Santa Clara-Boston College Game Notes

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Santa Clara looks to finish out the DIRECTV Wooden Legacy Sunday with a win when it plays Boston College at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The Broncos (0-7) and Eagles (3-2) will meet at 4:30 p.m. Pacific with the game shown on ESPN3. The opening two games of bracket play in the eight-team tournament took place Thursday and Friday at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym.

In the opening game on Thanksgiving night, the Broncos took No. 11/10 Arizona to overtime before falling 75-73 despite a career-high and tournament-record 44 points by junior guard Jared Brownridge. Santa Clara and Arizona had chances to win at the end of regulation, but a pair of free throws by the Wildcats in the final four seconds of overtime turned out to be the difference.

In a consolation game Friday, D.J. Balentine scored a game-high 23 points and dished out eight assists, and Egidiju Mockevicius hauled in 21 rebounds to lead a veteran Evansville squad past Santa Clara, 69-57. Brownridge again led the way for the Broncos with 19 points, while Nate Kratch chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds. The team was without forward Jarvis Pugh (knee) and guard Brendyn Taylor (missed his third-straight game with a concussion)


SANTA CLARA (0-7) vs. Boston College (3-2)

Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 • Honda Center (18,336) • 4:30 p.m. PST

TV/Live Stream: ESPN3 - Roxy Bernstein (play by play) and Sean Farnham (color)

Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/

Radio: None

Quick Hits...
• The Broncos, led by ninth-year head coach Kerry Keating, return six of their top eight scorers from a year ago, including junior guard Jared Brownridge (15.9 ppg), sophomore forward Matt Hubbard (6.8 ppg) and junior forward Nate Kratch (5.2 ppg). Hubbard (4.6 pg) and Kratch (4.6)  are also the top returning rebounders. Brownridge led the team in scoring and ranked sixth in the West Coast Conference in both points per game and 3-point FG percentage (43.3). He was also fourth in the WCC in free-throw percentage (86.2).
• Despite playing just two seasons, Brownridge already ranks seventh in school history with 203 career 3-pointers made and 25th in scoring (1,216 points). In addition, his career scoring average (16.9 ppg) ranks No. 6 on the Broncos all-time chart and his career 3-point field-goal percentage (41.8) is tops in school history. After missing most of preseason practice Brownridge, however, has not been as accurate in the early going this season, connecting on only 32 percent, including 28 percent from beyond the 3-point line. He still leads the team and the West Coast Conference in scoring (20.0 ppg) and is averaging a career-high 4.6 rebounds a game (second on the team), as well as 2.6 assists (tied for first on the team). In addition, he has turned the ball over just 12 times on the year, despite averaging 35.9 minutes a game while being the focal point of the offense.
• The 6-foot-8 Kratch has been the main target inside and top rebounder for the Broncos. He leads the team with 8.6 rebounds per contest and ranks third in scoring (7.4 ppg). He has produced double-digit rebounds in two of his last four games, eclipsing his previous career high twice (12 vs. UC Riverside; 14 vs. UC Irvine). Kratch ranks third in the West Coast Conference in rebounding and his 22 offensive boards lead the league.
• Santa Clara, which has no scholarship seniors on the roster, had three players start all 32 games last year, but only Brownridge remains. Guard Brandon Clark was the second-leading scorer (15.8 ppg). He accounted for 26 percent of the team's shot attempts and ended his career 13th on the school's all-time scoring list (1,549) and 10th in assists (410). Guard Denzel Johnson averaged 8.7 points per game, third on the team. The Broncos return a combined 92 starts from 2014-15.

Preseason Injuries Slow Continuity...
In the early part of the year, the Broncos are attempting to integrate a number of players who missed significant time during the preseason. The team, which added seven newcomers in the offseason and returns three starters, opened practice on Oct. 2 and was without leading scorer Jared Brownridge, who was out of action from Sept. 21 through Oct. 27. The junior was unable to participate in conditioning drills leading up to Oct. 2, as well as the first 21 practices due to a pelvic injury. He returned just more than a week before Santa Clara's lone exhibition game on Nov. 6. Freshman forward Henrik Jadersten also suffered an ankle injury just days into the preseason and missed 18 practices before returning on Nov. 1. The sharp-shooting Swede has averaged just 8.3 minutes per contest in the first four games. The Broncos were also without sophomore guard Evan Wardlow was out of action for 15 practices (Oct. 6-27) with a knee injury. In addition, sophomore forward Jarvis Pugh missed five practices and freshman guard KJ Feagin was out for four in the preseason. Freshman forward Tony Lewis has been out of action since the summer with a lower leg injury.

Scouting the Eagles...
Boston College (3-2), which plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference, has dropped its first two games of the Wooden Legacy, falling to No. 3/4 Michigan State, 99-68, Thursday and to UC Irvine, 80-67, Friday. Senior guard Eli Carter, a transfer from Florida, is the team's leading scorer (18.4 ppg) and assist producer (4.0 pg). Freshman guard Jerome Robinson is the second-leading scorer (13.2 ppg) and is averaging 4.2 rebounds per game. Senior Dennis Clifford, a 7-foot center, is averaging 7.8 ppg and a team-best 8.0 rebounds. The Broncos and Eagles are meeting for the second time. BC knocked off Santa Clara, 62-45, on Dec. 29, 1991, in the Cable Car Classic.

Brownridge Carries the Load vs. Arizona...
It's no secret that junior guard Jared Brownridge is Santa Clara's top offensive threat, but he took it one step further in Thursday's 75-73 overtime loss vs. No. 11/10 Arizona in the Wooden Legacy. Brownridge tallied a career-high and tournament-best 44 points on 11-for-29 shooting, including 7-for-19 from behind the 3-point line. He added three assists (two on 3-pointers) thus accounting for 71.2 percent of the team's scoring. Here are some benchmarks reached:
• Single-game high in the NCAA this season. Kale Abrahamson, Drake (41 vs. Western Kentucky, Nov. 23) is the only other player to reach 40 points
• Tied for No. 2 on the school's single-game scoring list. Russ Vrankovich (vs. Pepperdine, March 7, 1964) and Nick Vanos (at Loyola Marymount, Jan. 31, 1985) each had 44. Bud Ogden scored a school-record 56 at Pepperdine (March 3, 1967). Brownridge's total was the most-ever in a neutral site game and he was the first SCU player to reach 40 points since Steve Nash tallied 40 at Gonzaga on Jan. 19, 1990.
• Broke James Harden's tournament record of 40 points set in the 2008 third-place game when Arizona State faced UTEP. He also matched former Santa Clara player Evan Roquemore's tourney record of 3-pointers made (vs. Oklahoma – Nov. 25, 2011). His 15 free throws made tied the tournament record (Matt Howard, Butler - 2009 vs. Minnesota), and had the most field goal attempts (25 by Josh Akognon, Cal State Fullerton - 2008 vs. Wake Forest) and most 3-point FG attempts (14 by Akognon in the same game).
• Matched his own career mark of 3-pointers made (also vs. Pepperdine – March 1, 2014; La Sierra – Dec. 14, 2013). That total is tied for sixth on the school's singe game list. His made throws were also tied for the sixth-most ever in a Santa Clara game. His field goal attempts were tied for second on the single-game list. Ogden had 32 in his record-setting game 56-point game and Nash 29 when he tallied 40 in 1995.
• He scored 30 or more points for the fourth time in his career. His previous career high of 38 occurred vs. Pepperdine on March 1, 2014. That was also a Santa Clara freshman record.

Notables...
• A 2014-15 first-team All-West Coast Conference pick and a preseason all-league choice, Jared Brownridge is leading the team in scoring at 20.0 points per game. He had a career-high 44 points in Thursday's loss to No. 11/10 Arizona and delivered 27 points in the season-opening 65-63 double-overtime loss to Lipscomb. Brownridge has been held to 32 percent from the field this season. The junior hit 44 percent of his field-goal attempts last season, including 43 percent on 3-pointers.
• The Broncos connected on 43.4 percent from the field vs. Arizona, the team's second-best mark of the season (51.1 percent vs. Milwaukee on Nov. 15). Santa Clara also hit 39 percent from the 3-point line, also the second-best percentage of the year.  
• Nate Kratch and KJ Feagin have been the team's most accurate shooters among the starters. Kratch has connected on 53.7 percent from the floor, scoring mostly in the paint, while Feagin has hit 50 percent of his field-goal attempts, including 36 percent on 3-pointers. Forward Jarvis Pugh has connected on 52 percent from the floor.
• Brownridge and Nate Kratch are the only players to start all seven games. Freshman forward Henrik Jadersten started for the first time in his career and sophomore guard Evan Wardlow made his first start of the season (second of his career) vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 23).  
• Santa Clara's double-overtime contest vs. Lipscomb on opening night was its first multiple extra session contest since Feb. 24, 2011, when the Broncos knocked off LMU, 94-88, at home.
• The Broncos have a new assistant coach this season. Mike Peck joined the program in August. He came from the NBA Development League where he was the head coach of the Idaho Stampede, the Portland Trail Blazers affiliate. Steve Snell is in his second season as the associate head coach and Jesse Pruitt is in year four as an assistant coach.
• This year's games are airing locally on KSCU 103.3 FM, the school's station, with Anthony Passarelli (play-by-play) and John Stege (color) back to call all the action. However, the three games at the Wooden Legacy will not air on radio. All home contests and conference games will also be streamed live through TheW.tv.

By The Numbers...
• 2...Jared Brownridge needs two more 3-pointers to move from from seventh to sixth on the school's career list. He has 203 and Evan Roquemore posted 205 (2010-14).
• 5...The Broncos have used five different starting lineups this season.
• 8...Nate Kratch has eight rebounds in five of seven games this season, including 12 vs. UC Riverside (Nov 19) and 14 vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 23).
• 28.7...Average career games played among the 12 active players on the roster (freshmen Tony Lewis and Bryson Lockley have not played). They have played in a total of 344 games, with juniors Jared Brownridge (72) and Nate Kratch (72) accounting for 144.