Santa Clara-San Diego Game Notes | Single-Game Tickets
Video: "Bronco Bites" with Jared Brownridge, Matt Hubbard
Video: "Know Your Matchup" with Jared Brownridge, San Diego's Jito Kok
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Coming off three straight road games, Santa Clara will play a pair at home this week. San Diego, which has won two of its last three games, visits Leavey Center Thursday.
The teams met last month in San Diego with the Broncos outlasting the Toreros, 65-53, behind a team-high 17 points from Nate Kratch, who led four players in double figures.
Santa Clara is coming off a tough 89-86 overtime loss at San Francisco Saturday night. The Broncos rallied from 17 down in the second half to force the extra session, but the Dons went 7 of 9 from the line in overtime.
The Broncos have six games remaining in the regular season, three at home and three on the road. They face BYU at home Saturday (1 p.m. tipoff).
"We've been through some ups and downs and been close in a lot of games," Santa Clara head coach Kerry Keating. "But we're just focused on the next game right now."
SANTA CLARA (8-16, 4-8) vs. San Diego (8-15, 3-9)
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 • Leavey Center (4,700) • 7 p.m. PST
Live Stream: TheW.tv - Anthony Passarelli (play-by-play) and John Stege (analyst)
Radio: KSCU (103.3 FM) - Anthony Passarelli (play-by-play) and John Stege (analyst)
Live Stats: www.statbroadcast.com
Tickets: Mini-plans and single-game options are available. Click here to purchase tickets (link to single-game) For information, call (408) 554-4660 weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or email BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Doors to Leavey Center open one hour prior to tipoff. The ticket office is also open one hour prior to the start of the game. During games, Chad Cardinal and Jesse Moreno of the ticket operations staff will be located above Section 105 to answer questions.
Game Promotions: Join the Santa Clara University student body for a Night of Halfcourt Shots. Check-in at the table just inside the Leavey Center student entrance (Northwest doors) to enter for the opportunity to participate. Each contestant will have one chance to make a halfcourt shot. Prizes include a $300 Amazon gift card, $200 Nike gift card, $100 Yard House gift card, Fitbit Surge, mini basketball hoop and more. Stop by the Ruff Riders table outside of Benson Center from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday for information.
Parking: There are two venues available for gameday parking. The campus parking structure is located just inside the main campus entrance off El Camino Real. The Leavey Center parking lot also has a limited number of spaces. Gameday parking is $10. Click here for a campus map.
Radio/Live Stream: Anthony Passarelli (play-by-play) and John Stege (color) will call the action for the Broncos on KSCU 103.3 FM. The game can be heard over the air or online through tunein. All Broncos home games and West Coast Conference contests will also be streamed through TheW.tv (local blackout restrictions apply for games broadcast over the air).
Quick Hits...
• After dropping their first seven games of the season, the Broncos, led by ninth-year head coach Kerry Keating, have gone 8-9 since Nov. 29.
• The Broncos matched a school record by playing in their fourth overtime game of the season Saturday vs. San Francisco.
• Jared Brownridge, in his third year as a starter, ranks No. 29 nationally in the scoring (19.9 ppg). He is second on the team in assists (2.4 pg) and tied for third in rebounding (3.4 pg). He has hit 83.0 percent of his free throws (fourth in the WCC) and his 117 makes from the charity stripe are tied for No. 46 in the NCAA this year. He also ranks tied for 31st nationally in 3-point field goals (69). Brownridge is one of four players in the nation to rank in the top 50 of both those categories. He is joined by Josh Adams (Wyoming), Stefan Moody (Ole Miss and Frank Eaves (Appalachian State). Junior forward Nate Kratch leads the team in both rebounding (8.7 pg/third in the WCC) and FG percentage (55.2/fifth in the WCC), and is third in scoring (10.0 ppg).
• KJ Feagin, now the team's second-leading scorer (10.7 ppg), has emerged in the last two months as another scoring option and been a consistent distributor. The freshman guard has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 16 games and averaged 13.1 points and 4.8 assists in that span. He has posted eight or more assists three times in WCC action and tallied the second-highest point total of his career (25), including a career-best 13 FTs, vs. Portland (Jan. 2).
• Despite playing just two-plus seasons, Brownridge already ranks third in school history with 257 career 3-pointers and 13th in scoring (1,554 points). In addition, his career scoring average (17.5 ppg) ranks No. 6 on the Broncos all-time chart and his career 3-point field-goal percentage (42.1) is tops in school history. After missing most of preseason practice Brownridge had an uneven start to the season, but has heated up. He has scored in double figures each of the last 15 games, averaging 21.7 points on 45.4 percent shooting from the floor, including 45.7 from behind the 3-point line.
• Nine of Santa Clara's 16 losses have been by eight points or less, including seven that were within three. The Broncos have four overtime losses.
• The Broncos have three players on the shelf. Sophomore guard Evan Wardlow (broken right wrist) missed the last 15 games and will be out approximately two months. Sophomore forward Jarvis Pugh (knee) missed the previous seven games before playing against Saint Mary's (Dec. 23), but sat out the last 10. Junior guard Brendyn Taylor (concussion) missed seven games and freshman forward Tony Lewis (leg) has not played this season.
Boost off the Bench...
Sophomore forward Matt Hubbard and junior guard Brendyn Taylor have given the Broncos some scoring punch off the bench in recent games.
After a stretch of scoring a total of six points in four games, Hubbard has averaged 10.7 in the last three, including a career-high 16 Saturday vs. San Francisco. He has also hit 57 percent from the field (12 of 21) in that span.
"Matt has had some struggles shooting the ball and took a while to get himself back," Keating said. "He had a good last two games and has practiced well this week."
Taylor has put together his most productive stretch, using his athleticism to average 7.3 points during the last three games on 50-percent shooting from the floor (6 of 12) and 80-percent from the free-throw line (8 of 10).
"Brendyn probably played his best game at Portland and his play allowed us to go small [one forward and four guards] against San Francisco," Keating said.
Taylor has also dished out five assists and just one turnover, while averaging 19.3 minutes in the last three games.
Career Night...
Emmanuel Ndumanya is coming off the most productive game of his career. The sophomore center posted career highs in both points (9) and rebounds (12) in Saturday's San Francisco game. He controlled the glass, hauling in eight rebounds in the first five minutes, and scored all nine of his points in the first half when the Broncos built an 8-point lead.
"I'm excited for Emmanuel to be establish some rebounding and a little bit of scoring," Keating. "Hopefully he can keep building on that."
Ndumanya also hit his first-career 3-pointer (on his first attempt) in the San Francisco game. He hit one from the top on the key in the opening half as the shot clock was running down.
Tidbits...
• With 18 points vs. USF (Feb. 6), Jared Brownridge (1,554) moved from 14th to 13th on the school's career scoring list, passing Brandon Clark (1,549/2011-15).
• Brownridge (38) scored 30 or more points for the sixth time in his career and third time this season at Portland (Jan. 30). His 14 field goals were a career high (12 at Pepperdine, March 1, 2014). Brownridge is the only player in school history to post 38 or more points in a game three times. In fact, only one other player has done it twice. Ken Sears had 39 at Saint Mary's (Feb. 28, 1955) and then 41 vs. Pacific (March, 4, 1955).
• Since an 0-for-3 performance from the free-throw line at Pacific (Dec. 21), KJ Feagin has connected on 32 of 35 free throws (91.4 percent). He has improved from 59.1 to 80.3 percent from the line in the last 10 games. Feagin ranks third in the WCC during league action (85.7 percent).
• Feagin's 96 assists this season rank fourth on the school's all-time freshman list.
• During the first 15 games of the season, Santa Clara only had as many as three players in double figures six times. In the last nine games, three or more players have reached double figures six times. The Broncos are 7-5 when at least three players reach double figures, including 3-0 with four players scoring 10 or more.
• Brownridge has scored 20 or more points in nine of the last 15 games and 10 times on the season. He has connected on seven or more 3-pointers four times (seven vs. Arizona, Nov. 26; seven at Nevada, Dec. 18; career-high eight vs. Pacific, Dec. 23; seven at Portland, Jan. 30).
Scouting the Toreros...
San Diego, 8-15 (3-9 WCC) on the season, has won two of its last three games, which follows a stretch of eight losses in nine. The Toreros rank third in the WCC in both points allowed (67.4 pg) and blocked shots (4.0 pg). Senior center Jito Kok leads the league and ranks 14th nationally in blocked shots (2.65 pg). The Toreros have struggled shooting from the field, connecting on 39.2 percent, including 27.7 from behind the 3-point line. Senior guard Duda Sanadze is the team's leading scorer (11.6 ppg) and Kok is second (8.3 pg). Junior forward Brett Bailey is averaging 8.0 ppg and a team-high 5.1 rebounds pg. Bailey had a career-high 22 points in this season's first meeting with the Broncos. Lamont Smith, a former assistant coach at Santa Clara (2007-08), is in his first season as USD's head coach. In addition, assistant coach Sam Scholl spent the previous eight seasons in the same role at Santa Clara.
The San Diego Series...
The series began in 1953 with Santa Clara leading 44-35. The series has been evenly matched in recent years. The teams split a pair of meetings in each of the last two seasons. Santa Clara captured both meetings in 2012-13 and San Diego won the two the year before. The Broncos won 65-53 on Jan. 9.
Trends...
• After turning the ball over less than 10 times in six of the previous nine games, Santa Clara has averaged 14.0 in the last two. The Broncos rank tied for third in the WCC in fewest turnovers (11.7 pg). They had 17 vs. San Francisco (Feb. 6) and 11 vs. Portland (Jan. 30), but 10 occurred in the second half vs. the Pilots. During a 60-minute stretch (the Gonzaga game through the first half of Portland), the Broncos posted only five turnovers.
• Santa Clara has shot better from the floor in WCC games (43.0 percent) than it did during nonconference action (40.0).
• After averaging 13.7 free throws in the previous three games, Santa Clara averaged 23.7 in the last three. The Broncos hit 75 percent (18 of 24) vs. Portland and are connecting at a 69.7 percent clip on the year (sixth in the WCC). The opposition has connected on 80.0 percent from the line in the last five games.
By The Numbers…
1...KJ Feagin is first in the WCC among freshmen in assists (4.0 pg) and free-throw percentage (80.3).
3...Jared Brownridge is third in the WCC in minutes played (36.0 pg).
3...Jared Brownridge is one of only four players in the NCAA to rank in the top 50 in both made free throws (t-46th at 117) and 3-pointers (t-31st at 69) this year. Josh Adams of Wyoming (t-39th in 3-FGs/4th in FTs), Stefan Moody of Ole Miss (t-30th in 3-FGs/7th FTs) and Frank Eaves of Appalachian State (t-17th in 3-FGs/48th FTs) are the others.
7...The Broncos have used seven different starting lineups this season, but the same one in the last 10 games.
13...Jared Brownridge (1,554) needs 17 more points to move from 13th to 12th on the school's career scoring list. Kyle Bailey (1,571/2001-05) is currently 12th.
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