors, it was determined he should take a week off from practice and play. He is out for the Portland game and will be re-evaluated next week. The tests run all came back fine and he is healthy. Looking back, Papenfus suffered a seizure in mid-June at Santa Clara during a Bronco Basketball camp drill. Tests revealed he had a golf ball sized tumor in the left side of his brain. He was given the choice to wait to have the surgery and play this season or have the surgery immediately. Because they couldn't guarantee it wouldn't grow, up regulate, Papenfus decided to have brain surgery as soon as the surgeon could get it on the schedule. "Why take the risk," said Papenfus.
The five-hour surgery on Oct. 6, 2014 was done by Dr. Mitch Berger and his team at UCSF in San Francisco. He has shocked doctors with how fast he has been able to recover - he was only in the hospital for four days. He couldn't move his right foot after surgery, but Papenfus quickly graduated from basic physical therapy.
Brandon and Jared
The Broncos return the WCC's top-scoring back-court in Brandon Clark and Jared Brownridge. Clark is averaging 15.8 ppg after scoring 16.9 ppg in 2013-14. Brownridge is averaging 14.8 ppg after leading the team with 17.2 ppg last year. Both have scored in double figures 20 times this year. Clark has led the team in scoring 12 times, Brownridge 11, Matt Hubbard twice and Nate Kratch once. Denzel Johnson and Jalen Richard both had a team-high 13 points at Portland to finish out the game scoring leaders.
Clark is No. 15 on the career points scored list with 1,421. Brownridge has scored 923 career points. With 77 more points score, he would be the 33rd Bronco in school history to score 1,000 plus. On pace to do it this year, he would be the first true sophomore to do so. Kevin Foster scored his 1,000th career point as a redshirt-sophomore on Jan. 22, 2011 vs. Portland (he played six games in 2009-10 before he broke his foot and was redshirted). Foster closed out his Bronco career with 2,423 career points, second only in the WCC to Hank Gather's 2,490 career points.
Brandon
At No. 15 with 1,421 career points, Brandon Clark has climbed 14 spots on the all-time list since the start of the season. He is the sixth player in school history to score 1,400+ career points and dish out 375+ career assists (joining Kevin Foster, Brian Jones, Nash, Evan Roquemore and Kyle Bailey). Clark needs 17 points to move past No. 14 Bud Ogden (1,437, 1966-69). He was the 15th Bronco to score 1,400 career points (Jan. 29) and the 20th Bronco to score 1,300 points (Jan. 13). Clark joined the 1,000+ list last season when he scored 18 points at Pepperdine on March 1, 2014. He is the seventh Bronco to score his 1,000th career under Bronco head coach Kerry Keating.
The career 83.6 percent free throw shooter is just 14-20 (70.0 percent) in the last four games after having a streak of 29 straight makes snapped. Shooting almost 85 percent this season from the line (104 of 123), Clark is No. 3 on the Bronco career list. The record is held by Steve Nash (86.1 percent, 1991-96) and Russ Vrankovich is No. 2 (85.8 percent, 1961-64). Clark is No. 9 on the career list with 125 games played; No. 10 with 154 threes made; No. 9 in threes attempted with 443; and No. 10 with 377 assists.
Clark had his streak of 25 straight games in double figures ruined on Nov. 19 at Utah State when he scored nine. The streak dated back to Dec. 13, 2013. It was the longest streak for a Bronco since Travis Niesen scored double figures in 22 straight games (Feb. 5, 2005-Jan. 21, 2006).
He was named the WCC Player of the Week on Jan. 26 for the second time this season. Clark hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left to ice the game vs. LMU on Jan. 22. He then added three free throws in the final 16 seconds of the Pepperdine victory on Jan. 24. Clark scored a WCC season-high 29 points vs. LMU and added 13 vs. Pepperdine.
Clark was named also the WCC Player of the Week on Nov. 17, 2014. He set a school record for points scored in a season opener with 31, including 15 of 16 from the line, in the Broncos' win vs. CSU Fullerton on Nov. 14. He had four career bests on the weekend as well. He was 15 of 16 from the free throw line vs. the Titans - marking a career best in makes and attempts. He is the only the seventh Bronco in school history to make 15+ free throws in a game. He scored 21 points vs. SDC on Nov. 15, collecting a career-high nine assists.
Jared
Jared Brownridge has made 5+ threes nine times in his career, including seven threes twice last year (vs. La Sierra, 12/14/13 and at Pepperdine, 3-1-14). He led the team with 95 three pointers a year ago and has already hit 65 this season, giving him 160 in his career - good enough for No. 9 on the Bronco career list. Hitting a three in 53 of his 57 career games, Brownridge needs five triples to pass No. 8 Brian Jones (165, 1996-01). He has hit 2+ threes in 41 games, 4+ in 20 games, 5+ in nine games and 6+ in 4 games His four career games with no 3s: 0-5 vs. San Diego 1-13-15; 0-6 at BYU 2-16-14; 0-1 vs. Gonzaga 1-29-14; and 0-3 vs. Sacred Heart 12-18-13.
A preseason All-WCC pick this season, he set seven SCU freshman season records and three game records last year. His 567 points scored last year shattered the SCU freshman record and placed him at No. 2 all-time in points scored for a Bay Area freshman (list includes SCU, Stanford, Cal, Saint Mary's, USF and Pacific). He finished his freshman year with 24 points vs. Gonzaga in the WCC quarters, as the Broncos fell 77-75 on a last second layup by the Zags' David Stockton.
